Tennessee Tech campus, community leaders honor a legacy of generosity with Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe dedication
Left: Tennessee Tech alumna Kendall Phillips is pictured with her grandfather, Millard
Vaughn Oakley, the inspiration behind Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe on Tennessee Tech’s
campus. Right: Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham speaks at the March 13 dedication
ceremony for Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe.
To the Tennessee Tech University community and residents across the Upper Cumberland,
Millard Vaughn Oakley was a powerful businessman, lawyer, developer and philanthropist.
He was the larger-than-life hometown leader who served in the Tennessee General Assembly,
as state insurance commissioner and co-founded First National Bank of Tennessee. With
his late wife, Joyce Annette “J.J.”, he shared his hard-earned blessings with neighbors
across the region in the form of generous gifts to the university and by supporting
beautification and economic development efforts in his native Livingston.
But to Oakley’s granddaughter, Tech alumna Kendall Phillips, he was simply “Poppie”
– the doting grandfather who loved leisurely Sunday drives, a good story and a vanilla
ice cream cone on the back porch overlooking his farm.
Nearly three years after Oakley’s passing, Phillips joined with loved ones, Tech alumni
and community leaders to share sweet desserts and even sweeter memories at the recent
dedication of Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe – a campus dining spot named for her grandfather
that opened in Tech’s Roaden University Center in late 2023.
“Today, as we dedicate Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe in [Oakley’s] honor, we recognize
that his legacy is not just in the buildings and institutions that bear his name—it
is in the people whose lives he touched,” said Tech President Phil Oldham at the March
13 dedication ceremony. “This shop is more than a place to enjoy a scoop of ice cream;
it is a gathering place, a spot for connection and laughter, a reminder of the joy
he brought to others.”
Dr. Steve Copeland, founder of Copeland Veterinary Clinic and longtime friend of Oakley’s,
also spoke at the ceremony, recalling Oakley’s “unwavering love for the people of
Overton County and the Upper Cumberland region.”
“Millard loved people – all people,” added Copeland. “He could sit down with the most
powerful executive in the country and hold court just as easily as he could the farmer
down the road. He treated everyone with the same level of respect and genuine interest.”
First National Bank CEO Randy Graham, Cravens & Company President Wayne Cravens, WIN
Learning CEO Teresa Chasteen-Dunn, Tech Provost Lori Mann Bruce and others also paid
tribute to the late community leader, family man and ice cream aficionado in a video
montage.
While the Oakley name adorns many campus spaces at Tech – from Oakley Hall and Oakley
Farm to the Millard Oakley STEM Center, J.J. Oakley Campus Health Services and the
forthcoming J.J. Oakley Innovation Center & Residence Hall – Phillips says Poppie’s
Ice Cream Shoppe helps highlight a different side of her grandfather.
“It's a true showcase of his personality and what he enjoyed,” she explained. “It’s
something that my husband, Bailey, and I can share one day with our future children
and explain that this is named after their great-grandfather. It means a lot to me.”
Left: Dr. Steve Copeland smiles for a photo with Kendall Phillips at the March 13
dedication for Poppie’s Ice Cream. Right: A view of Poppie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, located
in the Roaden University Center’s Swoops Food Court.
Each detail of the ice cream shoppe was thoughtfully planned, right down to its purple
hue – Oakley’s favorite color – and vintage font treatment, which J.J. helped select
before her passing in 2023.
Now, as Phillips surveys the lasting tribute to her grandparents’ care and generosity,
the 2021 Tech graduate is building a legacy of her own – one she hopes her Poppie
would be proud of.
Phillips was already a successful local realtor when, in 2023, she opened Oakley’s
Athleisure on the historic courthouse square in her family’s beloved Livingston. The
retail spot offers stylish men’s and women’s athletic clothing and accessories. In
a serendipitous twist, Phillips took ownership of the space on May 11, 2023 – Oakley’s
birthday.
“I wanted to keep the name alive and do something in honor of both my grandparents,”
said Phillips of her decision to honor her family name with the store. “I want to
continue carrying on the legacy through them.”
Part of that legacy, Phillips explains, runs right through Tennessee Tech – her alma
mater, a recipient of Oakley’s extraordinary generosity and the place where he served
on the Board of Trustees.
“It’s a special place,” said Phillips. “My husband also graduated from Tech, and I
do feel very connected to Poppie here.”
Poppie’s Ice Cream is located in the Swoops Food Court on the ground floor of Tech’s
Roaden University Center. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11
a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.