Roots. Everybody has them somewhere. It’s where you come from. They figure to play at least some role in what you become, who you are, where you go – even if it’s only in your mind – for strength and perspective when times become tough.
Until last Friday night, when they arrived in Chattanooga for the first time, Tom and Lauren Arth’s roots had pretty much been confined to the Cleveland, Ohio, area. That’s where they both grew up, where they went to college at John Carroll University, where their parents and most of their friends live.
So leaving all that to take over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program figured to take more than a healthy salary bump. It took a leap of faith. It took finding something in the Scenic City that made them want to leave their roots and move here with their five young children, who range in age from Caroline (10) to Lizzie (1).
“The people,” Lauren said early Tuesday afternoon when asked what she’s found most appealing about her new home thus far. “Everybody we’ve met has been so nice.”
As if on cue, one of the most famous people associated with the Mocs – actor Dennis Haskins, the Chattanooga native, Notre Dame High School grad and UTC alum – made sure to welcome Tom Arth to town at the close of his news conference.