So far, I think it's safe to say, you've done pretty well for yourself.  As Walter T. Durham pointed out in "A College For This Community," his book about you, "when the Tennessee Higher Education Commission voted to locate its latest in a series of junior colleges in Sumner County, people of the community had witnessed the rise and fall of four colleges, had seen the two most ambitious educational undertakings of the period die in the agony of birth, and had watched with shocked disbelief as the voters of the county vetoed a referendum that would have made possible the location of the Middle Tennessee State Normal College (MTSU) near Gallatin."

     There you have it. You were born into a district that had already aborted several proposals for higher education facilities.  You faced the threat and materialized in 100 acres of farm land in Sumner County, 1971.

     Life was shaky at first.  The campus wasn't ready the first year, and the 581 students that made up the first class were detoured to any available space in the area; church basements, the National Guard Armory, even the Gallatin Junior High School.  However, by the winter quarter of 1972, you were up and running on your own two legs.  The parents were proud.  They took pictures for scrap books and called their friends.

     Soon, you were in your experimental teenage years.  Life's many questions were hounding you and for every single one, you hosted a night class.  Belly dancing, dealing with divorce, aviation, and how to drink with style were just some of life's many quandaries that you attempted to answer with non-credit courses, that silly TBR policy about drinking alcohol on campus wasn't in place in those days.

     Still, you matured into a sophisticated adult.  You eagerly accepted technology advances with open arms, while remaining sensitive to the arts.

     As a community college, you've gone where many universities have not attempted to explore.  Your Allied Health program far surpasses that of most colleges and universities in the region, as well as this very magazine.