Frieson Brothers` Gift Makes History

Vol. 3 No. 1
Winter 2016
gratitude.
Your stories. Your giving. Your impact.
Frieson Brothers’ Gift Makes History
The $1 million gift to rename the Black Cultural Center at UT is the largest single gift
ever by African American alumni of the University of Tennessee.
O
“and so you could deal with a lot of things. When you
walked in, it was like walking into home. It was a support
facility.” Ron said he and his brother hope their gift
ensures that future students also find similar support.
The brothers explain that the Black Cultural Center
was an important part of their lives as students. “It was
a place where you just felt comfortable,” says Don,
Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, who took part in the
ribbon cutting, said, “The Friesons’ generous gift and
the renaming of the cultural center recognizes their
leadership and commitment to our campus and the
diversity we hold so very important.”
n October 2, identical twins Don and Ron
Frieson honored their entire family as they
celebrated the renaming of UT’s Black Cultural
Center to the Frieson Black Cultural Center. The
brothers were joined by several family members and
UT leaders at the ribbon cutting.
Continued on page two
Continued from page one
Frieson Brothers’ Gift Makes History
Before their freshman year, Don had an internship
at Caterpillar Tractor in Peoria, Illinois. “It was
probably the longest period of time that I had
been away from my brother,” says Ron. “Ironically
enough, when I went to pick him up from the airport
to go to UT, we were dressed identically, without
any coordination at all. It’s one of those things
where he and I were, and still are, extremely close.”
A
fter working for twelve years at Schneider
National Carriers, Don joined Walmart in
1999. Currently he is executive vice president
of Sam’s Club Operations and is responsible for
more than 600 stores nationwide. Don has also
completed the Global 20/20 Executive Education
Program at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.
When the Frieson twins were growing up in Memphis,
their father, Pete, worked long hours and night
shifts at the post office. Their mother, Doris, was an
elementary school teacher who stressed the value of
hard work, pushed them to “get into their books,” and
monitored their grammar and pronunciation.
Afternoons and summers were spent absorbing
the wisdom of their grandfather, “Papa Charlie”
Lemmons, a former sharecropper who moved from
Mississippi to Memphis to work in the International
Harvester Plant. “He was a simple man,” says Don,
“but a great man in our eyes. He was a deacon in
his church. He was extremely focused on making
sure his kids got a college education. He was a
very neat dresser, and he always stressed that
appearance makes a big difference. His shoes were
always shined.”
“What I clearly learned from talking to Papa Charlie
was integrity,” says Ron. “If you say you’re going to
do something, make sure you do it. And there
shouldn’t be anything that precludes you from
being accountable for the things you’ve taken
responsibility for.”
P
apa Charlie’s values have served Ron and Don
Frieson well through the years. The summer
before their senior year at Northside High in
Memphis, they studied at Phillips Andover Academy
in Massachusetts through a program called Memphis
Prep, funded by the owner of Dreifus Jewelers. “We
met kids from all over the country,” says Don. “It
prepared us to be competitive.”
Fred Brown, an African American UT engineering
professor, made a presentation at Northside that
sold Don on coming to the university, and it didn’t
take much persuasion to convince Ron to also enroll.
“UT put us on our path. We’re both fortunate to have
made the decision to attend,” says Don.
After graduating from UT with a BS in finance
in 1981, Ron had a twenty-two-year career with
BellSouth, holding many titles, including chief
diversity officer and president of BellSouth Georgia
Operations. He also earned his MBA from Georgia
State in 1993. After retiring in 2007, he served as
interim president and CEO of the Atlanta Urban
League, and he is now the president for foundation
and external affairs with Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta.
“
The Frieson Black Cultural Center
is very important for making sure
from a multicultural perspective that
kids from all walks of life have an
opportunity to come to UT and be
successful.”
—Don Frieson
The Friesons’ gift will help the Office of Multicultural Student Life provide additional academic
support, diversity workshops, peer mentoring, and
leadership development opportunities. “Facilities
such as this one can play a very prominent role
in shaping inclusive and diverse mindsets that
are required to successfully navigate our global
economy,” says Don.
Also taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony (shown on the
preceding page, left to right) were Danielle Frieson, Pete Frieson,
Doris Frieson, Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, Naiema Frieson, Don
Frieson, Ron Frieson, UT Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion
Rickey Hall, UT Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Life
Tanisha Jenkins, retired UT Director of Minority Student Affairs Jane
Redmond, Student Representative to the University of Tennessee
Board of Trustees Jalen Blue, and UT Center for Leadership and
Service Ambassador Chelsie Allen.
“
My gratitude to each and
every donor who supported
my VOLstarter project is
overwhelming. Thanks to you,
I was able to tour England with
THANK
YOU!
the Chamber Singers this past
summer. I had the opportunity
to sing in beautiful cathedrals,
eat way too much British food,
and experience a trip that I will
remember for the rest of my
life. I am extremely proud to be
a Vol, and look forward to the
day that I can pay it forward
for another student here at the
University of Tennessee.”
—Ruth Hagler, Class of 2018
Learn about other projects at volstarter.utk.edu.
26-Year-Old Engineer Establishes UT Endowment
Trey Brown used his company’s three-to-one matching gift program to endow a
scholarship and pass along opportunities to future engineers.
Trey Brown is a 26-year-old construction engineer working in
fabrication with ExxonMobil in South Korea. He earned his BS in
civil engineering in 2011 and his MS in 2012. “After I completed an
ExxonMobil co-op program,” he says, “I was offered a full-time
position, and I’ve moved all over the globe since.”
Brown learned about his company’s three-to-one match program
when he first started at ExxonMobil. “The HR department did a
great job of communicating the matching-gift benefit,” he says.
Brown established the $25,000 Trey Brown Family Endowed
Engineering Scholarship, which will provide an annual scholarship to
an engineering student. Brown says, “I have always wanted to give
back to the university, and the three-to-one match definitely made it
possible to contribute in a big way.”
For more information about matching gifts and to determine if your company participates, visit
matchinggifts.com/tennessee.
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