The man credited with helping to elevate the University of Tennessee's research profile in the international science community has died.
David Millhorn, 72, died Monday in Knoxville, according to the UT system.
Millhorn was senior vice president emeritus and national laboratory relations adviser. He'd been part of the UT system administration since 2005.
His achievements included getting two contract extensions, without having to engage in a bidding process, for UT to help run Oak Ridge National Laboratory in conjunction with Battelle Memorial Institute of Ohio. He led in the planning and construction of the UT Cherokee Farm Innovation Campus in South Knoxville off Alcoa Highway.
Under his leadership, a UT-ORNL team landed a $65 million National Science Foundation research grant in 2008 to build a supercomputer. Many hail that as the catalyst for the lab's rise to prominence in the highly competitive world of supercomputing.
Last week Millhorn was awarded the Muddy Boot Award by the East Tennessee Economic Council.
The award recognizes people who go above and beyond to help make East Tennessee and the state a better place, and it's named in reference to the dedicated people who helped engineer the Manhattan Project in the often spartan conditions of what was then known as the Secret City.
Past recipients have included ORNL lab directors and leaders such as Howard Baker and Al Gore.
UT System President Joe DiPietro praised Millhorn this month for offering "visionary leadership" that's helped result in some of the most "transformative accomplishments" in the university's history.
He earned a bachelor's degree from University of Tennessee Chattanooga and a doctorate from Ohio State University.
A memorial service is set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Church Street United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends afterward.
