Dave Hart and his wife, Pam, accept a Number One jersey from UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek.
This is a guest blog post by my friend and client Mary Bogert, the general manager of the Knoxville Convention Center. She wrote it for her own blog, From Inside the Center, shortly after a welcome event that Moxley Carmichael put together last month for Hart at the Convention Center. So, here’s Mary:
I’ve met the newest member of the Tennessee Vols team, and I think he is a winner!
We recently hosted a welcome reception here at the Convention Center for the University of Tennessee’s new Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart and his wife Pam.
More than 200 community leaders, elected officials and UT fans gathered for this festive event. Event sponsors Pilot, the News Sentinel, First Tennessee Bank and UT Medical Center really made this a special evening. The Harts remarked that they felt truly welcomed.
On behalf of the University of Tennessee, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek presented Dave Hart with a framed Volunteer football jersey honoring him as #1.
Dave Hart makes remarks.
Hart joked about meeting one of the UT students while serving as a volunteer Pilot Celebrity Pumper during the recent United Way fundraiser.
“After introducing myself to a UT student at the Pilot on Cumberland and pumping gas for him, the student said to me, ‘Well Mr. Hart, if you don’t win some games soon you have a good start on a second career.”
Good to know he has a sense of humor. But as Chancellor Cheek said, Hart also has a lot of experience winning. He knows what it takes and is committed to creating a “Pat Summitt standard of excellence” throughout the University of Tennessee athletic program. That is a great goal!
He may have played for Alabama, worked at Alabama, and even received two degrees from Alabama, but he is wearing Orange proudly now.
University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro was there for the welcome, as well as President Emeritus Joe Johnson and interim Athletics Director Joan Cronan. Everyone seemed as pleased as I am with this new member of the Volunteer team.
With this final member of the UT Athletics Department team now in place, I say GO Vols!
The sponsors all posed with the Harts prior to the start of the party. From left: Ken Parent of Pilot Flying J, Patrick Birmingham of the News Sentinel, Pam Fansler of First Tennessee Bank, Pam and Dave Hart, Norman Majors of UT Medical Center and Chancellor Jimmy Cheek of UT-Knoxville.
The Harts with University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro
The receiving line was non-stop.
The Harts with Allison and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett
Knoxville Mayor Dan Brown welcomed Pam and Dave Hart to town.
From left, Jason Yellin, Scott Carter and Dr. Doug Leahy
From left, Angelia Nystrom, Bob Griffitts and Carolyn Jensen
Joan Cronan chats with Pam Hart
From left, Bill Lyons, County Commissioner Mike Brown, Tank Strickland, City Councilman Nick Della Volpe, Mayor Dan Brown, Danni and Judge Tom Varlan.
Larry Martin and the Harts
The Harts pose with Jim Nichols.
Mat Luce, left, and Jay Secor
The Harts with Joe Landsman and Norman Majors, top UT Medical Center execs
From left, Bill Regas, Janet Crossley, Joan Cronan and Jon Brock
Jon and Mintha Roach with the Harts
Karen and Pace Robinson share a laugh with Linda Davidson, at right.
Party differences aside! Staunch Republican Billy Stokes, left, and staunch Democrat Randy Tyree are having a lively talk. (That's former City Councilman Larry Cox in the middle.)
Lots of UT sports memorabilia was on display, of course!
The appropriately colored flowers were unusual and interesting.
Ken Parent, right, with the Harts
Patrick Birmingham made remarks on behalf of all the sponsors.
Chancellor Cheek seemed very happy to have Dave Hart on board!
The crowd was welcoming, as well.
Credits: All photos are by Gary Heatherly on behalf of Moxley Carmichael. Thanks again to Mary Bogert for writing this guest post for The Blue Streak.
Mary Bogert
