10/15/2001

Sammie Lynn Puett - As you've heard, former UT Vice President Sammie Lynn Puett passed away Thursday while in Texas. Several of us will attend her funeral this evening. Armintha is taking up a collection for the flowers. Please see details attached below.

TML Policy Committees - The seven TML policy committees (each supported by two MTAS consultants) will meet Thursday from 10 to 3 in the Nashville downtown Sheraton.


Fire Grants - With MTAS assistance, cities received $1.25 million in Fire Grants this year. Ray has already expressed his thanks to the finance and management consultants who helped him get the word out to cities to apply for these grants. Tennessee ranked 10th among the states in the number of grants awarded -- 52 grants. Tennessee ranked 14th among the states in amount of money received -- $2.4 million. We are WAY above average in both areas. So, thanks to everyone who helped and to Ray in particular.

Fire Memorial Service - and while we're talking about Ray. On Saturday, he served as MC for a statewide memorial service for the firefighters in New York. About seven hundred people attended including two Congressmen and firefighters from all over Tennessee. Ray has given pictures to TT&C so you will be able to read the full story in the next issue.

First web only publication - Our first publication that is going straight to the MTAS web site (without stopping at the printers) will be done this week. It's a training manual for board members of water and wastewater utilities. Brett, Bill, and Steve have been working on this for some time. Carole finished the editing and Lisa is going to put in on the web.

From October 12 email: Here is some very sad news. Sammie Lynn Puett, former Vice President for Public Service and a former communications consultant with MTAS passed away yesterday evening. Here is a copy of the newspaper article from this morning's News Sentinel.

Retired UT administrator Sammie Lynn Puett killed By Maria M. Cornelius, News-Sentinel assistant managing editor A former University of Tennessee administrator was struck by a car and killed Thursday in Texas, officials confirmed early today. Sammie Lynn Puett, who retired at the end of 2000, was in Arlington, Texas, for a national meeting of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta. Puett was crossing a street when the accident occurred. She was killed instantly, according to witnesses. "Obviously it's a shock to all of us," said Acting UT President Eli Fly. "She was a person who served the university long and well." Puett, who served as chief financial officer for the sorority's foundation, was in Arlington with her husband, Gene. Officials said Puett had escorted her husband to a restaurant. She was returning to the Arlington Hilton for her dinner meeting when she stepped out in front of the car. Other sorority members arriving for the dinner were detoured because of emergency vehicles and were initially unaware the victim was Puett. Puett had been vice president for continuing education and was promoted to chancellor of Internet-based degrees. She began her UT career 40 years ago as a specialist with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. She became associate journalism professor. "The years I spent in the classroom teaching ... are among my happiest memories," she had said. The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m. EDT, so many members of the UT community were just beginning to learn of the news. "Our sympathy goes to the family," Fly said. In 1989, the Society for Professional Journalists named its scholarship award for her. UT's chapter of the Public Relation's Student Society of America bears her name.