Contributed commentary by Minoa Uffelman as part of the essay series “The Road to 250: Community Spirit in Action,” celebrating the history of unity in Clarksville ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

The United States will soon celebrate its semiquincentennial as a nation, and Austin Peay State University will soon celebrate the centennial of its founding. In those five generations, APSU has cultivated individual success and built community. APSU provided me with the tools for personal success when I was a student and later when as a professor I strove to educate hundreds of students. My parents both received their educations at the Peay, and both dedicated their lives to education in the public schools. We are just three examples of the thousands of people for whom APSU has provided the foundation for success both individually and communally.

The long tradition of educational institutions in Clarksville began in 1806 with the Rural Academy. In 1926, Southwestern Presbyterian University moved to Memphis and Clarksville was bereft of a college. Gov. Austin Peay and Tennessee Commissioner of Education Perry L. Harned worked to create a new educational institution, and Austin Peay Normal School was established to train teachers. Later named Austin Peay State College, it became APSU in 1967. Regardless of the name, the school has always been at the heart of the community, drawing students from the region who were often choosing APSU because it became family tradition over the generations.

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As society changed and concepts of who should be educated grew, APSU expanded its enrollment to include African Americans. The curriculum expanded, creating ROTC, new departments, adding majors, minors and concentrations. The decades saw new sports teams, Greek organizations, honor societies and clubs. APSU is a place in which students of different ages with various interests can find the right major and community.

Generations of Governors

O.S. Uffelman, Minoa Uffelman’s father, upon his graduation from Austin Peay State University.

I am a second-generation Governor. My father entered Austin Peay in 1946 after serving in World War II. He, like many veterans, used the GI Bill. The school was only two decades old then. My father had family support; he lived in a basement apartment with his two sisters in a house that stood next to Johnny’s Big Burger. He became a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent. He was a thin, tall man, rather dapper when he wasn’t on the farm, and he wore a sturdy leather belt with a cool Austin Peay buckle. Every day, he wore this symbol of his Austin Peay pride. In his decades as an educator, he encouraged scores of students to attend Austin Peay, and a great many did.

My mother also graduated from APSU, though her path was different. She was a nontraditional student before the term was coined. She attended in summers and took classes between kids, of which there would six. She graduated, after 16 years of dogged determination, the same year I graduated high school. She taught English and became the librarian and also encouraged students to attend Austin Peay.

When I graduated high school, coming to APSU seemed natural. I was familiar with the school, and it was close to home, but I could live in the dorm. The university was 50 years old then and about one-quarter the size it is now, but this campus was a new big world for me. I, a girl from Houston County, became best friends with girls from Stewart County; high school rivalry was replaced with friendship. To this day, many of my dearest and closest friends, I made here as a student.

Lessons learned

I, like other APSU students, gained knowledge, learned life lessons and developed time management.

First, I learned knowledge: I took what we called core requirements. It was a range of courses meant to give me a broad foundation of knowledge. It worked. I took classes in the humanities, sciences, math and social sciences. I learned about art, music, sociology, biology, math, business, P.E. and psychology. Afterwards, I began upper division classes with a double major in history and English and got certified to teach. I read tons, wrote volumes and learned an enormous amount of content. I also developed analytical skills and communication skills and improved my writing. I had excellent professors and caring mentors. I have deep respect and admiration for those professors who shaped me.

Second, I learned life lessons: I had roommates and learned to navigate living with people I wasn’t kin to. I joined a sorority and learned leadership skills. I joined honor societies that allowed me to build my resume. I had success but I also learned to deal with disappointments. Sometimes I didn’t earn the grade I wanted or had a bad professor here and there. I not only found out what I was good at but also what I was not good at.

Third, and this is key, I learned time management: I worked part-time jobs, usually 20 hours a week or so. I had to use my time wisely and to prioritize to get everything done that needed to be done. I had an active social life, I had fun and went to plenty of parties, dances, ballgames and homecoming, but my fun time was scheduled too.

These lessons I learned at APSU prepared me for life as they did for thousands of APSU students. In my decades as a history professor at APSU, I have taught hundreds of students. Most were freshmen in the required history classes. The history majors that I taught are teachers, coaches, principals, politicians, lawyers, archivists, editors, social workers and military officers. They work in museums, state parks, government and business.

For a century, APSU has educated and trained students. I am honored to be part of the long history. As APSU begins to commemorate and celebrate 100 years of success, I proudly wear my father’s APSU belt the first day of each semester. Let’s go Peay!

Minoa Uffelman

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