Blue Ribbon Winners for 2003
December
Jim Narramore wears many hats for the chemistry department, and according to Doug Kutz, head of chemistry, “he attends to his extensive responsibilities extremely well.” In the chemistry labs, Narramore processes orders for chemicals, maintains the inventory, arranges disposal of wastes, and hires, trains and supervisors two-dozen Teaching Assistants. As Chemical Hygiene Officer, Kutz says Narramore provides “outstanding leadership in this most important role encompassing safety, health, and risk management.” Narramore maintains spectrometers, four gas-chromatography instruments, and assists with the repair of most of the other instruments in the department. Kutz calls Narramore “an excellent ambassador for the department.” For several summers, Narramore has directed a minority enrichment program for area middle school and high school students, he has helped lead several workshops for high school teachers, and he teaches a laboratory safety course for UTC secondary education science majors.
“Jim performs all these activities with a positive attitude, with a commitment that things be performed with care, and he is never first in line to get the resulting accolades. Jim is a wonderful coworker and friend to all of us in the Chemistry Department. He very much deserves the Blue Ribbon award,” Kutz said.
November
Penny Cheruk is a sensitive, caring teacher who leads with her heart. Ita Thompson of the UTC Children's Center observed Penny in one of her finer moments, and she shares this story. "Recently, one of our preschoolers suffered the loss of a parent. A week prior to the parent's death, Penny, sensing the child's distress, sought to bring a ray of sunshine into his life. On a Saturday, she took time from her busy schedule to spend the day entertaining him, while at the same time providing comfort. They spent an enjoyable day visiting the Aquarium, playing at Coolidge Park, and having a quiet lunch together," Thompson said. We could not agree more with Thompson, who added, "I believe Penny deserves to receive the Blue Ribbon Award not only for her dedication to all the children she teaches, but especially for the compassion she has shown to this child in his time of need." Special thanks to Penny Cheruk, who has earned the Blue Ribbon Award for November.
October
Cindy Williams will be missed in the history department, as she transitions to a full-time position with Foreign Languages. History professors Richard Rice and Mike Russell both nominated Cindy for the Blue Ribbon Award. “Cindy has been of tremendous help, assisting me with the upcoming Lupton Global Issues workshop and other activities, in addition to running the department very efficiently. Cindy has been an excellent worker for us here in history,” Rice said. Mike Russell agrees. Russell asked Cindy to help with reorganizing the student led history club. “She devised a student list serve composed of around 200 history and secondary education history majors. It was one reason why the club was reinvigorated last year. We used that list for a more representative nomination of department instructors for the UT Alumni association outstanding teacher award.” “In my thirty three years at UTC, I have never seen a harder-working secretary,” Russell said.
September
Ruth Ann Bradford of the Academic Computer Center always goes above and beyond the call of duty, but Lee Anne Viall was particularly grateful for Ruth Ann’s work ethic and positive attitude on June 12, the day UTC was closed because of the power outage. “She rearranged her schedule and came in to scan placement test results and run RAP sheets. In fact, she seemed genuinely happy to do so; never once did she complain about having to come in on a ‘free’ day off,” Viall said. “More than 200 new students attended orientation that day; without Ruth Ann's help, they would not have received their placement scores and RAP sheets.” Our thanks to Ruth Ann, Blue Ribbon Winner for September.
August
Shirley Harris, Bursar's Office, has been a big help to newcomer Susan Wendorf in the Development House. Learning the details of the system used to receive University gifts as well as the IRIS Finance and Human Resources Information System can be challenging, and Shirley has selflessly helped Susan to overcome obstacles. "Shirley has always been so very kind and understanding each and every time. If we all had her kind heart UTC would be a better place," Susan said.
July
Dan Chase, webmaster, knows how to make students, faculty and staff happier—by developing a website to conduct parking services business. “He worked diligently to solve any issues that arose when we began conducting business on-line. I receive emails evenings and weekends indicating Dan was working on our project,” according to Cindee Pulliam, property management and parking. “Once the service was available MANY students, faculty and staff have purchased decals and filed appeals for citations on-line. This has proven to be a valuable service to our students. Dan understood my desire to improve customer service. Without him, this project would not have been completed.” Way to go Dan! We all appreciate the time you have saved us.
June
Sue Brackett, Principal Secretary of Student Development has been described as "the worker bee behind every large event the UTC Student Government Association (SGA) has had this academic year," according to student Tiffany Sanders, SGA vice president. Sanders nominated Brackett for the Blue Ribbon Award, acknowledging Brackett's dedication to detail. "SGA hosted the UT system meeting at the beginning of this semester, and it was Sue that was on the phone every day making sure everything was going as planned. This is just one of the many situations where Sue has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the name of SGA. Whenever her services are needed she always offers them with a cheerful attitude. Sue is an exceptional person with an extraordinary personality," Sanders said. Great job, Sue!
May
Quick thinking by Officer Rebecca Tolbert of Campus Law Enforcement stopped a potentially dangerous situation recently when a fire erupted in the UTC Place conference room, at the corner of University and 8th Streets. "Had it not been for Ms. Tolbert's actions, the situation would have gotten out of control and the building would probably have been irreparably damaged," said Julia Cronin of the Financial Aid Office. Cheers for Rebecca Tolbert, the Blue Ribbon recipient for May.
April
Rae Landrum, Administrative Assistant in the Financial Aid Office took on many extra duties during a long illness suffered by Financial Aid Office Manager Bob Bolden, as well as the subsequent six months it took to fill his position. Rae worked extra hard, according to Julia Cronin. "If a staff member could not work their assigned time, Rae made sure that someone covered that hour or two. Often it was she who provided the coverage. She had to work long hours to keep up with her duties while she took care of the Office Manager's position as well as her own. She did not get any additional compensation; the only payment she received was seeing the satisfied customers that came and went, and her office running smoothly and happily throughout the day-to-day routine," Julia said. Congratulations and thank you, Rae!
March
Julie Bomar, principal secretary for the Center for Applied Social Research, managed by Dr. Barbara Medley has made an enormous difference in the efficiency of the WesTech Community Technological Center, where Medley serves as co-director." Julie took it upon herself voluntarily to support our activities numerous times throughout the year. When I was in Boston picking up free computers, she orchestrated both the support planning, the coordination when I was 2000 miles away, and all the paperwork when I returned to Chattanooga," according to WesTech Project Manager William K. Henry. Bomar has assisted WesTech with understanding the finer points of IRIS , and has acted as liaison with many departments and staff operations on the UTC campus, Henry added. "Julie is the embodiment of the team spirit that is absolutely essential to an operation as large and as complicated as ours at UTC. I cannot recommend her highly enough," Henry said. And to Julie, the UTC family says "Thank you!"
February
Carl Allen of Information Technology is a great teacher and a creative and resourceful problem solver, according to Security Communication Officer Regina Shoulders. "When the Department of Public Safety envisioned a new program, many said it would cost thousands of dollars and be practically impossible. Suddenly, our goal seemed unattainable. Miraculously, Carl came though with a way for us to stay within a reasonable budget and accomplish our goal," Shoulders said. Shoulders adds that Allen is willing to help anyone who asks and will work long hours on his own time until a project is finished. "I could conjure up a picture of the perfect colleague, but then I don’t need to, I see Carl every day at work," Regina said. Thank you Carl, our February Blue Ribbon Award Winner.
January
When Foreign Languages and Literatures Sheila Stone was out of the office on sick leave, she was missed in many ways. For several months, Dr. Oralia Preble-Niemi depended on Marge Fergason of Arts and Sciences to help with the mysteries of IRIS and paperwork. "Marge helped in a proactive and genuinely generous way. I hope that any department head who finds him/herself without a permanent secretary for an extended period of time will find such an Angel," she said. Thanks to Marge, the January Blue Ribbon Award winner. She is a team player, and we are glad she is on our team!
