Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Honor Alumni in the Inaugural Class of the TICUA Hal

Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Honor Alumni in the Inaugural Class of the TICUA Hall of Fame 

Appeared in: The Rogersville Review

NASHVILLE, TENN. — Tennessee’s Independent Colleges and Universities have helped shape some of our nation’s most distinguished and impressive citizens — from Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners to faith leaders, entrepreneurs, and elected officials.

The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) created the TICUA Hall of Fame to honor the distinguished alumni of its 35 member institutions while highlighting their contributions to our state, nation, and world.

“The inaugural class of the TICUA Hall of Fame features a diverse and incredibly impressive group of citizens that our institutions have helped prepare,” said TICUA President Claude Pressnell, “While you will recognize many of the names, all of these alumni have made significant contributions worth learning about. We are proud to be able to give them just a small portion of the recognition they deserve.”

For example, American Baptist College selected Congressman John Lewis on behalf of their campus before his passing in July 2020. Lewis was an alumni of two TICUA Institutions: American Baptist College and Fisk University.

“John Lewis came to American Baptist College at just 17- years-old. He credited his education at American Baptist College for helping to mold him into the passionate leader he became,” said Forrest E. Harris, Sr., President of American Baptist College. “There is no better time to honor Lewis’ life and legacy and we are grateful TICUA is recognizing his indelible contributions to our country.”

The honorees exemplify the value of the liberal arts education and how it can be used in a variety of career fields. The inaugural TICUA Hall of Fame Class of 2020 are:

Congressman John Lewis — American Baptist College

Rebekah Lemley — Aquinas College

Anita Vaughn — Baptist Health Sciences University

R. Milton Johnson — Belmont University

Altha Stewart — Christian Brothers University

Cordell Hull — Cumberland University

David Levering Lewis — Fisk University

John and Rosemary Brown — Freed-Hardeman University

Fred Craddock — Johnson University

Katherine Paterson — King University

Thornton Meacham — Lane College

Paul Conn — Lee University

James Bishop — LeMoyne-Owen College

Clayton Hess — Lincoln Memorial University

Michael Adams — Lipscomb University

William Henderson Franklin — Maryville College

Del Harris — Milligan University

John M. Edwards III & Stace D. Dollar — Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia

Jon Meacham — Sewanee: The University of the South

Senator John Boozman — Southern College of Optometry

Scott Niswonger — Tusculum University

Bob Agee — Union University

Carlisle Hanna — Welch College

Photos and full bios on each honoree can be viewed through a link found in the online version of this article.