Change Over Time: A History of Roane State Community College, 1970-2020
During the 1960s, with the community college movement at its height in Tennessee, Roane County residents united as never before to bring one of these new institutions to their community. Originating simply as a vision of local leaders, the college opened its doors in 1971 in an old elementary school building and a collection of temporary trailers. From this humble beginning, the college quickly grew, eventually into an institution consisting of ten campuses spread over nine counties which would educate hundreds of thousands of students over the ensuing decades.
This book tells the story of the first fifty years of Roane State Community College, from the movement to create it to the challenges it faces in the twenty-first century. Examining the campus culture and institutional history as experienced by leaders, employees, students, and community members, Roane State's place in the history of higher education is illustrated, as is the influence it has had on East Tennessee and beyond.
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Images of America: Harriman
Harriman was born of the dreams of prohibitionists who believed they could found a model city of industry where workers would be free from the corrupting influences of demon rum. In the beginning, Harriman appeared to be on the road to achieving this vision: in its first two years, the population exploded from only two farms in 1890 to a city of almost 4,000 by 1892. Settlers poured in from all over the eastern United States to purchase land and take part in the dream of the temperance city.
Like most utopias, however, Harriman fell short of its founders' dreams. The Panic of 1893 drove many early backers into bankruptcy. Floods along the Emory River, including a particularly devastating one in 1929, damaged the city's industrial base. Nevertheless, Harriman experienced growth during the 20th century, boasting two major hosiery mills, a bustling downtown, quality schools, and the natural beauty of Appalachia. Today, it remains a unique city of Southern hospitality and Victorian charm.
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Other Writings
"Dr. Anderson's Choctaw Sick House: Race, Organized Medicine, and an Appalachian Herb Doctor," Tennessee Historical Quarterly 82, no. 4 (Winter 2023), 354-379.
Perceptions of Roane State Community College Presidents on the Events Shaping the Institution’s Leadership History, Ed.D. dissertation, 2021, East Tennessee State University.