Andy Holt was the president of the University of Tennessee from 1959-1970. He was a wonderful storyteller, and could charm members of the state legislature–some of whose vision of an academic lecture was a football half-time locker room pep talk–into supporting higher education. Here is one of his great stories.
President Holt would drive all over Tennessee to make speeches, and he drove a car that had air conditioning at a time when riding along in cool comfort was very new. It seems he was on some back road on a warm day in late fall when he saw a farmer trudging along the road. Andy stopped the car and offered the man a ride.
The farmer got in and the two talked about crops and UT until the man’s destination came into view. As Andy slowed the car, he asked the farmer, “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?
The man replied, “Well, I was going to fix some fence, but it’s turned so cold I believe I’ll kill hogs.”
