Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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Nov. 10
The Commercial Appeal of Memphis on the election of Donald Trump:
We congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign staff for their stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s race for President of the United States.
His victory likely will go down as one of the biggest political campaign upsets in this country’s 228-year history of electing presidents to four-year terms.
Some of the campaign rhetoric from the candidate and his surrogates, especially regarding women, Hispanics and immigrants, was deplorable. But team Trump deserves credit for correctly reading the mood of American voters, especially in the industrial Midwest.
There is an adage in politics that candidates run campaigns from the left or right, but govern from the middle.
That has not been the case recently, manifesting itself in the so-called “Do Nothing Congress,” where inter- and intra-party ideological divisions have stymied action on important legislation.
Trump, in his victory speech, said he wants to be president for all Americans. We hope that is true. We agree with Clinton’s statement that “We owe him (Trump) an open mind and a chance to lead.”
There are a lot of voters who are extremely disappointed that Clinton lost, including the fact that the United States missed an opportunity to have the country’s first woman president.
Trump won in an electoral system he insisted was rigged against him.
The Commercial Appeal did not endorse Trump because, despite serious flaws by both candidates, we felt Clinton’s experiences in public and private life made her the most qualified candidate.
In this country, it is clear we play by rules. You support the winner whether or not you believed he was the best candidate. We badly need Trump to succeed.
It is a troubling trend for our country that the blue states got bluer, the red more red. We need to find a way to come together as a country. A great place to start is at home where the results in Shelby County are evidence of how differently the two sides see the world.
Trump campaigned on the theme of making America great again. When compared to the rest of the world, America is great. Still, it can be better.
Will Trump, working with a Republican-controlled Congress, be able to forge party unity and then use that unity to pass immigration reform legislation that is reasonable, passionate and not punitive?
Will he, as he promised, bring meaningful economic development to America’s enclaves of poverty and economic decline, especially in America’s inner cities?
Will he be able, by word and deed, to defy groups and individuals that promote hatred and prejudice toward minority groups?
Is he willing to work with Democrats to pass legislation and promote policies that will give all Americans an equal opportunity to become a member of the middle class that, according to economists, is the backbone of this nation?
The nation is not going to hell in a hand basket because Donald Trump is President-elect. But, after such as divisive campaign, the nation needs some healing.
We hope Trump keeps that in mind as he formulates his presidential agenda. And, as Clinton said, we owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.
Online: https://www.commercialappeal.com/
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Nov. 10
The Johnson City Press on moving on after the election:
Hallelujah, it’s finally over.
Tuesday’s election was exhausting for both candidates and voters. The presidential election couldn’t have ended soon enough for many Americans, who have been bombarded with political ads (mostly of the negative kind) for most of this year.
There was much at stake. Voters decided a historic race for the White House. Congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump, who won very big in Tennessee.
Local voters also decided a number of municipal elections, including here in Johnson City with incumbent Ralph Van Brocklin and newcomers Todd Fowler and Joe wise being tapped for the City Commission.
The votes have been counted. Now all that’s left is for candidates to pick up their campaign signs (as soon as possible). No one wants to see a weathered political sign blighting our beautiful landscape.
The campaigning is mercifully over. Next comes the truly hard part - governing. And this takes more than campaign sloganeering. It requires common sense, communication and cooperation.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/
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Nov. 11
The Knoxville News Sentinel on John Tickle’s donation to the University of Tennessee:
On Nov. 3, University of Tennessee faculty, students and administrators gathered to honor alumnus John D. Tickle, but they also celebrated a lot of good news about the university’s College of Engineering.
Tickle, a 1965 graduate in industrial engineering, has contributed mightily to the university. Three campus buildings bear his name: the John D. Tickle Engineering Building, the John and Ann Tickle Small Animal Hospital, and the John and Ann Tickle Athletic Development suite in the Brenda Lawson Athletic Center.
Following his most recent donation, the UT Board of Trustees voted in its fall meeting to add his name to the engineering school, now the UT Tickle College of Engineering. It was only the second time in UT’s 222-year history that a college has been so named. The Haslam College of Business was the first.
Tickle currently is chairman of Strongwell Corp., a Bristol, Va. -based manufacturer of Pultruded Fiberglass, and his long history of generous donations has a story behind it.
After graduating from UT more than 50 years ago, he went to work in a research laboratory in Granville, Ohio. When his co-workers began comparing alma maters, Tickle proudly announced his, and “I sort of threw my chest out a bit.” The response was mostly silence, he said.
Tickle began donating to UT by giving $100 that first year out of school. He said he always has sought to improve the broader knowledge of his alma mater, in part, because of that initial encounter. He added, “I want them to say ’wow’ rather than silence. I think we’re on track to get some ’wows.’ “
Recent improvements at the engineering college - many due to Tickle’s generosity - should bring in the wows by the buckets. His most recent gift will fund 32 new graduate fellowships, two new professorships and a team of professional advisers who will help students achieve their academic goals.
Positive results already are in. The number of students in the engineering program has grown from 1,600 in 2006 to about 4,300 this year, according to Wayne Davis, dean of the college.
Freshmen in the college this year have an average grade-point average of 4.0 and a composite score of 30 on the ACT. The number of doctoral students has jumped from 200 in 2005 to about 700 this year.
Strong funding also has helped the college add 30 world-renowned faculty and almost doubled its yearly research funding to about $70 million, according to the college’s website.
The UT college also has moved up 10 spaces to No. 32 among engineering schools at public universities in annual rankings by U.S. News and World Report. The news magazine ranked it No. 36 among graduate programs. Davis said the rankings are the highest the school has achieved, adding that in “every statistic we can look at, and I like to think the quality of education we provide is at an all-time high also.”
With new buildings, additional students and the inspiration provided by John Tickle, UT is in an excellent position to educate the state’s present and future engineers.
Wow.
Online: https://www.knoxnews.com/
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