Dear Professor Trimpey,

I disagree with Professor Geevarghese's characterization of your
professional activities at UTC. When you, as the Dean of College of Arts
and Sciences, and Ed Cahill, then Head of Sociology and Anthropology
Department, gave me a one-year appointment for the 1981-1982 academic year,
I was impressed by the manner with which you approached me at the end of
that academic year and expreesed your sympathy for the College's inability
to renew my appointment for another year. That was a period when reccession
forced many universities to close some disciplines and had to lay off some
tenured faculty (SUNY-Brockport closed Geography, Music and Drama
Departments, and the University of Rochester (NY) closed Master's and Ph.D.
programs in Sociology, and so went the faculty members in those Departments
both tenured and untenured). It was under such state of affairs that you
came to apologize to me for not being able to renew my one-year contract
which was legally over. Your accosting me that Summer of 1982 to render an
unexpected apology gave me an impression that you are a caring person. When
I came back to UTC last year, before I could reccollect who you were, you
were the first to recognize me and called me by my first name during "New
Faculty Oriention."  That was an indicator of a good administrator.

I am very sorry that somebody from my Department made such a scurrilous
attack on you regarding your appointment. Dr. Geevarghese's opinion about
your appointment is not shared by any member of the Sociology,
Anthropology, and Geography Department whom I inquired about it. I sounded
the views of many of the faculty members in my department including those
who have served at UTC for more than 23 years, and they disapproved Dr.
Geevarghese's attack on your person and your appointment. You, as
Chancellor Stacy's choice for Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs,
are an excellent and rational choice. Congratulations.

Obi
Dr. Obi N. I. Ebbe
Professor and Chair
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Geography
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598
Phone: (423) 755-4437/4411
Fax:   (423) 785-2251