Martin, Tenn.. — The Rev. Harold Conner Sr., the University of Tennessee at Martin’s first black
administrator, died Oct. 15 at Diversicare of Martin. He was 97. Funeral services are set for 1 p.m., Tuesday,
Oct. 24, at Fuller Street Baptist Church in Dresden with burial to follow at Eastside Cemetery in Martin.
Visitation will be held at the church starting at 11 a.m. the day of the service and continue until service time.
Conner, known by many as “Dean Conner,” first came to UT Martin in 1969 as assistant dean of
students and was later named assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. He continued as a university
administrator until his retirement in 1981. Conner was instrumental in starting many campus organizations and
programs that still play significant roles at the university, including the Black Student Association, the
Freshman Studies Program, the Highest Praise Gospel Choir and the Peer Enabler Program that mentors
entering students.
“Dean Conner was a trailblazer and a role model for generations of students from all backgrounds,”
said UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver in a statement. “His UT Martin legacy endures in many lasting forms,
but his students and those who worked with him will always know him as an educator, mentor, friend and man
of great faith.”
Conner played a major role in the integration of public schools in Weakley County and at the
university. UT Martin joined the University of Tennessee in 2011 to observe the 50 th anniversary of African
American students enrolling in the university. Conner is remembered in the commemorative publication
“Celebrating 50 Years of African-American Achievement” for his role in the successful integration of
Weakley County Schools and UT Martin. Jesse Arnold Pryor, the first African American student to enroll at
the university in 1961, credited Conner during the September 2011 dedication of Unity Circle near Clement
Hall for encouraging her to attend the Martin campus.
Conner was a U.S. Army veteran, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and an ordained
Baptist minister, serving as pastor of the Fuller Street Baptist Church in Dresden for almost five decades.
Conner was the first recipient of the UT Martin Black Student Association’s annual Legacy Award honoring
his university achievements. The university’s Harold Conner Scholarship is named for him, and the city of
Martin annually presents the Harold Conner City of Martin Award.
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