Coal Creek Scholars visit
Lincoln Memorial University
January 25, 2003

The snow couldn't stop a group of the Coal Creek scholars from visiting Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) on Saturday, January 25, 2003.  LMU President Nancy Moody invited the group, and Jeremiah Bean made the arrangements and acted as our tour guide.  Conrad Daniels, Dean of Admissions also spent time with the group.  We toured the beautiful Harrogate, Tennessee campus, talked to business and nursing professors, and were treated to lunch in the cafeteria.  Briceville Principal Tom Braden, who is a graduate of LMU, accompanied us.  The librarian dug a copy of his old yearbook out of their archives so we could see what he looked like in the old days.  (Can you say a short Tony Orlando?)  First Coal Creek Scholar Amy Dugger is a student at LMU.  She pointed out aspects of the campus and college life from a student's perspective.  She even gave us a tour of her dormitory.

After lunch, President Nancy Moody invited the scholars to her office.  She told them how she came from a small town in Kentucky and had a similar background to the scholars.  Her parents did not graduate from high school, but encouraged her to strive for higher education.  She also explained to the kids how they cannot afford NOT to go to college.  She gave statistics of the difference in how much a person can earn with more education.   We really appreciate all the special treatment that Dr. Moody, Jeremiah, and Conrad Daniels gave the group.

Scholars attending were:  Rocky Bailey, Frances Lee Braden, Kristie Braden, Andy Harness, Michelle Lindsay, and Ashley Sharp.   Amy Dugger met us on campus.

Others attending were:  Briceville Principal Tom Braden, Frances Lee's mom, Barry Thacker and Carol Moore from the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation.

For more information about the importance of the Coal Creek Scholars effort, read Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Fred Brown's article.

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