{"id":1662,"date":"2021-04-27T16:51:38","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T20:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/magazine\/?p=1662"},"modified":"2021-04-27T16:51:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T20:51:42","slug":"life-trustees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/magazine\/life-trustees\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Trustees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\n\t\tNotabilis<\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

UC Foundation adds two to its special life trustee society, Zan Guerry and John \u201cThunder\u201d Thornton<\/em> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
John Thornton, Chamberlain Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TThe University of Chattanooga Foundation has recognized two great friends of the University for their altruistic support of UTC and its students. Alexander A. \u201cZan\u201d Guerry and John Calvin \u201cThunder\u201d Thornton have been proclaimed life trustees of the UC Foundation for their contributions to many philanthropic endeavors across the Chattanooga community, the growth of the UC foundation and the decades of support they have provided UTC students and faculty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is such an honor and a privilege for me to be able to be involved in showing appreciation to these individuals for the countless hours and significant financial investments that they\u2019ve made to the University,\u201d says Foundation Chair Mike Costello. \u201cWe want to keep them engaged. We want them to be included in and knowledgeable about what we\u2019re doing. That\u2019s why we decided now is the time to honor John and Zan. Both are great men, personable and great philanthropists. And I\u2019d like to add that both are rock stars in their lives not just as businessmen or individuals, but because they\u2019re so successful in everything they do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thornton and Guerry join three other previously named UC Foundation life trustees: Max Bahner, Joseph Decosimo and John Guerry, who is Zan\u2019s uncle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\tTelling Thunder<\/strong> <\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bill Kilbride, head of the foundation\u2019s nominating committee, was the person selected to inform Thornton and Guerry they were being recognized for their philanthropic work and their recurring care and support for others. Notifying Thornton was a special moment for Kilbride. They have been friends for more than 50 years, first meeting as fraternity brothers at Tennessee Wesleyan University. \u201cIt was fun to chat on the phone about many thing\u2014we talk on the phone all the time. This time, after some small talk, I got around to informing Thunder about his being named a life trustee. He said it was the greatest honor of his life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thornton has been a behind-the-scenes worker supporting the institution, notably working with foundation fundraisers and UTC campus leadership. He was instrumental in the conceptualization of the Wolford Family Athletics Center, a soon-to-be-built 65,000-square-foot addition\/renovation to the McKenzie Arena named in honor of UTC graduate and former football star James \u201cBucky\u201d Wolford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t do any of this for personal glory,\u201d informs Thornton. \u201cYou do it for the cause and the benefit. The best money I\u2019ve ever raised in my life was for Bucky Wolford\u2019s addition and for the Joseph F. Decosimo Success Center (a career development assistance hub housed in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business). Everybody knows how much the University of Chattanooga and UT Chattanooga meant to Bucky\u2014and how much Bucky meant to the University. And Joe Decosimo is a living legend with all of his philanthropic causes. I was merely a conduit in giving people the opportunity to give to these great projects. I was honored to have that role.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\tThe Guerrys<\/strong> <\/span>\n\t<\/span>\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Zan Guerry is part of a storied family committed to the University\u2019s growth, dating back to the 1880s. The Guerry commitment to philanthropy at UTC through the UC Foundation can be seen throughout campus, from Guerry Hall to Guerry Apartments to Guerry professorships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

As the leader of Hamico, Inc., the family\u2019s charitable foundation, Guerry and his family spearheaded the start of the UTC Honors College, now housed in refurbished Guerry Hall. He has been a longtime contributor to and supporter of UTC athletics. Zan served as a voluntary assistant tennis coach, supported the development of the Chattem Basketball practice facility and the Wolford Family athletic strength and conditioning center.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zan Guerry speaks at Chancellor Steve Angle’s State of the University Address, Guerry Center, Sept. 2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

His daughter, Alexis Guerry Bogo, currently serves on the foundation\u2019s board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of the projects we look at, we say, \u2018Are we making a difference with this?\u2019 Sometimes you put money in and you\u2019re not really sure,\u201d Guerry says. \u201cBut with the Guerry Professorships, the Honors College, the basketball arena, the Bucky Wolford center \u2026 each of those things and others we\u2019ve been involved in changes students\u2019 lives and professors\u2019 lives. It makes a big difference at UTC. I\u2019ve mentioned many times that UTC is probably the most underappreciated, fabulous success story that I\u2019ve been associated with. The University continues to want to be better. That makes you more inclined to say, \u2018Hey, I want to help. I want to be involved in this great transformation.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UC Foundation, which manages the private endowment of UTC, was created in 1969 when the University of Chattanooga merged with Chattanooga City College and joined the statewide University of Tennessee system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fifty-two years since its inception, the UC Foundation has grown from $3 million in assets to more than $200 million. During the most-recent 2019-2020 fiscal year, 253 UC Foundation endowment funds provided scholarships to 1,550 students. In addition, 42 endowed professorships support UTC faculty.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UC Foundation adds two to its special life trustee society, Zan Guerry and John \u201cThunder\u201d Thornton  TThe University of…\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":1286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115750,9291],"tags":[115760],"coauthors":[100990],"class_list":{"0":"post-1662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-notabilis","8":"category-spring-2021-edition","9":"tag-spring-2021","10":"cs-entry","11":"cs-video-wrap"},"yoast_head":"\nLife Trustees - UTC Magazine Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life Trustees - 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