The 9th Annual John Merritt Classic

The Bands.

Who would have known that in 1946, after an extensive, rigorously designed military type six weeks of band practice history would be born. As a result a 100-piece marching band took to the field at Tennessee State University and from that grand birth an elongated line of Aristocrats would follow.

Honor goes to the late Dr. Walter S. Davis for realizing the need for establishing a show band at Tennessee State University. When it was time to select the first band director President Davis turned to J.D. “Chick” Chavis to serve as the first band director. During Chavis’ direction, the marching band flourished and developed into a premier university band that caused crowds to watch in awe and bewilderment for they had never been thrilled by a marching band before.

.

The Greeks.

The members of the Pan- Hellenic Council (comprised of Alpha Phi Alpha – 1906, Alpha Kappa Alpha – 1908, Kappa Alpha Psi – 1911, Omega Psi Phi – 1911, Delta Sigma Theta – 1913, Phi Beta Sigma – 1914, Zeta Phi Beta – 1920, Sigma Gamma Rho – 1922, and Iota Phi Theta – 1963) are the heart and soul of campus life.

Students who are members of these Greek letter organizations participate in community service activities, hold leadership positions in various campus organizations and maintain high scholastic honors.

These chartered organizations continue to provide enriching experiences for their members and help them maintain their progressive interest in college life.  

The History.

Tennessee State University is a comprehensive urban coeducational land-grant university founded in 1912 in Nashville, TN. The 500-acre main campus, with more than 65 buildings, is located in a residential setting; the Avon Williams Campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district.
Through successive stages, TSU has developed from a normal school for Negroes to its current status as a national university with students from 42 states and 45 countries. The present-day Tennessee State University exists as a result of the merger on July 1, 1979, of Tennessee State University and the former University of Tennessee at Nashville.