TUSCULUM – Five years of planning and extensive work culminated Friday, Oct. 31, with the unveiling of a sign on Tenn. Highway 107 in memory of two treasured alumni that highlights the community as the home of Tusculum University.
Pride swelled for the audience of about 100 people as crews removed the covering and showcased the university’s place in the City of Tusculum and Greene County. Motorists who travel toward Erwin from the City of Tusculum will now have another reminder of the university’s impact on the region. Those who visit the bridge will also learn more about the important role the late Bill and Jane Pilloni played at the university through a plaque placed by that structure.
The project was a result of collaboration between the university, the City of Tusculum and the state.
“This is the historic place of Tusculum University,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, the institution’s president. “This is a university that makes a difference in our community and the state, and I know that makes Greene County, the City of Tusculum and the State of Tennessee proud. The sign will be an iconic image with the mountains in the background as people drive through Greene County.”
Dr. Hummel touted many historic accomplishments for the university. Among them are being the first higher education institution in the state, the first Presbyterian USA college in the country to admit women and the first to educate an African American in Tennessee. He also emphasized the role the university plays in the region’s economy – to the tune of $58.3 million a year.
He highlighted local alumni who hold prominent leadership positions, such as Dr. Scott Niswonger, a member of Tusculum’s Board of Trustees and a prominent businessman and major philanthropist in the region. Others are state Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, and Jeff Taylor, chief executive officer at the Greene County Partnership. Significant alumni who came from locations outside Tennessee include Kyle Cavanaugh, president of the NBA, and Justin Phillip Reed, winner of the National Book Award for poetry.
Comments from local and regional leaders
Hawk, who assisted with securing the necessary approvals for the sign, said he had a great desire to go to college and knew he would go to Tusculum, his hometown university. He particular remembers the connections he made with the Business Office at Tusculum as he paid his tuition.
“Relationships like that are what has driven me to create even greater relationships and to serve as a state representative,” he said. “This university has been a huge influence on me and really given me the energy to do what I do. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to Tusculum for shaping me into the person I am today.”
City of Tusculum Mayor Alan Corley worked closely with the university and the state to help make the sign a reality. He recalled the winding road to completion but celebrated that the sign is now affixed to the bridge.
“This is a special day for the city and the university, and I am excited to recognize the extensive bonds between us,” Corley said. “We are proud to have the university located in our city and to see all that the students, faculty and staff accomplish. We rejoice in seeing the sign on the bridge and know it honors all the university has accomplished and will continue to achieve.”
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, whose district includes the university, thanked Dr. Hummel, Corley, Hawk and Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison for their leadership on the sign project.
“The sign will serve as a daily reminder that Tusculum pride runs deep and endures,” she said. “This home for the Tusculum sign represents more than just an entryway. It will symbolize faith in the next generation in the idea that education and character go hand in hand and one family’s devotion to ripple outward for decades.”
Perspective from the Pilloni family
In remarks before the unveiling, Craig Pilloni, one of couple’s sons, reflected on the journey that brought his father to the higher education institution. He said Marion Edens, a Tusculum alumnus who later served as the university’s athletic director and head coach of several teams, was a key figure in the recruitment.
Edens went New Jersey in his search for students to enroll at Tusculum, and he visited Bill Pilloni’s high school for a college fair. When he pitched the idea to Bill Pilloni about coming to Tusculum, the potential student responded in not a serious manner, “Yeah, sure.” The son said he did not think this dad had any intention of coming to Tusculum. Edens must have sensed that as well and had a backup plan.
“Lo and behold, my dad got home from school that day, and there was Marion Edens at my grandparents’ kitchen table basically hammering out my dad’s future,” Craig Pilloni said. “Without much choice, my dad was put on a train at the end of the summer in 1955 and sent to a place he had never even imagined existed and showed up in Greeneville at the station with a new friend he met on the train. That was Ted Zeller, and they became roommates.”
Bill Pilloni stayed at Tusculum, graduated in 1960 and became an instrumental figure in the university’s success. In addition to earning a degree, he met Jane, a local young lady, with a deep connection to the university. She graduated a year before him, and they were married in 1959.
Craig Pilloni shared that his maternal grandfather, graduated from the university in 1922 and served as a geology and physics professor as well dean of men at Tusculum. Many other family members attended Tusculum. The younger generation has a connection to the university as well, coming to Tusculum for Homecoming for about 30 years.
After his parents finished raising their two sons, they began donating some of their financial resources and additional time to the university. The couple established the William and Jane Shanks Pilloni Endowed Scholarship Fund as a way to support students’ academic pursuits. They served in leadership positions in fundraising campaigns for the university and regularly attended events on campus. They were especially known for cheering Tusculum teams at athletic events, and they served on the university’s Board of Trustees.
“They loved this place,” Craig Pilloni said. “It’s a family here. It’s part of our roots.”
Craig Pilloni thanked many individuals but particularly expressed appreciation to his wife, Paola, who he said was a major driver in helping him contribute many of the funds needed for the sign’s placement.
Thoughts about Bill and Jane Pilloni
Dr. Hummel said he heard about the Pillonis early in his presidency.
“It didn’t take long to realize what pillars and fixtures they were for the university,” he said. “They indeed loved and supported the university. I can’t fully express how appreciative we are of them as well as their family, but we are grateful for their legacy of support. They served as outstanding examples for our students.”
Dr. Melissa Bryant, Tusculum’s director of alumni engagement, shared that Jane Pilloni was a Charles Oliver Gray scholar at the university. Jane Pilloni was deeply ingrained in campus life as a student and never lost her spirit of service, she said. Dr. Bryant said Bill Pilloni exuded a warm personality that made him a beloved person at Tusculum. She credited him with using his insight as a business leader to support the university’s strategic efforts as a trustee and campaign leader.
In addition to their other contributions to Tusculum, Dr. Bryant said the Pillonis hosted the first Dinner with Pioneers, which connects today’s students with alumni in a small, personal gathering that reinforces their common bonds.
“Their unwavering commitment to Tusculum’s mission, students and the future makes this dedication more than fitting,” she said. “It’s a tribute to a shared journey that began here, stretches across decades and lives on through every student they’ve helped.”
The unveiling was conducted as part of Tusculum’s Homecoming celebration, enabling alumni who were coming for other festivities to participate in this event.
Tusculum successfully raised the funds to pay for the sign but is still accepting gifts for its upkeep. People can contribute at www.tusculum.edu/giving, selecting “107 Bridge Campaign in memory of Bill and Jane Pilloni” in the drop-down menu.
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
