When you ask them about their careers, twins Wes and Ches Jackson are quick to point out that no one really graduates from college and aspires to sell hot dogs. But in 1982, with UT Martin business degrees in hand, that’s exactly what they sold—along with other Reelfoot Packing Company products. Their father, Billy Joe, had worked for the Union City, Tennessee, Reelfoot plant most of his career, and his sons naturally gravitated there for jobs during high school and college to help finance their college educations.
As Debbie Ingram, UT Alumni Association president, travels to events, she solicits stories of how education has positively influenced the lives of UT alumni. Though their stories are different, Kayvon Sadrabadi and Paige Pettit credit education with altering their lives.
A career in natural resources management conjures up thoughts of working in serene settings, protecting the environment, being a friend to wildlife, and teaching young and old to appreciate the outdoors. Jereme Odom (Martin ’98) does all that and more as a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer. He enforces hunting, fishing, and boating laws, manages state-owned land, and conducts youth programs.
The old maxim “never succeed a winning coach”—or a popular chancellor—may sound like good advice. But Dr. Thomas A. Rakes, the new chancellor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, prefers to think about the work ahead in a different light.
He may not be able to tell you if the X-Files really exist, but Trey Halterman thinks he has been successful during his 2-1/2 years as an FBI special agent. “I’ve arrested drug dealers, protected the U.S. from people who want to cause harm to the country, assisted Hurricane Katrina victims, and managed major cases that will lead to arrests and prosecutions.”
Alternative fuels--a topic that sparks political, social, intellectual, and cultural debates. As gasoline prices continue to fluctuate, nearly everyone has an opinion about fuel production and consumption and, ultimately, about how to rescue the motorist at the pump, curb U.S. dependency on foreign oil, and lessen adverse effects on the environment.
