Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Bearing the Torch Published

Bob Hutton, associate professor of Appalachian studies at Glenville State University in Glenville, West Virginia, and former UT lecturer of history, published Bearing the Torch: The University of Tennessee, 1794–2010. Hutton’s book is a comprehensive history of UT that faculty, students, alumni, Vols fans, or anyone interested in learning more about the history of UT will appreciate.

“There’s a campus history that came out in the 1980s that was in bad need of a successor. I think that mine’s unprecedented in its focus on the ever-changing quest for equality in our world and on our campuses.”

Hutton’s book portrays a biography about how UT’s history reflects both Tennessee and the nation, combining various historical contexts with UT’s own history and issues.

“I love spending time in the archives, and I do aspire to be a decent writer, and I thought it’d be nice to write something that I knew a lot of people would be interested in reading.”

“Most readers will gain an appreciation for how many times the school nearly disappeared and how many times it got much-needed help from surprising places (like the federal government, for one)” Hutton said.

“I’m hoping the book will give people a better sense of the school’s past and heritage.”

On Thursday, October 27 at 6 p.m. Hutton and writer/researcher Jack Neely were at the East Tennessee History Center to discuss Hutton’s new book. The conversation was also available to be streamed online.

Story by Jessica Foshee