APSU Board of Trustees approves naming of engineering lab, nursing classroom
By: Emily Evans June 5, 2026
Austin Peay State University’s campus during the summer. | Photo by Sean McCully
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The Austin Peay State University Board of Trustees approved the naming of two campus spaces during its quarterly meeting on Friday, June 5, recognizing significant philanthropic contributions that honor family legacies and support student success.
The namings include the Richard E. and Bristol S. Gannaway Engineering Technology and Innovation Laboratory and a classroom dedicated in memory of Judy Lynn Oetter. Both spaces recognize memorial scholarship endowments that provide ongoing support to Austin Peay students.
"These naming recognitions celebrate families whose generosity honors loved ones while creating lasting impact for our students," said Kris Phillips, vice president of APSU's Division of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy. "The Gannaway and Oetter families have established powerful legacies of support that will benefit Austin Peay students for generations to come."
The board approved the following namings:
The Richard E. and Bristol S. Gannaway Engineering Technology and Innovation Laboratory
The High Bay Laboratory, Room 110, located in the APSU Technology Building, will be named the Richard E. and Bristol S. Gannaway Engineering Technology and Innovation Laboratory in loving memory of Richard and Bristol Gannaway, recognizing the generosity of their son, Dr. Richard P. Gannaway.
Dr. Gannaway established the Richard E. and Bristol S. Gannaway Memorial Scholarship Endowment in August 2015 and has since made significant contributions. This endowment will benefit the Department of Engineering Technology as a fund of excellence at Austin Peay State University in honor of his parents' legacy.
A Clarksville native and Navy veteran, Dr. Gannaway is a board-certified ophthalmologist who returned home in 2000 to serve his community. He graduated from the University of Tennessee and has over 38 years of clinical and surgical experience, specializing in advanced eye care procedures.
His father, Richard Edgar Gannaway, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and graduated from Austin Peay State College with an industrial arts degree in 1950. He retired as a professor of industrial arts at Austin Peay and served eight years on the Montgomery County School System's board of education.
Bristol Smith Gannaway graduated from Clarksville High School in 1943 and attended Austin Peay State College and the University of Tennessee. In 1967, she established the first cosmetology program at Clarksville High School, where she taught for 20 years. She was also a founding member of the Austin Peay State College Women's Club.
In Memory of Judy Lynn Oetter
Classroom 212 in the APSU Health Professions Building will be named In Memory of Judy Lynn Oetter in recognition of the Judy Lynn Oetter “Above and Beyond!” Memorial Nursing Scholarship Endowment, established by Robert Oetter in memory of his late wife.
Judy Lynn Oetter fulfilled her lifelong dream and became a registered nurse after graduating from Austin Peay State University in 1981 with a degree in nursing. Her career began at Houston County Community Hospital in Erin, Tennessee, and she dedicated the last 30 years of her professional life to UF Health in Gainesville, Florida.
Judy's passion was emergency medicine, and she volunteered for domestic and foreign medical missions throughout her career. She always encouraged her team to go "Above and Beyond!" – a philosophy that continues through the scholarship bearing her name.
Invest in the future at Austin Peay
To support fundraising initiatives or establish a corporate partnership, contact the APSU Division of Alumni, Engagement and Philanthropy at 931-221-7127 or give@apsu.edu.