MiDori and Glenn Allen first met during their undergraduate days on the UTC campus. Photo by Angela Foster.
To say that Glenn and MiDori Allen have a love affair with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball and football teams is a bit of an understatement.
To say the Allens have a love affair that started during their time as UTC undergraduates —and includes Mocs athletics—gets to the heart of the matter.
Shortly after graduating from UTC in 1979, Glenn made a financial contribution to the University’s Department of Athletics.
Every year since then, he has donated to the Mocs—a span that has reached 43 years.
A recent investment in the program that he and his wife, MiDori, have opted to pursue will ensure that the annual streak will continue indefinitely.
The Allens have included the UTC athletics department in their estate plan, creating a substantial planned gift called the Glenn and MiDori Allen Endowed Athletics Scholarship.
As an endowed gift, contributions will continue to be made on the couple’s behalf, serving as a permanent tribute to the Allens and extending the scholarship’s value for future generations.
“It is hard to put into words the selflessness and generosity of Glenn and MiDori, who have had a lifelong connection and impact to UTC,” said Mark Wharton, UTC vice chancellor and director of athletics. “Their act of ensuring UTC Athletics continues to move forward for generations to come is a humbling gesture and one that will help shape the future of our student-athletes through their successes at UTC.”
The Allens’ philanthropic efforts were recently recognized by Mocs athletics, with the couple joining Wharton on the basketball court during a break in the Mocs’ Feb. 5 contest vs. Furman.
“The Allens are about changing the lives of young people and their purpose aligns perfectly with ours at UTC. We cannot thank them enough for their intent on providing scholarship support for student-athletes forever,” Wharton said.
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The Allens were recognized for their philanthropy by Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton, right, during the UTC/Mercer men’s basketball game on Feb. 5. Photo courtesy Laura O’Dell/UTC Athletics.
While their time on campus overlapped as UTC business students—Glenn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1979 and MiDori earned that same degree in 1980—Greek life brought them together.
That, and their shared interest in Mocs athletics.
They met in 1978; Glenn was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, while the former MiDori Benton was in Pi Beta Phi sorority and a Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.
During his fraternity days, Glenn’s little brother was David Hall; David’s father, Arthur, donated a lot of time and energy to athletics department fundraising and season ticket sales.
“Shortly after I graduated,” Glenn recalled, “Art called me and said, ‘You need to buy season football tickets this year and you need to join the Mocs Club. Tickets will be half-price your first five years to get alumni involved.’
“A group of us who had just graduated got tickets together and kept them for a number of years at Chamberlain Field.”
That call came in 1979. The precedent for providing financial support to athletics was established.
Even in the early days of their courtship, MiDori joined Glenn in attending Mocs sports events.
“We were dating, but he was paying for it all,” MiDori recalled.
They tied the knot in 1985.
“This is what a good person he is,” she continued. “I wanted to get married when we were 23, but he would not ask me. All my friends were getting married and I felt like an old maid.
“Well, guess what? They didn’t stay married. We got married when I was 27, and we’re still together 36 years later.”
“Patience and perseverance pay off,” Glenn said. “It’s not a fast race; it’s a slow race. We’re in it for the long haul.”
The long haul has included lots of trips to campus for basketball games.
“We’ve been season ticketholders in basketball ever since The Roundhouse opened,” Glenn said of McKenzie Arena, home of Mocs hoops since 1982.
“I just absolutely love it,” MiDori said.
MiDori had a 34-year career working for CHI Memorial Hospital in physician relationships. Glenn worked in various accounting positions before moving into the automobile industry, serving as a controller for a car dealership. He even came back to campus in the mid-1990s to take accounting classes to sit for the certified public accountant exam.
The two did not have children, and they said they have kept their living expenses at a low level.
“We’re not fancy people,” Glenn said, “except for cars and golf.”
“And pets,” MiDori added.
When they realized they were comfortable financially, the Allens began to think about ways they could make a difference.
Leaving a substantial contribution to the University that got them started seemed like a perfect gift.
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The Allens are down-to-earth, private people. For them, the dollar figure of their gift shouldn’t concern anyone else.
When they chose to create the planned gift, though, they were OK with discussing the “why,” as in “Why is this such an important thing?”
It’s about helping others and paying it forward for what the institution did for them, Glenn said. They want to inspire others to follow their lead.
“You may not be able to do what we did,” he explained, “but if you did leave money in your estate for an endowment with the University, it will multiply over time. Fifteen or 20 years down the road, you won’t be here to reap the rewards, but children and grandchildren going here will.”
“Why is this important to us?” MiDori asked. “We want to allow somebody else to get started in life. Look at student loans and different things like that; scholarships give somebody else the opportunity to pursue a career without having a terrible debt after four years of college.”
There is also a cash component as part of the endowment, allowing the Allens to visit with current students benefiting from the scholarship bearing their names.
“We would hope this would give us the opportunity to mentor and help a young person getting our scholarship,” Glenn said. “To meet them and have them say, ‘Glenn and MiDori, how did you get to where you are today? How do I get there?’
“Sometimes you’ll listen to adults giving you the same answers your parents give, but you don’t listen to your parents.”
The Allens will continue to explain to others why planned giving is important and how people can leave a legacy upon their passing.
“As the old saying goes,” Glenn said, “if you give, it will come back to you 10 times over. I have truly experienced that in my life.
“MiDori and I have seen friends of ours experience it through sharing their good fortune for gift giving for educational purposes and we’ve learned that from them. Now we’re trying to pass those lessons learned onto others.”
