Tom Fox ('48), who along with his wife Elizabeth Fox has donated $750,000 to the College of Law, was recognized in 1989 with a citation for outstanding public service from former College of Law Dean Marilyn Yarbrough.

Gift from alumnus helps College of Law fund student scholarships

The University of Tennessee College of Law has received a $750,000 gift from the estate of Tom and Elizabeth Fox.

The funds will be used to establish the Thomas and Elizabeth Fox Scholarship to continue to attract outstanding students to the College of Law.

Dean Melanie Wilson said the generous gift ensures that the UT College of Law will remain competitive for the best and brightest students across the country.

“We pride ourselves in our ability to develop the next generation of problem-solving lawyers who are armed with multidisciplinary skills and committed to improving their communities,” Wilson said. “The extraordinary commitment of the Fox family in supporting the University of Tennessee College of Law helps ensure the future for an already great law school.”

The Foxes are longtime University of Tennessee College of Law supporters. Their past gifts have supported a variety of funds at the college including the Thomas and Elizabeth Fox Endowment to support travel for moot court teams.

Thomas Fox, a 1948 College of Law alumnus, also has a history of leadership with the College of Law. He served 10 years on the College of Law Alumni Advisory Council and was a member of the Dean’s Circle. In 1989, he was awarded the College of Law’s Citation for Outstanding Public Service for his contributions to the community and the legal profession.

Fox’s professional career included service in the U.S. Marine Corps as a captain during World War II. He practiced law for eight years and served as a Tennessee state senator from 1951 until 1955, representing Maury, Lewis, and Perry counties. In 1956, he was appointed as a Tennessee assistant state attorney general and served until his retirement in 1972.

Fox married Elizabeth Adwell in December, 1958. She worked as a secretary with the Tennessee State Legislature, the Tennessee State Department of Education, and the Tennessee State Attorney General’s Office before meeting her husband and beginning the work of assisting him with his law practice.

Thomas Fox died May 12, 1997, and Elizabeth Fox died March 2, 2016.

Estate gifts, like that of the Foxes, have tremendous impact with the College of Law while allowing donors to hold onto their funds during their lifetime. For more information about how you can support the University of Tennessee College of Law, contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at 865-974-6691.