Tusculum College students scrape the entrance gate at the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery to prepare it for repainting during last year's Nettie Day.
Tusculum students will be found throughout the community on Tuesday, Sept. 16, continuing one of the longest held traditions for the College.
Students will be taking part in Nettie Fowler McCormick Service Day, also known as “Nettie Day.” Participation in “Nettie Day” is required for all new students as part of the Tusculum Experience course, and upperclassmen from various student organizations also take part.
The service projects for the students in the past have varied from painting playground equipment for a local school to grilling and serving lunch at a senior-citizen apartment complex to building a bridge for a dog walk at the local human society.
“Nettie Day, which is conducted under the auspices of the Center for Civic Advancement, honors the memory and altruistic way of life of Nettie Fowler McCormick, widow of reaper inventor Cyrus McCormick, who was a 19th century supporter and advocate of Tusculum College. The McCormicks, staunch Presbyterians from Chicago, learned of Tusculum College through Tusculum graduates who attended their McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and became donors to the Northeast Tennessee school.
Nettie McCormick is recognized as the college’s first benefactor, a term that denotes a donor whose cumulative gifts total at least $1 million to the college. Nettie McCormick funded the construction of several of Tusculum’s historic structures, including Haynes Hall, Rankin Hall, Welty-Craig Hall, Virginia Hall and McCormick Hall, which is named after the McCormick family.
McCormick Day began as a day of cleaning the campus in reflection of Nettie McCormick’s insistence on clean living environments. The day has evolved to take on a more generalized community service emphasis.
This year, Nettie Day is also part of “Orange Rush” week on campus. Activities planned ranged from career preparation sessions to intrumaral/hall war competitions to an academic fair to live entertainment.