Stanley R. Welty, left, symbolically passes the chairman's gavel to Thomas J. Garland, who has been elected new chairman of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees. (Tusculum College photo)

Garland elected chairman of Tusculum College Board of Trustees; outgoing chairman Stan Welty honored

Former Tennessee state senator Thomas J. Garland was elected Saturday as chairman of the Tusculum College Board of Trustees, replacing long-time chairman Stanley R. Welty, Jr., who was honored at the same meeting.

Welty, of Wooster, Ohio, remains a trustee and is chairman of the board's committee for institutional advancement, but opted to step down as chairman because vision problems have made his duties more difficult to carry out in recent years and months.

Garland, of Greeneville, was selected for the chairmanship of the board as new officers were elected for the upcoming year. Re-elected were Ted Heinz of New Jersey as vice chairman, Bill Edmonds of Morristown as secretary, and Walter R. Johnson of Greeneville as treasurer.

The board also approved a resolution that recognizes Welty "for his dignified service as chairman, his boundless energy and leadership, and his inspiring commitment and contributions to the life and success of Tusculum College." Welty, a 1951 graduate of Tusculum, served as seven years as chairman of the board and has been a trustee since 1988.

In other action, the board approved the December 2002 graduates and new charges for two committees.

New chairman

Garland, who rejoined the board in May, will be serving for the second time as chairman. He served as chairman during an earlier tenure on the Board of Trustees in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Garland served as interim president of Tusculum College for a year between prior to the current administration of Dr. Dolphus E. Henry.

Garland served for about two decades as a state senator representing Greene County. He also spent five years as chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, overseeing the state's largest university and community college system. He also has had a successful career in business and banking, and founded and serves as senior advisor for the Tusculum Institute for Public Policy and Leadership, which now operates under the auspices of the Niswonger Foundation.

His outstanding and varied service over the years to Tusculum College was recognized earlier this year as Garland was the 2002 recipient of Tusculum College's Distinguished Service Award, presented at the annual President's Dinner in April. Garland is also serving Tusculum as one of three co-chairmen overseeing the Campaign for the Library, a $10 million capital campaign that will fund renovation and significant expansion of the historic Tate Library on the Greeneville campus.

Welty Recognized

A framed copy of the resolution honoring Welty was presented to him during the board meeting by Jim Durham and Ted Heinz. Welty's fellow trustees gave him thunderous applause.

Describing Welty as one of the great leaders in the college's history, the resolution says, "even as a student, Stan Welty was a leader, serving as president of Craig Hall and the senior class, and business manager for the yearbook. He went on to a successful life and career after his 1951 graduation, but left his heart at Tusculum College. It has called him back again and again to an institution he loves, and which loves him in turn."

The resolution goes on: "Stan Welty leads us by example. His monetary contributions to the college surpassed the Benefactor level ($1 million) years ago, and it is impossible to attach a dollar value to the service and guidance he has provided."

Welty's leadership to his alma mater continues as he remains an active member of the board and is one of the three co-chairmen for the Campaign for the Library. Welty recently made a $500,000 personal commitment to that campaign.

The resolution also notes Welty's successful professional career, which culminated with his presidency of the Wooster Brush Company from 1985 until his retirement in 1998. "In his home community in Ohio he has built a legacy of citizenship that embodies the Civic Arts concepts at the heart of Tusculum College's curriculum," the resolution says.

Previous honors bestowed upon Welty include the Tusculum College Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the College. In appreciation of his contributions to the College over the years, Craig Hall was renamed Welty-Craig Hall in his honor in 1998. He also has been honored with the Alumni Association's highest award, the Pioneer Award.

Resolutions were also approved by the board expressing appreciation of service by Al Giles of Greeneville and Charles T. "Chip" Herndon of Johnson City, who have both rotated off the board.