Waynesboro

Almost every fall weekend, James Ross—the general sessions and juvenile judge for Wayne County—corrals his family into an RV to embark on the five-ish-hour drive East towards the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It’s a tradition that started when he was a boy.

Vivid memories of gameday mornings with his grandpa at the Hotel Knoxville—watching the pep band and UT cheerleaders pour into the lobby with enthusiasm, donned in their orange and white from head to toe—continue to make the lengthy drive worth it.

“It was just a great experience,” Ross said of his childhood visits to UT.

You would never guess that Ross, a former adjunct professor of law at UT Martin, is not a UT alumnus himself.

So why would the Middle Tennessee State University and Samford University Cumberland School of Law grad volunteer his law office as the site for a 48-foot-wide “Everywhere You Look, UT” mural?

His actions echo a common sentiment for Wayne County.

“It’s home for a lot of people,” said Christine Chapman, executive director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, speaking of the university system. Although she grew up in New Mexico, she still feels tied to the university on a deeper level.

“My babysitter used to sing ‘Rocky Top’ to me,” she said. “It’s a piece of my childhood, even though I wasn’t directly involved in any way.”

While Ross’s own passion for UT stems from fond memories of colorful traditions and a love of sports, he recognizes that UT offers even more than that: it offers common ground.  

“When you get a crowd of people from Wayne County together you can just mention the University of Tennessee,” Ross said. “And they can all talk about that.”

It’s a bond that reaches beyond campus borders, offering all Tennesseans something to rally around—regardless of whether they have a direct connection.

More so, Ross feels that there’s another key piece to UT’s significance in his community: opportunity.

“The university is available to everybody, and they want you to know that,” Ross said. “I think it’s important to encourage the kids. I love the idea that we are contributing to the awareness of the University of Tennessee.”

The 8,100 daily travelers on Highway 64 will see the mural as they pass Ross’s Waynesboro law office. Hopefully, they will feel his sense of pride, too.