In The Beginning . . .
From 1965 through 1969, and prior to the organization of Tennessee TRIO, all TRIO programs were administered by the US Office of Education. With the election of President Richard M. Nixon, the administration of TRIO programs was divided into ten geographic regions of the country. Tennessee was a part of Region IV which later became the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP) in 1977. It was during the 10-region format in 1973, that Tennessee followed other southern states in organizing its 31 TRIO Programs This organization was originally known as Tennessee Association of Special Programs (TASP).
Founding Officers were:
Clara D. Hewitt, President, Lane College
William Matthew Jackson, Vice-President, Girls Club of Memphis
Joy Rogers Stout, Secretary, Girls Club of Memphis
Sylvester Dunn, Treasurer, Fisk University
The state of Tennessee like other states in the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP) region was still faced with the question of how it was going to address the barriers to postsecondary education opportunity for its low-income, first-generation students, as mandated by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 which subsequently became a part of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Tennessee, through Fisk University and Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, received two of the seventeen pilot Upward Bound Programs in 1965. A decade later, Tennessee had 31 TRIO Programs at the following 21 colleges, universities and agencies:
Austin Peay State University, SSS, Jean Lewis, Director
Douglas Cherokee Economic Authority, Inc., EOC, Mazie Steadman, Asst. Dir.
East Tennessee State University, SSS, Veterans UB, Jack Garland, Director
Fisk University, UB, SSS, UB CETA, Sylvester Dunn, Director
Girls Club of Memphis, Inc., ETS, William Matthew Jackson, Director
Knoxville College, SSS, UB, Cassandra Ghosten, Director
Lane College, UB, SSS, Clara D. Hewitt, Director
Lee College, SSS, Lucille Walker, Director
LeMoyne-Owen College, UB, SSS, Rita Teal, Director
Lincoln Memorial University, UB, SSS, Bonnie Buckland, Director
McKenzie College, SSS, Jay Menuskin, Director
Nashville State Technical Institute, SSS, Beverly Collins, Director
Shelby State Community College, SSS, Marsha Jenkins, Director
Tennessee State University, UB, SSS, Mary Love, Director
Tennessee Technology University, UB, Steve Coble, Director
Tusculum College, UB, TS, Julia Tower, Director
UT Chattanooga, UB, SSS, Paul Beasley, Director
UT Knoxville, SSS, Educational Advancement Program, James Caraway, Dir.
UT Knoxville, TS, Ernest Brewer, Director
UT Space Institute, SSS, Firouz Shahrokhi, Director
Walter State Community College, SSS, Frank Skinnell, Director
Other Early Non-elected Players in the Developmental History of TN TRiO: In Alphabetical Order
Hope Abergast
O'Leary Ankton
Bruce Batts
Paul Beasley
Ernest Brewer
Gail Burleson
Jim Caraway
Linda Carlton
Rudolph Christian
Arthur Davis
Carolyn Hague
Mae Harris
Richard Held
Anita Hodges
Dorothy Howard
Rosa Hudson
Shelia Kelly
Sherri Lanier
Nancy Ledet
James Lefler
Adrienne Long
Mary Love
Allison Martin
Gerald Mason
Veda Mays
Jay Menuskin
Ben Pugh
Julia Tower
Historical Highlights of TN TRiO
The first constitution was adopted in 1973 with revisions in 1986, 1990, 1993 and 1996.
The TN TRIO organization was incorporated by the state of Tennessee in 1986 and received tax-exempt status in 1996.
The TN TRIO Office of treasurer has been bonded since 1980.
In 1973, membership dues were set at $5.00 and the conference registration fee was $10.00
TN TRIO publishes a directory, a quarterly newsletter and maintains the following web address: http://www.tn-tasp.org/
The Tennessee Association has held joint conferences on alternate years with the state of Kentucky since 1990.
TN TRIO members fully participate in the annual Fair Share drive which supports the Council for Opportunity in Education.
Tennessee received the first DOE Training Grant for the SAEOPP Region in 1985 under the leadership of William Matthew Jackson.
TN TRIO members hold their elections by mail.
On December 11, 1984, Clara D. Hewitt presented the initial SAEOPP Archives Collection to the Robert W. Woodruff Library, Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Wanda Bigham was SAEOPP's President and Dr. Ben McCune was Vice-President.
Michael Mercer, Lane College Upward Bound, 1997, Sharon Lynette Bush, Girls Club of Memphis, 1986, and Winston Oxendine, Tusculum College have been cited as SAEOPP and COE Achievers respectively.
Clara Hewitt and Deborah Northcross received the "Honors of the Association" in 2002 and William Matthew and Jeanie Stokes received the "Honors of the Executive Committee". Hewitt also received the Walter O. Mason Award from COE in 1994 and had the SAEOPP Archives named in her honor in 2002.
Dr. Ernest Brewer served as Editor of the SAEOPP Journal from 1990 to 2002
The following Tennesseeans have held elective offices and/or served as committee chairs of the SAEOPP and COE organizations: Deborah Northcross, Jeannie Stokes, Clara Hewitt, Ronnie Gross, Vicky Johnson-Warren, Mae Harris, Booker Scruggs, William M. Jackson, Drew Ragan, and Ronald McFadden.
In 1977, Clara Hewitt was one of three SAEOPPians (Irma Burks-Daily and Ben McCune) who attended the organizational meeting of the National Council for Educational Opportunity Associations in New Orleans, Louisiana under the leadership of Dr. Arnold Mitchem. NCEOA has been re-named the Council for Opportunity in Education. Hewitt is also a 1977 SAEOPP founder.
Julia Tower, former Project Director at Tusculum College, Greenville, Tennessee was Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, DC.
Richard Held, Tusculum College and Angela Neal, Austin Peay State University, (1994-95) have served as TRIO Desk students for the Council of Opportunity in Education National Office.
TN TRIO Project Directors have continuously embraced National TRIO Day.
Since its inception, Tennessee has always had representation at the Annual Policy Seminar. In 1997, Attorney Nathan Pride accompanied the Tennessee delegation to visit Tennessee's Congressmen as TRIO alumni.