The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee was founded in 1794.

Throughout its history, notable individuals have earned degrees at the University of Tennessee.

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Vols Wire looks at notable alumni and attendees throughout the history of the University of Tennessee. Information pertaining to alumni and attendees are from Volopedia, University of Tennessee Digital Encyclopedia, and UTK Alumni.

David Keith

Actor David Keith, left, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, right, watch the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Bobcats in Dallas on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Dallas won 101-86. AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

David Keith received his bachelor’s degree from UT in June 1985, a decade after leaving Tennessee to establish his acting career.

Dixie Carter

Actress Dixie Carter, a cast member in the television show “Designing Women,” arrives for a reunion of the show’s cast and creators at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Dixie Carter entered UT in 1957 as a music major. Carter was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and selected Miss Volunteer in 1958 and 1959. She transferred to Rhodes College for theater.

Edward Terry Sanford

The U.S. Supreme Court. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Sittle/USA TODAY NETWORK

Edward Terry Sanford received two bachelor’s degrees at UT in 1883. Sanford was appointed US assistant attorney general in 1907. He was nominated as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court by President Warren G. Harding in 1923.

Margaret Scobey

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates (C) walks with US ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey (2nd-L), Egypt’s Major General Hassan el-Roweini (3rd-R) and other Egyptian military officials upon his arrival at Cairo international airport on May 4, 2009. (Photo credit JASON REED/AFP via Getty Images)

Scobey earned a bachelor’s degree in history (1971) and a master’s in history (1973). She was appointed as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Syrian Arab Republic following her Dec. 9, 2003 confirmation by the US Senate.

Joe Weller

Paul Walsh, left, chairman and CEO of Pillsbury, gets a bite of a Haagen-Dazs ice cream bar from Joe Weller, chairman and CEO of Nestle USA, who samples an Itzakadoozie frozen pop after a New York news conference, Thursday Aug. 19, 1999. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Weller earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1968. He became chairman and CEO of Nestle USA.

Deana Carter

Singer Willie Nelson and Deana Carter poses backstage at the 38th Annual Country Music Awards held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on May 21st, 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Carter, a singer, graduated in 1989 with a degree in occupational rehabilitation. Her 1997 “Strawberry Wine” song was named single of the year. She was named CMT Female Video Artist for 1997.

Ron Rice

A model applies Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration lotion sunscreen before she walks the runway at the Mara Hoffman 2013 Resort Swim Collection fashion show presented by Hawaiian Tropic Sun Care during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim on Saturday, July 21, 2012 in Miami, FL. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Invision for Hawaiian Tropic)

Rice is a 1964 graduate in geography. He founded Hawaiian Tropic.

Kurt Vonnegut

Author Kurt Vonnegut and his wife Jill Krementz arrive to Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy Gala at the Regency Hotel’s Grand Ballroom February 22, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Vonnegut attended UT from February-March 1944 as a participant in the Army Specialized Training Program. He is the author of “Breakfast of Champions,” “Player Piano,” “The Sirens of Titan,” and “Slaughterhouse Five.”

Dave Ramsey

Syndicated talk radio show host Dave Ramsey at “The Celebrity Apprentice” Season Premiere viewing party hosted by John Rich at Mount Richmore on March 6, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Ramsey has a bachelor’s degree in real estate from UT in 1982. He hosts a syndicated radio show, “The Dave Ramsey Show.”

Butch Wilmore

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Mike Fincke answer questions from the media as an Atlas V first stage is unloaded from ULA RocketShip Monday morning at Port Canaveral. The booster will be used to launch Boeing’s Starliner capsule and 3 astronauts to the International Space Station later this year. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

Wilmore, an astronaut, earned a MS in Aviation Systems at UT Space Institute in 1994.

Dolly Parton

Singer Dolly Parton speaks at a news conference to kick off the 75th Anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on February 10, 2009 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Parton, a singer, received an honorary doctor of humane and musical letters from UT on May 9, 2009.

Mark Dean

IBM logo (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Dean is a 1979 summa cum laude graduate with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UT. He earned three of the original nine IBM personal computer patents and developed the IBM PC Advanced Technology.

Henry Hartsfield

The crew assigned to the Space Shuttle Challenger STS-61A mission included (front row left to right) Reinhard Furrer, German payload specialist; Bonnie J. Dunbar, mission specialist; and Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. commander. On the back row, left to right, are Steven R. Nagel, pilot; Guion S. Bluford, mission specialist; Ernst Messerschmid, German payload specialist; Wubbo J. Ockels, Dutch payload specialist; and James F. Buchli, mission specialist, pose on October 01, 1985, in Kennedy Space Center, Flo, USA. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on October 30, 1985 at 12:00:00 noon (EST), the STS-61A mission’s primary payload was the Spacelab D-1 (German Spacelab mission). AFP PHOTO NASA (Photo by – / NASA / AFP) (Photo by -/NASA/AFP via Getty Images)

Hartsfield earned a master’s in engineering science at UT in 1971. Hartsfield was a NASA astronaut and engineer.

Jim Haslam

Jim Haslam, chairman and founder of the Pilot Corporation, speaks at the company’s 40-year anniversary party held at the corporate office Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Haslam was a captain on Tennessee’s 1951 national championship team under General Robert Neyland. He established Pilot Oil Company.

Charlie Ergen

May 20, 2010, Dish Network CEO Charles Ergen speaks at the Google conference in San Francisco. Ergen, the founder of satellite TV company Dish, is stepping aside as CEO to focus on the company’s wireless business, but he will remain chairman. The new CEO, Dish Network Corp. president Erik Carlson, will report to Ergen. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

Ergen earned a BS in general business and accounting in 1975 and an MBA in 1976 from UT. He became CEO of Dish Network.

Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley

Track and Field gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley attends the 29th Annual Salute to Women In Sports Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria on Tuesday, Oct.14, 2008 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Fitzgerald-Mosley is a 1984 graduate at UT with a degree in industrial engineering. She was an Olympic gold medalist and became president and CEO of Women in Cable Telecommunications.

Min H. Kao

Min H. Kao, right, and his wife, Fan, left, talk to Chancellor Jimmy Cheek following the ribbon cutting ceremony at the dedication of the new Min Kao Electrcial Engineering and Computer Science Building Wednesday, Mar. 14, 2012. The Min H. Kao building on Middle Drive is located on the corner of 11th Street and Cumberland Avenue. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)

Kao earned a MS and PhD in electrical engineering at UT in 1975 and 1977. He became co-founder and chairman of Garmin.

Charles Holliday

DuPont CEO Charles Holliday stands near the company’s new slogan “The Miracles of Science” in the DuPont Co. building in Wilmington, Del., Wednesday, April 28, 1999. (AP Photo/The News Journal, Brian Branch-Price)

Holliday, a 1970 UT industrial engineering graduate, became CEO for DuPont in 1998.

Alan Wilson

McCormick and Company Chairman and CEO Alan Wilson, left, talks to Tyson Foods CEO Donnie Smith during a dedication ceremony for the first phase of the new Student Union Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, at the University of Tennessee. © Paul Efird, Paul Efird/News Sentinel

Wilson is a a 1980 communications graduate from UT. He became CEO and president of McCormick Spice Company in 2008.

John Noble Wilford

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Noble Wilford holds a media interview before the start of University of Tennessee’s College of Communications and Information r graduation ceremony at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Wilford is giving the commencement address to the graduates. © Saul Young/News Sentinel

Wilford earned a BS in journalism (1955) and the MA in political science in 1956 from UT. He won two Pulitzer Prizes.

Christopher Whittle

Christopher Whittle, chairman of Whittle Communications, speaks at a monthly meeting of the Business Marketing Association at the McGraw Hill Building in New York, Sept. 19, 1994. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)

Whittle served as president of UT’s student body in 1969. He created Whittle Communications and introduced Channel One News to public schools.

Scott Kelly

Scott Kelly (R), who was the Expedition 45/46 commander during his one-year mission aboard the International Space Station, along with his twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly (L). (Photo by Robert MARKOWITZ / NASA / AFP) (Photo by ROBERT MARKOWITZ/NASA/AFP via Getty Images)

Kelly, a NASA astronaut, earned a MS in aviation systems at UTSI in 1996.

Sharon Price John

Build-A-Bear Workshop CEO Sharon Price John, poses for photos on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after ringing opening bell, to highlight National Teddy Bear Day, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Price John holds a bachelor’s of science degree in communications from UT in 1986. She became President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. in June 2013.

Bob Corker

Former U.S. Senator Bob Corker speaks during the TIME 100 Summit in New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Corker earned a bachelor’s of science in industrial management in 1974. He was a United States Senator from Jan. 3, 2007-Jan. 3, 2019.

John Cullum

Actor John Cullum is seen in a publicity photo for the UT Theatre’s production of “Come Back, Little Sheba” in 1956. © News Sentinel Photo Archive

Cullum is a 1953 UT speech graduate. He won two Tony awards for best actor.

Jimmy Haslam

Nov 4, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Baltimore won 25-15. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Haslam, a 1976 UT graduate, is an owner of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew.

Dee Haslam

Jun 29, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew investor-operator Dee Haslam addresses attendees during the ribbon-cutting event at Lower.com Field Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Haslam is a 1986 UT graduate in education. She served as executive producer and CEO of RIVR Media and is an owner of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew.

John Compton

University of Tennessee Board Chairman John Compton speaks with the media following a Board of Trustees meeting held at UT in Knoxville on Friday, May 3, 2019. © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel

Compton is a 1983 UT graduate in finance. He has served as CEO of PepsiCo Americas Foods and Pilot Flying J.

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, shown here in 1990. © The Tennessean File

Min DeParle graduated from UT in 1978 with a bachelor’s in history. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as director of the White House Office for Health Reform in March 2009.

Randy Boyd

In this Aug. 2, 2018, file photo is Randy Boyd. (Calvin Mattheis/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP, File)

Boyd graduated from UT in 1979 with a BS in industrial management. He became CEO of Radio Systems/PetSafe. His Boyd Sports, LLC, owns or operates minor league teams, the Tennessee Smokies, Johnson City Doughboys, Greeneville Flyboys, Kingsport Axmen and Elizabethton River Riders. He is UT’s president.

Charlie Anderson Jr.

A logo sign outside of a Books-A-Million retail store location. (Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Anderson Jr. is a 1976 UT graduate with a bachelor’s in business administration. He is the CEO of Anderson Media. He learned from his father, Charles Anderson Jr., who helped form the chain store Books-A-Million.

Clayton Jones

Clay Jones, the chief executive of Rockwell Collins, Inc., a maker of aviation technology, speaks during a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley)

Jones is a 1971 UT graduate with a degree in political science. He served as CEO of Rockwell Collins Inc., an aviation electronics and communications-equipment company.

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