Five years ago today, UTM lost one of its biggest fans, supporters and a truly, great lady: Kathleen Elam.
“Kathleen was always just lovely and a gracious lady. She was always a gracious hostess; and a kind, generous, gentle person. She loved this campus, this school, and Tom did too. Her hobbies were gardening and taking care of Tom,” said UTM alumna Betty Smith from Union City, Col. Tom Elam’s niece.
One only has to look at the legacy of Kathleen Elam and Col. Tom Elam to recognize the level of excellence that one should strive for. The story of their legacy is important for many reasons, especially today.
“The Elam family has, over a period of many years, been avid supporters of UT Martin through major gifts to both academic and athletic programs. Through their efforts, thousands of students have benefited,” said Chancellor Tom Rakes.
With graduation from college being such a momentous day, how fitting it is that UTM holds its ceremonies in the Elam Center. The UT Board of Trustees voted in 1994 to name it the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center in honor of the Elams’ years of service to the university. Shortly after this, Tom Elam gave $1 million, which marked his first major donation to UTM. The Elams went on to give UTM about $10 million total, making them the largest donors in UTM history. They also made considerable donations to other UT campuses and many charities within the community and beyond, especially those dealing with children or education.
An example of which is when Kathleen Elam partnered with Bill and Carol Latimer to build the new Obion County Library in Union City. Mary Carpenter, who was the OCPL director at that time and currently the regional director of Obion River Regional Library, worked closely with Kathleen Elam.
“She was a person of high ideals, very well educated and traveled; but yet, took such great delight in the simplest of pleasures, from a dogwood blooming outside her window or the antics of her cherished cat. I’ll forever be inspired by her gracious, warm personality, and although she certainly had the means and ability to have a lofty persona, she carried herself as one equal status with all she met. I know of no truer definition of a lady. All of us in west Tennessee owe the Col. and Kathleen Elam a great debt. According to current OCPL director, Michele Barnes, there were over 127,000 visits to the library last year, many of them children, and I fully believe that the quality of life for those who took advantage is for the better,” Carpenter said.
Bill Latimer worked closely with Kathleen Elam on the library project but had also previously known the Elams on both a professional and personal level. Tom Elam served as the Latimer’s lawyer until his death. They also attended the same church and were friends for many years.
“Tom had as much business sense as any lawyer I know. He had a great memory. He was very generous and down to earth. He taught Sunday school classes at the First Christian Church in Union City. Tom valued education. Because he and Kathleen did not have children, the UT system served as a substitute. Tom put a tremendous amount of time, effort and money into the University of Tennessee system,” Latimer said.
Among the many other contributions the Elams made in regards to helping children, one was helping at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Lebonheur Children’s Hospital. They also made many contributions within their local community and Tom Elam’s hometown of Union City. Alfred Creswell knew the Elams for many years and served as their accountant.
“The impact that the Elams had on their hometown of Union City and Obion County was also felt in many areas. The Elams were instrumental in the building of the current Obion County Library, as well as making significant contributions to the First Christian Church, Union City Schools Foundation, Masquerade Theatre, Main Street and the Northwest Tennessee Boys and Girls Club. To show their appreciation for [Kathleen Elam’s] contributions to the baseball facilities for Union City High School, Elam Stadium was named in their honor,” Creswell said.
Tom Elam also had a passion for history and wanted to share that passion with the students of UTM. In honor of his love of history, Kathleen Elam left an endowment to UTM regarding student internships with Discovery Park of America in Union City.
“I thought the world of the Elams. He made a gift to establish the Tom Elam endowment for the Department of History. He was all about, ‘Okay, what can we do to make things better for the students?’ He was a real student advocate and likewise after he passed away his wife, Ms. Kathleen Elam,” said Nick Dunagan, Chancellor Emeritus.
Tom Elam may have seemed gruff to some people but he definitely loved UTM.
“He was very gruff and outspoken, but he was an advocate for UT Martin. You could not find a stronger advocate on the Board of Trustees for UT, for our campus than Col. Tom. Their legacy has been a tremendous asset to our students. The Elam Center was just a small portion of that. The scholarship program that they left behind has already benefited several students from our area and across the United States,” said Charley Deal, director of Alumni Affairs.
There can be no doubt that the Elams’ story was remarkable and unique in many ways. As much as many appreciate the monetary aspect of the legacy that Tom Elam and Kathleen Elam left behind, it is not that part of the legacy that many celebrate, remember and emulate. Many instead remember the people themselves, not for what they did, but how they lived and why they helped others. Thanks to the UTM archives and personal interviews with living relatives, friends and colleagues at both Tom Elam’s law office and UTM, information has been gathered to provide a glimpse into the lives of two people who believed in things like faith, education, honor, integrity, kindness to others, involvement in the community, helping children, giving of their time and, most importantly, doing all these things with a cheerful heart.
UTM Senior Director for Development Len Solomons was blessed to be able to witness Kathleen Elam’s cheerful heart and spirit in person. She visited Kathleen Elam at the couple’s home in Union City in late Feb. 2009 to personally inform her that UTM was going to have an evening to honor her in the Elam Center. That included a standing ovation during halftime of the basketball game to thank her for all that she had done for the university. Kathleen Elam was in a wheelchair the last several years of her life after she suffered a stroke just as she was preparing to leave the hospital after a pacemaker implantation surgery but was only confined to her home the last few months of her life.
“She had a twinkle in her little, blue eyes and could barely speak and she smiled so sweetly. She just touched her little chest and said, ‘The pleasure was all ours,’” Solomons said.
Kathleen Elam’s story began with a very humble beginning. She grew up in Corinth, Miss., during the Depression. Because jobs were scarce in her hometown, she struck out for Washington at 18 years old and landed a job with the Treasury Department, eventually becoming a supervisor.
Tom Elam grew up in Union City and went to UT Knoxville, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1931 and his law degree in 1934. He later served in the United States Army and was stationed in Washington, where a friend set him up on a blind date with a young Kathleen Hyneman. Although he was late the first time, she obviously gave him a second chance because they were married for 52 years before his death on March 9, 1998. Faith and love for people was a strong bond they shared.
“She was ready to go on a moment’s notice and knew how to keep a suitcase packed. She was Tom’s best friend and travelling companion. She would take a book and travel with him when he had to take depositions or had to go to Memphis or Knoxville. They travelled quite a bit, [but] not a lot of international travel. They had a very strong faith, a belief in God. It was amazing; Kathleen had absolutely no fear of death. At the end, she welcomed it; she really, really missed Tom,” Smith said.
Tom Elam often humbly referred to himself as a shade-tree lawyer and was known for seeming a little gruff at first. Most people attributed this to his military background, because he was actually a very kind man. He had an extremely strong work ethic, as he continued to go into his law office until the day before he died at 89 years old. He always had a cigar with him and loved to wear a diamond-studded railroad tie tack, which the railroad gave him for so many years of service representing them. He once lost that beloved tie tack on Purchase Parkway after sliding off the road during bad weather, and former UTM Head Football Coach Don McLeary actually went back to the site of the incident and dug around in the mud until he found it.
Tom Elam, who was the longest serving member of the UT Board of Trustees, serving a total of 42 years, played a surprising role in former Congressman John Tanner’s early life and then a more widely known role in his later life. When Tanner left the Navy in 1972 he went into law practice with Tom Elam in Union City, where they continued to practice law together for the next eight years.
“Back when I signed a basketball scholarship to Knoxville in 1962, Tom’s the one who signed me up. He was chairman of the Athletics Committee at that time,” Tanner said.
“I remember one time when our office roof leaked. [Tom] always kept a box of cigars on his desk. Water came pouring in on his desk one night and he came in the next morning. He had papers all over his desk and they were ruined. Judge [Bill] Acree and I looked in there and saw him. He was really stewing about it, and we said, ‘What happened, Colonel? Did it get your cigars wet?’ He didn’t think that was particularly funny.”
Judge Bill Acree, previously mentioned by Tanner, also practiced law with Tom Elam. They practiced law together for 24 years until the Acree accepted his post at the bench.
“Tom was a leader and a very intelligent man. He was a good lawyer. I think Tom cared about those who were less fortunate than he. He cared about the law, the church and his family, in particular, Ms. Kathleen. She was a saint and a very generous person. Everybody liked Kathleen. She was a lovely lady,” Acree said.
Tom Elam had another law partner who was significantly affected by him from an early age. UTM alum James Glasgow Jr. grew up in the law office that Tom Elam shared with his father, James Glasgow Sr. When he graduated law school he was then asked to join the practice. He and Tom Elam were still law partners in 1998 when Tom Elam died.
“Tom loved UT as a whole, but he loved UT Martin. Kathleen was always by his side, always supporting him; she was an absolute sweetheart,” Glasgow said.
Graduation day at UTM will find many on the steps of the Elam Center amidst a sea of billowing, black robes and caps with little, gold tassels attached flying in their faces because the wind just won’t leave them alone. That day will be special because it will begin a new chapter in their lives. When writing a book, the beginning of a new chapter is an excellent place to think about where the story is going, whether or not some adjustments are needed, and possibly how the story might end. The outcome is never known for sure, of course, because even when writing a book the story sometimes goes somewhere the author hadn’t originally planned at first; sometimes it’s even better. Each individual’s story is important; it’s never too early to start making those necessary changes.
Kathleen Elam and Tom Elam left a huge legacy of benefits for generations to come. They say the best form of flattery or honor is emulation. If someone were to read your story today, what would it say about you; what kind of legacy will you leave behind?
Go to the photo gallery “Their legacy lives on: Kathleen and Tom Elam” to view more photos of the Elams.
