DECATURVILLE – A complex in Decatur County provides a home to local the UT Extension office, emergency management agency and veterans service office and now the newest Everywhere You Look, UT mural which is currently being painted.
Located atop the complex’s 100-foot-wide metal roof at 425 West Highland St. in Decaturville, the latest mural marks number 69 in the campaign.
“This has been on our radar for a long time,” said Decatur County Mayor Mike Creasy about joining the mural campaign. In his search for a location that reflected the values of UT and the community, Creasy found the complex. “We knew it was the right fit.”
Jenny Smith, a UT Extension family and consumer sciences agent and county director, advocated for the mural location.
“I think every day I encounter someone who doesn’t know what UT Extension is and doesn’t know we are an outreach branch of UT,” she said. “So, I really wanted something close to our office to draw attention to what we do, because we’re all the time offering programs for the community.”
Smith works to serve Decatur County in four core areas — family, health, food and money. Agents deliver research-based educational classes and programs to help Tennesseans gain knowledge and develop confidence within the core areas. The office also has agriculture and natural resource programs and the 4-H program for youth.
With the goal of bringing more attention to UT, the newest mural faces Tennessee Highway 641 with an estimated 5,716 drivers passing it daily.
The mural also helps to emphasize UT’s partnership with the ongoing work of the Ayers Foundation Trust in getting Parsons City students involved in higher education. The Ayers Foundation Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for rural Tennesseans through initiatives in education, conservation and social welfare. Established in 1999 by Janet and Jim Ayers, a successful banker from Parsons, the foundation works to expand educational opportunities for students in rural areas.
Creasy said that Ayers knew rural counties sometimes fall behind.
“He wanted to make sure that every student from this county had the opportunity to attend higher education,” said Creasy.
The UT System designated the foundation as a UT Promise Scholarship partner in 2019. UT Promise is a last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees for eligible Tennessee residents attending UT campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin and Memphis.
Creasy and Smith both hope the mural will bring more awareness to the UT Extension local office, the UT System and Decatur County.
“You can stop by here anytime,” Smith said about the Extension office. “It’s a public office, come by and see what we’re doing.”
To learn more about the Everywhere You Look, UT mural in Decatur County or to submit a location for consideration, visit the campaign website.
