{"id":680,"date":"2008-09-19T16:10:06","date_gmt":"2008-09-19T20:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.utc.edu\/Administration\/UniversityRelations\/news\/?p=311"},"modified":"2008-09-19T16:10:06","modified_gmt":"2008-09-19T20:10:06","slug":"obear-family-honored-for-university-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2008\/09\/obear-family-honored-for-university-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Obear family honored for University service"},"content":{"rendered":"

The many years of service of the Frederick W. Obear family will be remembered with a permanent plaque on the site of the Johnson\/Obear Apartments.\u00a0 Family, friends and colleagues gathered for the dedication of a portion of the apartments on September 16.<\/p>\n

Dr. Fred Obear, Chancellor Emeritus, has served UTC in many capacities since his arrival in 1981.\u00a0 Following his retirement in 1997, he continued to work for the campus in development and external relations.\u00a0 In 2004, when UTC was faced with the departure of then-Chancellor Bill Stacy, Obear stepped forward again at the request of President John Petersen, leaving retirement and taking the helm of the institution as interim chancellor, said Chancellor Roger Brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince my arrival as chancellor in 2005, Dr. Obear has served as an invaluable mentor and friend, and he has continued to work in development and external relations for the campus,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

Saying UTC continues to benefit from Obear\u2019s leadership, Brown commended the former chancellor\u2019s efforts to move the campus forward in the metropolitan university movement, encouraging campus administration and faculty to become more engaged with the Chattanooga community.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder his leadership, research and teaching partnerships were initiated with TVA, the Tennessee Aquarium, Komatsu, and other businesses in the region. These partnerships continue to bring opportunities to the students and faculty of UTC, even today,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

Brown added that Obear\u2019s work was assisted by two equally dedicated wives.\u00a0 Trisha Obear, who died prior to Chancellor Obear\u2019s first retirement, became a leader in the arts community in Chattanooga and is well-remembered for her concern and dedication to students.\u00a0\u00a0 During Obear\u2019s one-year term as interim chancellor, Ruth Obear took special interest in UTC\u2019s student-athletes and worked to improve their facilities and increase community support.<\/p>\n

While Obear was chancellor, the University progressed in many areas:<\/p>\n