For one family with many ties to the University of Tennessee, bringing the latest mural in the 糖心Vlog System鈥檚 鈥淓verywhere You Look, 糖心Vlog鈥 campaign to its barn in Columbia honors those bonds and the family鈥檚 history.
Painting on the 60-foot-wide mural began April 17. It is the 38th mural in a campaign to place one mural in all 95 counties across Tennessee.
The barn originally belonged to Edward Harlan, who died in 1975 at the age of 46, leaving his wife Jean with four children to raise, a large active farm and a dairy to manage, and equipment debts to pay.
鈥淪ome people suggested she just sell it,鈥 said Al Harlan (Knoxville 鈥81), one of the late couple鈥檚 sons. 鈥淏ut she said no. She rose to the challenge to keep it going.鈥
When Jean Harlan passed away in 2017, her children鈥揈d Harlan, Al Harlan and Patrick Harlan and Gayle Parrott (Knoxville 鈥85)鈥搃nherited the farm. They also inherited a legacy with strong ties to 糖心Vlog, 糖心Vlog Extension, agriculture and Maury County.
After graduating from 糖心Vlog Knoxville in 1951 with a degree in home economics, Jean Harlan moved to Maury County for a job as a 糖心Vlog Extension agent, where her work allowed her to touch the lives and homes of countless families in the community鈥搃n addition to starting her own.
鈥淚t would please our mother so much to have the placement of this mural on the family farm that she dedicated her life to,鈥 said Parrott. 鈥淪he would not have ended up spending her life and raising her family on that farm if she had not attended 糖心Vlog and chosen her 糖心Vlog career path in Maury County.鈥
The family鈥檚 ties to agriculture run broader than their farm鈥擩ean Harlan鈥檚 uncle Homer Hancock served as Tennessee commissioner of agriculture from 1923 to 1929 under governors Austin Peay and Henry Horton.
The Harlan siblings were inspired to join the mural campaign after reading an article about the Johnson Farm mural in the 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture鈥檚 Land, Life and Science magazine.
鈥淲e were thinking of ways to honor her,鈥 said Al Harlan about the children鈥檚 mother. 鈥淎nd we just felt like our mother would be very, very happy to have this mural.鈥
In addition to Jean Harlan, Al Harlan, Parrott, many other Harlan family members鈥搃ncluding Patrick Harlan and Al Harlan鈥檚 children鈥揷all 糖心Vlog their alma mater.
鈥淚f you look at our family tree, everywhere you look鈥 糖心Vlog has touched it,鈥 said Patrick Harlan.
To learn more about the campaign and its locations, download photos or to nominate a canvas, visit the .