MURFREESBORO — The Nobel Memorial Prize in
Economic Sciences awarded to the late James M. Buchanan in 1986 is heading to
Middle Tennessee State University.
The
family of Buchanan, a Rutherford County native who graduated from the
then-Middle Tennessee State Teachers College in 1940 and who died Jan. 9, will
give his Nobel Prize to MTSU on a perpetual loan basis Thursday, May 9, during
a celebration of life.
The
event, which also will include other major announcements regarding Buchanan’s
estate, will be held starting at 4 p.m. outside the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors
Building in an area near the John Bragg Mass Communication and College of
Education buildings on the east side of campus. The public is invited. Parking
can be found by using this printable online link: http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.
Other
memorabilia related to both Nobel Laureate James M. Buchanan and his
grandfather, Rutherford County's only governor, John Price Buchanan, are also
coming to MTSU for display in the Buchanan Reading Room at James E. Walker
Library. The Buchanan Reading Room was funded by James Buchanan's nephew Jeff
Whorley and his wife, Lisa, along with matching gifts from The Sallie Mae Fund,
a charitable organization funded by the student-loan corporation, during the
years that Jeff served as an executive vice president at Sallie Mae.
“Our university is honored to be entrusted by Mr. Whorley and the
Buchanan family with the safekeeping and display of this historic and
prestigious symbol of Dr. Buchanan’s legacy and career,” MTSU
President Sidney A. McPhee said.
“The medal will inspire
generations of students at MTSU. In tandem with our Buchanan Fellowships, it
will be a tangible reminder of the service and generosity demonstrated by this
remarkable scholar, alumnus and visionary.”
The
Buchanan family looks forward to the Nobel award being housed at MTSU.
"I
believe ‘Buck’ thought it was appropriate to leave the actual Nobel medal to a
family member rather than an institution,” said alumna Elizabeth “Liz” Bradley,
of Pearland, Texas, youngest sister of Buchanan, mother of Whorley, and former
principal at Homer Pittard Campus School.
“But
I am pretty sure he knew leaving it to Jeff meant that it would be
appropriately cared for by and displayed proudly at MTSU.” Bradley earned
bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MTSU.
“I
was happily stunned to learn that Uncle Buck had left the Nobel Prize to me,”
Whorley said. “My first thought was a clear memory of watching him have the
Nobel medal put in his hands in Stockholm in 1986. It was the greatest moment
for him and unforgettable for everyone who knew him well.
“But
my second, very practical thought was, where should the Nobel Prize reside at
MTSU? Within a few minutes, I called Dr. McPhee and asked him to start
thinking about that question."
Joe
Bales, vice president for development and university relations, said details
are being worked out on where the Nobel Prize eventually will be placed on
public display.
Buchanan
is the only MTSU alumnus to receive a Nobel Prize.
Along
with the Whorleys and Bradley, other family members expected to attend
Thursday’s celebration will be the Whorley’s son, Haynes, and daughter, Phifer.
“There
are dozens and dozens of Buchanan cousins in Middle Tennessee and I hope to see
some of them at Thursday's celebration but I also especially hope that in the
future they can make a visit to MTSU to see the Nobel Prize.”
Dr.
John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and master of ceremonies, will
deliver the welcome, acknowledgements and closing remarks. Vile and his staff
oversee the Buchanan Fellows program, the highest award offered by the
university.
The
celebration program also includes remarks from Whorley, McPhee and Dr. Barbara
Haskew, professor emerita in economics and finance and former university
provost, who serves on the Tennessee Valley Authority board.
A
reception will be held at the James E. Walker Library on the fourth floor next
to the Buchanan Room, with Dr. Reuben Kyle, professor emeritus in economics and
finance in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, speaking. A special
announcement will be made at 5 p.m.
A
stridently independent thinker, Buchanan earned the Nobel Prize for his
development of the contractual and constitutional bases for the theory of
economic and political decision-making. Within the economics discipline, his
contribution is known as the field of Public Choice, which brings the tools of
economic analysis to the study of public decision-making.
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