40th Anniversary Celebration
40th Anniversary Celebration
2013-2014 was the 40th anniversary of College Scholars, a year of celebration highlighted by the first ever reunion on Saturday, March 1. We celebrated the year in several ways. First, we set a goal of raising an unprecedented $10,000 for the College Scholars Excellence Fund and we exceeded that goal. Second, we compiled a 40th Anniversary History which is available from Van-Griner Publishing. Finally, we organized the reunion consisting of an afternoon panel discussion on the past, present, and future of College Scholars followed by a gala dinner at Holly’s Corner which featured a keynote address by Ellen Godbey Carson (‘76), one of the original thirteen Scholars.
In her keynote address, Ellen Carson, introduced the Japanese saying, “Okage sama de”, meaning, “I am what I am because of you.” She ended with a challenge to her fellow alumni.
“I will always have a tender place in my heart for the College Scholars program. I have loved the freedom College Scholars provides. We can meet new people, go new places, plan our own schedule, experience different study settings and pursue our own dreams. I hope each of us commits today to contribute in concrete and meaningful ways to the Scholars program. With our help, College Scholars can be even more successful.
We are what we are only because of those who came before us and supported us. We have a duty, from all we have been given, to do our utmost to leave the world a better place. Whatever your passion is, Go for Broke, and pursue it with gratitude for those who helped you be who you are. Okage sama de.”
Two current Scholars, R. J. Vogt and Hanna Lustig, have written a report on the reunion which is available on our website (https://scholars.utk.edu/reunion.php), along with a slide show of photographs by another current scholar, Richard Prince.