The Benefits of Giving: Jerry (’67) and Betty Brannen Rutherford

If you ask Jerry Rutherford why he and his wife of 45 years, Betty, give back, he’ll share a firm belief that people should help other people where and how they can.

But that help doesn’t extend to shoveling snow any longer for Jerry. Growing up in frigid Buffalo, New York, Jerry decided early in his youth that he wanted to head south. “I never wanted to shovel snow again,” Jerry empathetically stated. That’s one of the many reasons Jerry found his way to the University of Chattanooga, completing his MBA in 1967 after receiving his undergraduate degrees in economics and mathematics from Bethany College in West Virginia.

After working as an economist for TVA for a short time, Jerry realized that corporate life was not a fit and he started his accounting firm in 1969. He’s been helping clients with their accounting and tax needs ever since.

While Jerry's business and passion for accounting are evident, nothing makes him more excited than speaking about his wife Betty. “We actually met on a blind date, but it was also blind to me,” Jerry joked. It was a few friends who set them up unbeknownst to Jerry, but he shared of Betty, “I saw her walk in with those blue eyes, and I knew I was in trouble.”

Though Jerry explored a career in accounting, Betty took her master's degree, knowledge, and expertise in mathematics to Chattanooga area schools—including her final teaching stop at Hixson High School.

As Jerry and Betty looked at ways to give back, they believed firmly in investing in education. “Look at what an education did for us. Where would we be without our education,” Jerry shared.

Always the accountant, Jerry found ways to give that would also maximize tax benefits. Now, at the age of doing so, Jerry and Betty support UTC through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from their IRA. “It just makes sense,” said Jerry. “You save on taxes, and you get to support things that are important to you.”

As an alumni advisor to his beloved fraternity, Kappa Alpha (KA), Jerry can be found every Sunday night at their chapter meetings close to campus. In this role, Jerry has helped many fraternity brothers as they navigate the challenges of college life and young adulthood. He shares with them often when asked why he helps and gives back as an advisor and a donor to UTC. “I can help here. Return the favor when you can. That's all I ask.”