Alumni

Twenty years ago, Michael Bishop (MS ’83) stumbled on police records about the murder of UT freshman Paula Herring in Nashville in 1964. A man was convicted of the murder, but the more Bishop researched, the more he realized that something just wasn’t right.

Though Clarence Brown had two UT engineering degrees by 1910, he set his sights on Hollywood where he directed stars like Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Elizabeth Taylor before leaving his legacy on UT’s campus through the Clarence Brown Theatre.

Every university is judged by its alumni, and former UT students have found themselves all over the world, distinguishing themselves in the sciences, literature, and performing arts. UT graduates who…

Lydia Criss Mays (’01, ’02) empowers people to “see beautiful” in themselves and “create more beautiful” in the world.

In the aftermath of a mass shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom, editor Rick Hutzell (’83) and his coworkers knew one thing for certain: they would be putting out a paper the next day no matter what.

Young alumna Ashlee Latimer (’16) paid her dues in the Knoxville theatre world as an actress and director and ended up winning a Tony Award for her work offstage as a producer.

Sometimes we all need a little help from friends to succeed in life. For Rusty Mowery, the opportunity that helped him break into the world of theater came from a professional actor who was in a show with him at the Clarence Brown Theatre.

Baker Donahue (’18) is adapting his popular vintage UT clothing company to new opportunities.

Whether they are in front of the camera or behind it, on stage or in the wings, UT alumni have been entertaining the world for decades as actors, writers, choreographers, producers, directors, and documentarians. Read all about our Vols who honed their skills in the classroom and on our theatre stages and find out where you can see their work in action.

General Robert Neyland’s game maxims helped former football player Austin “Shifty” Shofner (’37) and several others escape a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.