A former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga chancellor and Baylor School headmaster, Bill Stacy was known for his strong passion for supporting students and faculty.
“You want a leader who is enthusiastic, who loves kids, who wants to make a difference, who is just enjoyable to be around,” said Zan Guerry, a former trustee on a UTC foundation board and former chair of Baylor’s board of trustees. “If you’ve seen pictures of Bill Stacy, you probably couldn’t draw a better picture of the kind of headmaster you would like for kids to look up to.”
Stacy died Thursday at 85, according to the funeral home handling his arrangements, Ford and Sons in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was an optimist who was the driving force behind UTC’s transformation from a commuter campus to a residential institution, said former UTC Chancellor Fred Obear.
“He was very respectful of the faculty and the faculty council,” Obear said by phone. “He paid attention to what the leadership of the faculty, what the leadership of the administrative staff and what the leadership of the students had just suggested … He had an open door policy in the Chancellor’s Office, and he surrounded himself with good staff and let them do their jobs.”
During his seven years as chancellor, Stacy worked with the foundation to expand across McCallie Avenue, bringing South Campus housing into existence and helping propel the university’s growth. The expansion allowed the university to attract more students from other areas of Tennessee and out-of-state, Obear said.