DNP Natalie Haslam’s enduring legacy of philanthropy
Natalie Haslam contributed to many Knoxville organizations and was an ardent philanthropist devoted to the arts and the University of Tennessee.
- A Knoxville native and a University of Tennessee graduate, Natalie Haslam gave generously of her time, money and name to local causes, her hometown and her alma mater.
- She married Pilot Company founder Jim Haslam in 1976, and their blended family became a local political and philanthropic dynasty.
- She was a groundbreaker in philanthropic leadership roles.
- Haslam was a dedicated, lifelong supporter of the arts, UT and countless state and Knoxville organizations.
Natalie Haslam spent her life giving time and energy to her family, the arts, to her hometown of Knoxville and to her alma mater, the University of Tennessee.
When she died Jan. 16 at the age of 94, she left behind a legacy of philanthropy, pioneering leadership for women, historic preservation and unparalleled community enrichment.
Those who didn’t know her personally nonetheless knew of her work, and her name graces UT’s College of Music and its Music Center, recognizing her passion for the arts that sounded notes throughout her life.
Natalie Nelms Leach was born Nov. 30, 1931, to Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Leach. Her father was a Knoxville ophthalmologist who for a time had his office in the historic downtown Park House – Knoxville’s second oldest structure. Many decades later, she worked to buy and restore the building.
Growing up, Natalie Leach was from a prominent enough Knoxville family that her name was cited occasionally in the Knoxville News Sentinel, including an account of her 7th birthday party in the Cherokee Country Club ballroom to reports from her teen and young adult years as a “Cotton Belle” and the University of Tennessee’s Miss Tennessee.
She attended Fairfax Hall girls’ school in Waynesboro, Virginia, before enrolling at UT, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree with a major in French in 1952.
Natalie befriended Cynthia Allen in the third grade at Sequoyah School. The two attended UT, where they met Jim Haslam, whom Cynthia married in 1953.
A year and a half after Cynthia’s sudden death in 1974, Natalie and Jim Haslam were married. In Jim’s memoir “Co-Piloting,” the founder of Pilot Co. included a caption on a photo from their wedding that notes he “married longtime friend Natalie Leach Tucker” in February 1976. The newly blended family included her three daughters from her first marriage and Jim and Cynthia’s daughter and two sons.
Natalie Haslam’s active involvement in local groups expanded throughout her life. A member of Girls’ Cotillion Club, Chi Omega sorority and Junior League before her marriage to Jim Haslam, she became a member and leader in numerous other organizations over the years.
She was a groundbreaker in philanthropic leadership roles, becoming the first woman to be named chair of the East Tennessee Foundation board in 1987.
When Natalie Haslam became the first women elected president of the Knoxville Symphony Society Board in 1994, her predecessor, Richard E. Ray, credited her as a driving force for volunteer support of the arts and quality of life in East Tennessee: “Her vision, leadership and generous support are vital to Knoxville’s thriving cultural environment,” Ray said in a Knox News article at the time.
Haslam’s longterm support of several significant organizations was recognized with facilities bearing her name.
She was a lifelong, ardent supporter of the University of Tennessee and its College of Arts and Sciences. After Natalie and Jim Haslam and the Haslam Family Foundation donated $32 million to UT, with $10 million designated to help finance a new home for the School of Music, the new building was named the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center. The $40 million facility, which opened in 2013, was described as the music program’s Neyland Stadium.
Her ties to the university’s music program was recognized still further in July 2024, when the year-old College of Music was named the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music following a “transformational” donation of an undisclosed amount by the Haslam family. This marked the first time UT named a college in honor of a woman.
“Natalie Haslam was a tireless champion of the University of Tennessee, and her family’s unwavering belief in this institution has left an indelible mark on the lives of so many students,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said in a tribute published Jan. 17 by UT.
“Natalie embodied so much of what makes UT special. She was a true Volunteer whose leadership and generosity on our campus and throughout the community has left a legacy that will continue for generations. She will be dearly missed.”
Haslam – who served as president of the East Tennessee Historical Society – was “from the beginning involved in the establishment of the (East Tennessee) History Center,” where the Natalie L. Haslam Signature Exhibition Gallery at the Museum of East Tennessee History was named in her honor.
A longtime member of the Knoxville Garden Club, she served as president of the organization and in 1995 received the Garden Club of America’s National Medal for outstanding civic achievement. At various times, she was president of the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville, a charter member of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and president of the board of governors for Tennessee Presidents Trust.
Haslam also served on the boards of Maryville College, the Webb School, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Zoo Knoxville, City Ballet, the Tennessee Humanities Commission, Blount Mansion Association, Knoxville Junior League and Wellness Community.
Honors presented to her included University of Tennessee Volunteer of the Year in 1992, the national Amy Angell Collier Montague Medal from The Garden Club of America in 1995, the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from The National Conference in 1996, Knoxvillian of the Year by East TN Community Design Center in 2017 and East Tennessean of the Year by the East Tennessee Historical Society in 2018.
Natalie and Jim Haslam were honored together as Knoxvillians of the Year by the Greater Knoxville Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Association in 1991.
Natalie is survived by her husband, Jim; three daughters, Jennie McCabe (Rob), Susan Robie (Chip) and Carol Pattison; three stepchildren, Jimmy Haslam (Dee), Ann Haslam Bailey (Steve) and Bill Haslam (Crissy); six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Robin Gibson is a news editor at Knox News. Email: [email protected]
