Centennial Celebration 2015-2016

Charter Day

Charter Day,  the first event of Tennessee Tech’s Centennial Celebration, was the 100th anniversary of the date the bill establishing the college in Cookeville was signed.

A ceremony commemorating the anniversary included recognitions of special guests representing Tech's founders, as well as other dignitaries from across Tennessee: state commissioners, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Tennessee Board of Regents, state legislators, and three former Tennessee Tech presidents.

The centerpiece of the ceremony was a dramatic skit re-enacting key moments leading to the Tech charter; nearly two dozen actors took the stage to perform excerpts from historical documents and to portray alumni over 10 decades. (Pictured above, from left: Philip Gibbons, Dave Johnson, Steve Gwilt and Patrick Mannle.)

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of proclamations from the State of Tennessee, General Assembly, Putnam County and the City of Cookeville. (Pictured here, from left, TBR Chancellor John Morgan, Tennessee Tech President Philip Oldham, Emeriti Presidents Robert Bell, Arliss Roaden and Angelo Volpe, and Governor Bill Haslam.)