There’s a story behind the William Steven Inklebarger Scholarship. It’s a story of courage and determination and the power of education to change lives. Above all, it is the story of a family’s legacy and their proud tradition of service.
The scholarship is named for Captain William Steven Inklebarger (BS ’75), who attended UT on an ROTC scholarship, served in the U.S. Army, and became a rescue helicopter pilot. He died while co-piloting a medical rescue mission in Colorado in 1982. Following Steve’s tragic death, friends and family established the scholarship in his memory. It supports students in the College of Social Work who are either veterans or planning to enter military service, or students who plan to work in rural Appalachia.
Sula Inklebarger (BS’46, MSSW ’64), Steve’s mother, was a social worker for more than 30 years. The first in her family to attend college, she grew up during the Depression. Her father’s job with the Clinchfield Railway meant that the family moved often, eventually settling in Erwin, Tennessee. Sula graduated from UT with a degree in business and worked in accounting before becoming a case manager for the state welfare department. She went on to receive her Master’s degree in social work in 1964 and held supervisory positions in human services until her retirement in 1988.
Sula was a loyal alumna of the college, regularly attending the annual Gala and enjoying football games with other alumni and friends. One of her joys was meeting the students who received the Inklebarger Scholarship. Always eager to hear about their field placements and their plans for the future, she shared stories of her son and daughter and their service to others. Sula died at 94 in 2020.
Lynn Inklebarger Barnes (BS’72), Sula’s daughter and Steve’s older sister, taught middle school for 26 years. For more than two decades, she volunteered with the Appalachian Service Project at Cokesbury United Methodist Church. Lynn led groups of local high school students to rural communities where they did home repair. “The goal was to make houses warmer, safer and dryer,” she said. “We went back in the hollers in Southwest Virginia and Kentucky. We repaired a lot of porches and learned how to do roofs and mud and tape and painting. It was life-changing for the kids in our group. They got to know the families there and to accept people right where they are.”
The family tradition of service continued with Lynn’s son, Steven Barnes (BA ‘06). “I named him for my brother,” Lynn said. “He spent 20 years in the Air National Guard and served in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Like her mother, Lynn looks forward to meeting the students who benefit from the Inklebarger Scholarship. “Our little family’s philanthropy is about honoring Steve’s memory and supporting social work students in the military and those working in rural areas,” she said. “Steve was just such a good guy. I went to his 50th high school reunion last year, and everyone had a Steve story for me. I tell Steve stories to my children and my grandchildren. I show them his picture. He died a hero, doing what he loved, trying to save the life of another person.”
It’s a story worth repeating.