MC alums Roger ’62 and Carol Nooe ’63 honored with endowed chair at UTCSW
March 6, 2023
Throughout their lives, Dr. Roger M. Nooe ’62 and his wife, Carol Cox Nooe ’63, have committed themselves to the Maryville College commitment put forth by founder Rev. Isaac Anderson to “do good on the largest possible scale.”
For years, they’ve credited the work they’ve done on behalf of East Tennessee’s homeless population to values that were reinforced during their time at Maryville College, and now their name will live on at another institution. Last week, the University of Tennessee College of Social Work announced the establishment of the Roger and Carol Nooe Endowed Chair. This gift will support a senior scholar with research expertise in mental health practice.
It is the first endowed chair in the college’s 81-year history, and it’s funded by long-time supporters of both Maryville College and UT, Phillip and Janet Lawson. Their $2 million gift, according to UTCSW Dean Dr. Lori Messinger, “will enable us to attract a top scholar to the college who can help move the needle on mental health practice in East Tennessee and nationally.”
In 2022, the Lawsons made a significant financial contribution to the R. Mitchell Nooe III Endowed Scholarship at Maryville College, a fund established by the Nooes in 2008. That gift, and the endowed chair at the University of Tennessee, is designed to follow Roger Nooe’s educational and vocational journey, as well as reflect the couple’s level of dedication to advocating on behalf of marginalized populations in the area.
After graduating from Maryville College, Nooe received his master’s and his Ph.D. from Tulane University. A professor emeritus at the UT College of Social Work, Dr. Nooe began his career at UT in 1975 as Knoxville branch director and associate dean. A longtime Knoxville scholar and therapist, he has worked tirelessly to strengthen the community’s response to homelessness, mental illness, and other challenges facing local families. He retired in 2005 after 30 years of teaching, mentoring and inspiring students at UT, the Kentucky Department of Mental Health, Bluegrass Comprehensive Care Center, Cherokee Health, and in private practice and program consultation.
After graduating from MC, Carol Nooe founded Nooe’s Interiors, a noted interior design firm. Like her husband, she contributed her talents to numerous community projects, including the renovation of Minvilla Manor, which offers supportive housing in Knoxville, as well as the Knox Area Rescue Ministries and Flenniken Landing.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Nooe has actively researched homelessness and authored biennial reports on Knox area homelessness. Dr. Nooe chaired the Mayors’ task force to develop the Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and later served as the director of the implementation office for the plan. He was the first president of the Knoxville-Knox County Coalition for Homelessness.
Dr. Nooe helped to establish the Public Defender’s Community Law Office and served as its director of social services. The program was one of the first of its kind in the country and serves as a model for other public defender’s offices nationwide. He has been a consultant for CAC and Americorps and served on numerous community boards, including Legacy Housing Foundation, Cherokee Health Systems, East Tennessee Mental Health Association, and the Symposium for the Advancement of Family Therapy.
In 2005, Dr. Nooe was recognized with the Maryville College Alumni Citation for his professional and philanthropic work on behalf of marginalized communities in the area, efforts that have reverberated throughout higher education in East Tennessee.
“We are happy to recognize Roger and Carol’s outstanding achievements and their impact on the university and the community,” Phillip Lawson said. “Roger played a key role in the growth and development of the College of Social Work. Today, its graduates improve the lives of children, families, and people in need across the state and region. We’re proud to support this important work.”
There will be a formal recognition and celebration of the Roger and Carol Nooe Endowed Chair at a reception on March 23 at the Knoxville Botanical Garden.