Oakley, Stonecipher To Receive Honorary Degrees

Tennessee Tech will award honorary degrees to longtime Upper Cumberland resident Millard Oakley and former Boeing executive Harry Stonecipher.

The Board of Trustees approved the degrees during a special session Tuesday.

Stonecipher spent better than 50 years in aerospace. He served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Boeing from 1997-2002. He began his career at General Motors in 1960 beginning as a lab technician. In 1960, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Tennessee Tech.

“He came to Tennessee Tech because he wanted to see his grandfather so he could see a coal mine where his grandfather worked and his grandfather told him, ‘you’re not going to work in a coal mine. See if your grandmother can take you down to Cookeville at Tennessee Tech’,” Tennessee Tech President Dr. Phil Oldham said. “So we are very blessed he was able to do that.”

Oakley attended Tech in the 1950s before getting his law degree from Cumberland University. A former legislator and county attorney for Overton County, Oakley has been a philanthropist across the community, donating money to Tennessee Tech and Overton County projects.

“He frequently comes into my office and talks about the School of Agriculture,” Trustee Thomas Lynn said. “He really does care about the program and the students and he hopes that we can recruit and grow the program. I think this is a wonderful honor for him.”

Board of Trustees Chair Trudy Harper said the University awards no more than two honorary degrees annually in exceptional circumstances. A specially-formed committee designated the two honorees for May graduation.

Oakley will receive the Doctorate of Agriculture while Stonecipher will be honored with the Doctor of Engineering.