By Vivian DiSalvo (Class of 2026) 

From Stuart Worden’s time at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to serving organizations essential to Knoxville’s thriving arts and culture scene, the 1954 Haslam College of Business graduate has spent his life investing in what makes Rocky Top home sweet home.

Worden left his mark on campus in many ways, including his role in the beginnings of the UT Pep Club. In 1953, as president of the recently formed UT Pep Club, Worden helped identify a lack of school spirit and establish a new mascot tradition with the selection of the first Smokey. That Volunteer spirit carried him into a lifetime of service to the greater Knoxville area.

Worden, along with his late wife Betsy (’57)—a UT fine arts graduate and celebrated painter— has been committed to service and impact, starting with art, one of his wife’s passions.

Together, the Wordens were active supporters of the Dogwood Arts Festival—an annual highlight of the local arts world—with Betsy Worden awarded the Knoxville Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Betsy often taught watercolor classes at the Knoxville Museum of Art and served on the board for many arts organizations. Stuart served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Knoxville Museum of Art and as president of the Knoxville Arts Council, now known as the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville.

“We really wanted to make Knoxville a cultural center, which is how we got involved with Dogwood Arts,” Worden says. “It was, and continues to be, a very important part of our lives.”

Worden and his family established the Betsy Worden Printmaking Fund in Betsy’s memory to provide support for the UT School of Art Printmaking Program. The fund enriches students’ education in printmaking, whether that’s covering travel expenses for a printmaking workshop, helping host visiting lecturers or esteemed artists for collaborative work, or creating graduate assistantships and scholarships for students.

“Betsy wanted to raise awareness about printmaking as an accessible art form, and now the UT printmaking department is one of the best in the country,” Worden says. “Over the years, I got handwritten letters from students at UT but also from as far away as Poland, about how Betsy’s UT printmaking scholarship changed their lives.”

Outside of the arts, Worden has also served as president of the East Tennessee Foundation. This philanthropic foundation was created in 1986 to support the East Tennessee region and has grown to support 25 counties, managing more than $650 million in assets. He served on its board of directors for many years, securing new funding and expanding the foundation. He was later named an honorary lifetime member of the board of directors for his contributions.

“Stuart was an instrumental leader in the early years of the Foundation,” says Carolyn Shwenn, special advisor for the East Tennessee Foundation. “He helped bring the Foundation from an inactive, volunteer-led nonprofit to the $650 million organization it is today.”

Aside from his impact as a benefactor, Worden has had a flourishing professional life. After graduating from UT in business and its Army ROTC program, Worden served in the US Army.

Following his service, he worked with Clinton Campbell in Knoxville, providing life insurance and financial planning to clients through Campbell’s Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company. Worden became a named partner at the firm, now called Worden, Rechenbach & Brooke, serving as an insurance and investment professional, and many of his lifelong clients were contacts he made as a student at UT. He passed the torch along to his son, John Worden (’93), who works there today. Stuart Worden retired just a few years ago at 90 years old.

“UT definitely had a big impact on my success out of college,” says Worden. “The connections you make at school are so important, and UT has a great community to network with.”

Worden has also been an active alumnus at UT, having served many years on the Board of Governors for the UT Alumni Association and as chair for the Chancellor’s Associates.

UT has had a tremendous impact on his life, and Worden continues to give back to the community that supported and shaped him.