Circa 1966 - 1970 | Just in Time

The village of Collegedale, TN, lies east of Chattanooga and is home to my college (1966-70), SAU, Southern Adventist University, which once was known as Southern Missionary College (more history found attached).

In the Tennessee Valley: A Tale of Chattanooga and Collegedale

In 1970, nestled in the bend of the Tennessee River, the City of Chattanooga was grappling with the burdens of its industrial legacy and yearning for renewal. Just a short drive to the east, the peaceful village of Collegedale stood in quiet contrast—home to Southern Missionary College and a deeply rooted Seventh-day Adventist community. These two communities, separated by twenty miles and a world of pace and purpose, were in the midst of transformation shaped by national currents and local conviction.

WHO: The People and Leaders

Chattanooga was a city of workers and manufacturers. Thousands were employed by companies like Combustion Engineering, U.S. Pipe and Foundry, DuPont, and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. The industrial workforce was predominantly white, though a growing African American population—nearly 30% of the city—lived and labored under a legacy of segregation and civil rights tension. Mayor Ralph Kelley, a progressive-leaning businessman, had recently passed the baton to Robert Kirk Walker, whose leadership from 1969 to 1971 coincided with growing calls for reform, especially around pollution and infrastructure.

Collegedale, meanwhile, was a haven for faculty, students, and families associated with Southern Missionary College (now Southern Adventist University). This Christian enclave was guided by spiritual leadership and a commitment to education, health, and moral living. Many residents were healthcare professionals, teachers, or missionaries. Pastor-educators like Dr. Lynn Wood, the college president until 1971, embodied the institution’s commitment to service, faith, and discipline.

WHAT: A City and a Village in Transition

In Chattanooga, 1970 marked a turning point. The city had recently earned an infamous title from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare: “the most polluted city in America.” The air was thick with industrial smoke; the surrounding mountains were often obscured by smog. The Tennessee River, once a commercial lifeline, was polluted with chemical runoff and sewage.

At the same time, the city was experiencing the first ripples of the environmental movement. The inaugural Earth Day had taken place just months earlier, and civic leaders and citizens alike began demanding cleaner air, water, and a healthier urban environment. This moment of reckoning would eventually lead to an ambitious effort to clean up Chattanooga’s air and revitalize its riverfront—a renaissance that would emerge in the decades to follow.

In Collegedale, change came quietly but meaningfully. Southern Missionary College was expanding both its enrollment and curriculum. While rooted in religion and traditional values, the school began modernizing its approach, integrating scientific programs, and launching student missionary initiatives abroad. The village itself remained rural in character, with small markets, a post office, and Adventist-run businesses serving the needs of a tight-knit population.

WHEN: The Year 1970

This was a pivotal moment across America. The Vietnam War raged on, igniting protests in cities and on college campuses. The Civil Rights Movement, still echoing the voices of Martin Luther King Jr. and local leaders like Howard School principal William L. Johnson, was reshaping attitudes and laws. Desegregation was taking root in Tennessee schools, not without resistance, and busing programs were just beginning.

In Chattanooga, these tensions played out in downtown rallies, courthouse debates, and labor union meetings. In Collegedale, they appeared in quieter forms—in student-led discussions, mission work that addressed racial inequities, and an evolving Adventist worldview increasingly attuned to social justice and global service.

WHERE: From the Ridge to the River

Chattanooga, straddling the Tennessee River and tucked among scenic ridges like Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, was geographically blessed—but environmentally burdened. The city's once-booming manufacturing sector had brought both prosperity and pollution. Factories lined the riverbanks. Smokestacks loomed over warehouses. Train whistles echoed off the ridges. Downtown, businesses like Loveman’s and Miller Brothers drew shoppers, while neighborhoods like Alton Park and Brainerd housed working families.

Collegedale, meanwhile, sat along a narrow valley to the east, surrounded by farmland and forest. The town had developed around Southern Missionary College, whose Georgian-style brick buildings formed the heart of campus life. The Wright Hall, Lynn Wood Hall, and Talge Hall dormitories overlooked open lawns, and the college's emphasis on vegetarian health, Sabbath observance, and community outreach gave the village a culture distinct from the secular, blue-collar vibe of nearby Chattanooga.

WHY: The Forces Behind the Change

The changes sweeping both Chattanooga and Collegedale in 1970 were driven by local necessity and national momentum. For Chattanooga, the environmental crisis was impossible to ignore. Families couldn’t see the mountains that once framed their city. Respiratory illnesses were on the rise. City planners, business leaders, and environmental advocates united in rare consensus: something had to change.

Collegedale, on the other hand, was adapting to a broader shift in Adventist education and identity. As American culture became more urban, secular, and pluralistic, the college sought to remain relevant without compromising its values. The Vietnam War, for instance, sparked questions of pacifism and conscience among students—many of whom registered as conscientious objectors while serving in health-related roles either at home or abroad.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s missionary focus led to a surge in global service. Southern students and alumni went to Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, bringing medical, educational, and spiritual aid. This growing international awareness also brought Collegedale into closer touch with world affairs.

HOW: The Movements That Reshaped the Region

Chattanooga’s recovery would be decades in the making, but the seeds were planted in 1970. Local government began enforcing stricter air quality regulations. The city began discussions about downtown revitalization and cleaning up the Tennessee River. The creation of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau laid the foundation for environmental reform.

By the 1990s, these efforts would make Chattanooga a national model for urban renewal—but 1970 was the year the community said, "enough."

In Collegedale, the changes were subtler, yet no less significant. Southern Missionary College formalized new academic tracks in science, health, and business while retaining its core emphasis on religious education and service. The village improved its roads, utilities, and housing stock, slowly transitioning from a self-contained campus town to an incorporated city by 1968, just two years prior.

The Adventist health system also began its regional expansion during this time. While there was no large hospital yet in Collegedale itself, the groundwork for clinics, wellness centers, and partnerships with AdventHealth facilities across the Southeast was being laid—reflecting the community’s longstanding commitment to whole-person health.

Conclusion: A Tale of Two Trajectories

In 1970, Chattanooga and Collegedale stood on the edge of transformation. One was a city facing an environmental and economic reckoning; the other, a small faith-centered village preparing its students to serve a changing world. Both reflected the tensions and hopes of their time—industrial growth vs. sustainability, tradition vs. progress, local pride vs. global awareness.

What they shared was resilience.

Today, Chattanooga is celebrated for its green initiatives, gig-speed internet, and livable downtown. Collegedale thrives as a growing community centered around Southern Adventist University, which continues to produce healthcare workers, educators, and missionaries for service around the globe.

In 1970, it wasn’t yet clear how their stories would unfold—but the decisions and convictions of that year helped chart a course that still shapes the Tennessee Valley today.

Chattanooga & Collegedale in 2025: The Tennessee Valley Reimagined

A 1,000-word report on the modern identity of two communities that evolved from legacy to innovation, from modest beginnings to national relevance.

In 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and its neighbor Collegedale stand as contrasting yet complementary communities in the heart of the Tennessee Valley. Their stories—once diverging in pace and purpose—now intertwine in a narrative of transformation, resilience, and growth. A half-century removed from the smog, silence, and simplicity of the 1970s, both towns have redefined their roles in the region and the nation.

WHO: The Faces of a Modern Community

Today, Chattanooga is home to a diverse and dynamic population of over 185,000 people. Once a city heavily reliant on manufacturing, it now buzzes with entrepreneurs, creatives, engineers, healthcare professionals, and environmentalists. Young professionals, many of them remote tech workers, are drawn to its blend of urban cool and Appalachian beauty. The demographic shift includes an influx of people from the West Coast, Northeast, and Southeast, as well as growing Hispanic, Asian, and African American communities. Tech-savvy millennials and Gen Zs share downtown space with retirees drawn to the walkable neighborhoods and access to nature.

Collegedale, with just over 12,000 residents, retains its small-town character but with modern touches. The community continues to center around Southern Adventist University (SAU), but it now includes healthcare professionals, digital workers, and families attracted by the area's safety, school quality, and spiritual environment. A large percentage of the population identifies as Seventh-day Adventist, but the town has grown more religiously and culturally diverse.

WHAT: Innovation, Education, and Lifestyle

Chattanooga’s transformation from a struggling industrial town to one of the most livable small cities in the U.S. is no longer a secret. Known nationally as the "Gig City," Chattanooga was the first in the nation to offer citywide 1-gigabit-per-second internet (now multi-gig), thanks to its forward-thinking municipal utility, EPB. That early investment launched a tech renaissance that continues to define the city’s economy in 2025.

The city is now a hub for:

• Green innovation and sustainability
• Logistics and electric vehicle development
• Outdoor and adventure tourism
• Tech startups and digital arts

Neighborhoods like North Shore, Southside, and Highland Park are vibrant cultural zones, filled with local coffee shops, co-working spaces, and art installations. The Innovation District downtown serves as an incubator for startups and venture capital.

Collegedale, meanwhile, thrives as a faith-centered educational and wellness community. Southern Adventist University has grown both in campus size and academic scope, offering highly regarded programs in nursing, biology, business, theology, education, and film production. Students from across the U.S. and abroad attend SAU, which remains deeply committed to its mission of holistic Christian education—mind, body, and spirit.

The Little Debbie corporate headquarters—operated by McKee Foods—remains a cornerstone of Collegedale's economy. The town also features new healthcare clinics, local eateries, and expanded greenways connecting to regional trail systems.

WHEN: A Story Decades in the Making

The changes now visible in Chattanooga and Collegedale are the result of decades of intentional planning, grassroots activism, and long-range investment. Beginning in the 1980s and gaining serious momentum by the 2000s, Chattanooga made strategic efforts to:

• Clean up the Tennessee River and its air
• Revitalize its downtown and arts districts
• Develop a green infrastructure model
• Foster public-private partnerships in education and innovation

Collegedale incorporated as a city in 1968 and remained largely quiet until the 1990s when enrollment at SAU began to climb, and McKee Foods expanded operations. In the 2010s and 2020s, Collegedale invested in smart growth, family-friendly policies, and preserving its Adventist heritage while accommodating broader cultural inclusion.

WHERE: From Riverfront Renaissance to Appalachian Quiet

Chattanooga’s physical transformation is most visible along its riverfront. The Tennessee Riverwalk, a 16-mile walking and cycling trail, connects downtown with parks, museums, and neighborhoods. Once-toxic industrial zones have become eco-friendly residential and commercial hubs.

Iconic landmarks like the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge, Tennessee Aquarium, and the Hunter Museum of American Art serve as public gathering points. The Southside District, once blighted, is now the epicenter of nightlife, music, and dining.

Just 20 minutes away, Collegedale offers the opposite experience: peaceful wooded neighborhoods, tidy gardens, and the spiritual cadence of Sabbath observance. The city’s Imagination Station playground, Veterans Memorial Park, and Collegedale Greenway are community jewels. Nature trails wind behind Southern’s campus, where students and locals enjoy wooded peace, sometimes accompanied by the distant ring of church bells or the soft chime of Vespers.

WHY: Vision, Faith, and Community Will

Chattanooga’s rebirth didn’t happen by accident. A community that hit environmental and economic rock bottom in the 1960s made deliberate choices. Key turning points included:

The 1990s Vision 2000 initiative, which engaged over 1,000 citizens in city planning.

The development of the Enterprise South Industrial Park, which attracted Volkswagen’s North American manufacturing plant.

Investment in education through institutions like UTC (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) and Chattanooga State.

Emphasis on sustainability and green space to draw new generations of residents and visitors.

Collegedale’s evolution was anchored in the values of its founding: faith, education, health, and community service. Southern Adventist University has played a central role not just as an academic institution but as a moral compass for the city. The Adventist lifestyle—centered on vegetarianism, temperance, family life, and missionary work—remains visible, yet has adapted to a broader audience.

Younger generations in Collegedale now blend their faith with modern professions in healthcare, education, and digital entrepreneurship. Families move here not just for the spiritual values, but for the quiet quality of life, access to nature, and strong school systems.

HOW: Partnerships, Policy, and People

The modern identity of both Chattanooga and Collegedale was achieved through:

• Public-private partnerships between government, businesses, and civic organizations.
• Strategic infrastructure investments: from fiber-optic internet to transportation.
• Environmental cleanup and a focus on outdoor living.
• Educational and spiritual institutions that provided long-term anchors for the community.

Both cities have embraced smart planning. Chattanooga promotes walkable urbanism, public transportation (including the Electric Shuttle), and adaptive reuse of industrial buildings. Collegedale’s zoning policies ensure green space preservation, quiet neighborhoods, and public safety.

Even faith and education have become tools of regional growth. Southern Adventist University partners with area hospitals, including CHI Memorial and Erlanger Health System, to place nursing and allied health graduates. Chattanooga’s STEM and arts charter schools help fuel the city’s talent pipeline.

Two Destinies, One Region

In 2025, Chattanooga and Collegedale represent two unique but interwoven threads in the fabric of Southeast Tennessee.

Chattanooga is bold, reinvented, and connected—an Appalachian comeback city that has become a national example of what visionary planning can do.

Collegedale is steady, spiritually anchored, and quietly flourishing—a reflection of what happens when a community invests in education, wellness, and faith over time.

Together, they offer a compelling portrait of what the Tennessee Valley has become: a place where progress and tradition meet, where outdoor adventure meets digital innovation, and where the past is not forgotten—but built upon with care.

Both cities, in their own way, continue to shape lives with purpose—one through the hum of start-ups and solar panels, the other through the stillness of Sabbath and the legacy of service.