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Tennessee Aquarium unveils plans for $4.5 million freshwater institute on Baylor campus
Jay GreesonSomewhere up there, in between golf rounds and bull sessions with angels, Jack Lupton deserves a pat on the back.
Hopefully Jack, one of the most prolific and generous benefactors who helped orchestrate our city's turnaround, will smile and nod.
After all, without Lupton, the Tennessee Aquarium would have been more a fish bowl than a landmark.
It would have flopped on the deck of spoiled ideas ruined by governmental involvement - and late funding issues - before completion.
But Lupton forbade that. He knew what this was. He knew what this could mean. He knew the aquarium's value long before anyone else did, and that vision has been rewarded and enjoyed by millions ever since.
It's fitting, too, that the news of a visionary branch of the aquarium's reach will be on the Baylor School campus - Lupton's alma mater.
Sure, the site more than dedication was the reasoning for the location there, but the genesis and completion of the project would not have been possible without Baylor's willingness to make it happen.
It's an impressive trademark of our city, that from the smog that consumed us a generation or two ago this type of cooperation continues to develop.
The real linchpin of the reshaping of downtown has been the aquarium, and for those of you relatively new to the city, that linchpin is only here because Lupton refused to let it fail.
From that downtown became an interesting destination. From that thoughts of a baseball park on Hawk Hill and a fun greenspace across the river evolved. Then so much more.
From Lupton's old-school determination - and more than a little bit of his own personal wealth - the aquarium laid the groundwork for what we enjoy today.
So it's only fitting that part of its extension will support efforts to conserve the valuable pieces - or Pisces, maybe? - around which our revitalization was founded.
It will be called the Tennessee Aquarium Freshwater Conservation Institute, and it will be another way to protect what we have and project who we are in a positive way.
It's a cool idea that will be the only facility of its kind in the South. It's a groundbreaking step that will capitalize on the diversity of the Tennessee River and serve as a cutting-edge teaching tool, as well.
Congratulations to all involved, from the aquarium to Baylor School to countless volunteers and fundraisers behind the scenes who helped fund this $4.5 million-plus project.
And thank you, Jack. Your vision is still clear and accurate.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and at 423-757-6273. His "Right to the Point" column appears on A2 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.