UT Alumni Maggie and Stan Morgan Give to UT Libraries

April 21, 2008

Maggie and Stan Morgan established a connection with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as undergraduates in the 1930s and 40s.

They married after first meeting as freshmen and have lived in various places around the world. Now retired and living in Gainesville, Fla., the Morgans have maintained an interest in their alma mater, establishing a trust for the UT Libraries as part of the Campaign for Tennessee.

The campaign is a $1 billion fundraising effort that was officially launched on April 17 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

They chose the library partly as a compromise since the two graduated from different colleges within the university, but also because of the work the library has done in digitizing a collection of newspaper columns written by Lera Knox, the mother of Maggie Morgan.

Knox was a columnist for several publications in Middle Tennessee, including the Nashville Banner. Her columns are arranged in two volumes: "Good Gracious Miss Agnes" and "Travels of a Country Woman." They are available online through the Newfound Press, a digital imprint of UT Libraries.

"The library was the best commonality we had," Maggie Morgan said. "And we have been very pleased with the work of the Newfound Press."

Maggie Morgan earned a degree in home economics from UT in 1941 and later earned a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Missouri and a doctorate in educational administration at the University of Kentucky. She taught at the University of Kentucky for one year and the University of Florida for 12 years before retiring.

Stan Morgan earned his business degree from UT in 1942. He served in World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He worked for the U.S. Department of Labor for 21 years before retiring.

The Campaign for Tennessee—the most ambitious effort in the university’s 214-year history—places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.

The campaign, which launched its silent phase in 2005, will secure private gifts that, in turn, will contribute substantially to the distinct, but linked, campuses comprised by the University of Tennessee system. Funds raised through the campaign will directly support the objectives of UT’s strategic plan, as outlined by UT President John Petersen. Among those objectives are improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.