Learn more at utc.edu/wwi.
This fall is filled with events remembering World War I in honor of the centennial anniversary of the armistice that put an end to the war.
Often called The Great War, the four-year period from 1914-1918 was a huge turning point in world history and international affairs.
Since May, faculty and administrators from across the UTC College of Arts and Sciences joined with the Library Special Collections, Athletics and members of the Chattanooga community, including the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, to plan a series of events that includes lectures, panel discussions, displays of artifacts and concerts.
Many events emphasize the role of women, Hispanic- and African-American as well as Native Americans in World War I. Discussions explore many different elements of the war, from philosophy to literature to nursing to the chemistry used in battle.
Exhibits in UTC’s Library and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center are now open.
The first event to kick off the commemorative anniversary takes place on Monday, Sept. 24, with “The Role of American Indians in World War I,” a lecture by Dan Littlefield, director of Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
For a complete schedule of the events, visit utc.edu/wwi.
UC Students in the Great War
The 1919 Moccasin, the University of Chattanooga’s yearbook, was dedicated to the five students who lost their lives during WWI. Aaron Shaheen, George C. Connor professor of American literature, came across the dedication when researching the effects of the war on Chattanooga for a book. Digging a little deeper, he realized that, even though there was a memorial for the fallen students from World War II, nothing existed for those lost to World War I. With the anniversary of the war quickly approaching, he got to work with Matt Greenwell, UC Foundation professor of graphic design, to create a memorial.
The plaque created in the five students’ honor will be hung in UTC’s Patten Chapel this fall. The location was deliberately chosen because the chapel was opened in 1918, and also for its ethereal atmosphere, Shaheen and Greenwell explain.
Although the chapel’s construction was completed after all the UC students had deployed, “I can’t help but think that the university would have had some sort of memorial service here for them in 1919,” Shaheen says.
“If you think of UC at the time, this was a small Methodist university,” Greenwell adds. “And I think the center of campus in a lot of ways. A spiritual center anyway, and so even now the chapel seems to hold a very special place.”
More than three-fifths of the UC’s male student population joined the WWI effort within six months of the United States entering the war in 1917. The university’s service roster had 180 names.
“History is what we decide it is,” Greenwell says. “Either these five students, these five soldiers are remembered, or they’re not.”
The five UC students who died serving in World War I are:
Click the image to explore the 1919 Moccasin through UTC Library Digital Collections.
Joseph Parke Robb
Born Jan. 21, 1896, in St. Paul, Minn., to Joseph M. and Addie Robb. He began attending the University of Chattanooga in 1916. Robb was a lieutenant in the 24th Trench Mortar Battery. He died of pneumonia at Camp Knox, Ky., on Feb. 27, 1919. He is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, Ill.
Frank Holmes Atlee
Born May 20, 1895, in Chattanooga to John Light Atlee and Margaret Blane Patten. He was married to Lenora Mull (1892-1962) and they had one son, John Light Atlee III (1918-1919). Atlee died on May 9, 1918, of pneumonia in Chattanooga and is buried in the Chattanooga National Cemetery.
Forrest Lansdale Bradley
Born Feb. 9, 1888, in Knox County, Tenn. to John Barton Bradley and Cynthia D. Ledgerwood. Bradley married Effie Mae Walker (1897-1986) in Campbell County, Tenn. He was a Methodist minister and served as chaplain to Company G, 83rd Regiment, 330th Infantry. He died Jan. 1, 1919, of meningitis at sea on the way home from Europe. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Va.
William Dean Faris
Born March 11, 1897, in Chattanooga to William C. Faris and Hattie Althia Rush. His father was a retired Methodist minister. Faris died of influenza on Oct. 12, 1918, at Camp Zachary Taylor, Ky. He is buried at Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga.
Charles William Loaring-Clark
Born Jan. 13, 1894 in Dulwich, Southwark, London, England, to the Rev. Dr. William James and Ada Maria Loaring-Clark. He was a lieutenant in the Canadian Infantry, Central Ontario Regiment, 3rd Canadian Battalion. At the time of the war, he was studying at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., to become an Episcopal priest. He also was a transient student at the University of Chattanooga. He was killed in action on June 17, 1915, in Calais, France. He is buried at Beuvry Communal Cemetery, Beuvry, France. Loaring-Clark is believed to be the first Hamilton County resident to pass away in World War I.
Biographical information collected by John Payne and with the help of Rev. Brad Whitaker.
