It was a beautiful evening at Cherokee Country Club for the recent induction of Jenny and Randy Boyd as East Tennesseans of the Year by the East Tennessee Historical Society. The annual event, honoring notable individuals from East Tennessee, has become such a popular fundraiser that it immediately sells out every year — even before invitations are issued. And that’s at $500 per ticket!
Jenny and Randy Boyd were the first couple to have received the honor together. Past honorees have included former Knoxville Mayor and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam; Jack Hanna, known as “America’s Favorite Zookeeper;” Roy Kramer, retired Southeastern Conference commissioner; Pete DeBusk, chairman of DeRoyal Industries and chair of the board of Lincoln Memorial University; philanthropist Natalie Haslam; retired University of Tennessee Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer; and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who also served as UT president, U.S. senator and U.S. Secretary of Education.
Jenny and Randy Boyd, married for 37 years, operate as a team. Randy is president of the University of Tennessee, where he takes no salary, and is the founder of Radio Systems Corporation in Knoxville, Boyd Sports and tnAchieves. Radio Systems sells more than 4,000 pet-related products, including the Invisible Fence, and employs more than 700 people with nearly $500 million in annual sales in over 60 countries. Continue reading