Douglas Airhart, Agriculture, recently attended the first-ever Municipal Forester Institute in Lake Arrowhead, Calif. The goals of the institute are to train urban forestry leaders and promote municipal urban forestry program improvements in an effort to foster more sustainable local programs. Airhart and other professionals shared successful ideas and developed solutions for challenges encountered in all aspects of urban forest management. Benefits of well-maintained trees in an urban community include lower crime rates, improved air quality, climate control and reduced storm water run-off.

Pictured from left: Clint Snell, former commander of Post 6277 of Monterey; Sally Crain-Jager; and Curt Tays, current post commander.

Sally Crain-Jager, Music and Art, recently contributed a painting, titled “Displaced,” from her mixed media collection to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6277 of Monterey. Her husband, Robert Jager, also a TTU professor emeritus, is a former Navy staff composer and one of the men whose experiences have influenced Crain-Jager's depictions of the nature of war.

Wayne Pegram

Wayne Pegram, Music and Art, has been elected to the Tennessee Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame, joining only six other musicians to earn the honor. Last year, Pegram was inducted into the Tennessee Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. A retired member of the TTU faculty, Pegram sings bass with the Mastersingers and is music director and jazz tenor saxophonist with the Big Band Sound, a regional dance band.