UT College of Veterinary Medicine Names Large Animal Hospital for Charles and Julie Wharton

Share on

The naming of the Charles and Julie Wharton Large Animal Hospital recognizes their longtime philanthropic support and was approved by the UT Board of Trustees Friday, January 21. 

The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved the naming of the UT College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) Large Animal Hospital in honor of long-time benefactors Charles and the late Julie Wharton. The trustees held their winter meeting at the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials on the UT’s Cherokee Farm campus in Knoxville.

The naming recognizes the significant philanthropic support that Wharton, a 1965 Graduate of the Tickle College of Engineering, has shown the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, including the College of Veterinary Medicine, UT Extension, UT AgResearch, the Herbert College of Agriculture, the Tickle College of Engineering, and UT Athletics. Wharton is the President and CEO of Poplar Creek Farms LLC and HC, Inc.

Wharton recently established the Charles and Julie Wharton Large Animal Endowment to expand their support of UTCVM, which dates back to the late 1980s when the Wharton’s pet English Bulldogs received care from the Veterinary Medical Center.

Dr. Jim Thompson, college dean, praises the impact of the Whartons’ generosity. “We are so deeply grateful for the longtime support of Charles and Julie Wharton,” says Thompson. “Their philanthropic support of UT and particularly the large animal and equine facilities at UTCVM has been transformational. It is fitting that our Large Animal Hospital will now bear the names of two of our most passionate supporters.”

The Intensive Care Unit at the UT Equine Hospital already bears the name of Charles and Julie Wharton. The Whartons’ transformational philanthropic support will propel the Large Animal Hospital to continue to be at the forefront of equine and farm animal medical care. The Charles and Julie Wharton Large Animal Hospital includes the Equine Hospital, Farm Animal Hospital, and Equine Performance and Rehabilitation Center and serves horses and cattle and a wide variety of species including sheep, goats, pigs, and other large animals.

The 85,000 square feet, state-of-the-art large animal hospital provides the most advanced technologies available for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of horses and farm animals.

Julie served on the UTCVM advisory board from its inception until her death in 2008 and was a founding member of the UT Alliance of Women in Philanthropy. She also served on the hiring committee for Dean Thompson. Charles’ volunteer leadership provides influential assistance on educational issues at the institutional and state levels, with a focus on access and opportunity for Tennesseans to higher education.

Charles Wharton is a current member of the UT President’s Council and associate member of the UTCVM Board of Advisors. He is a former member of the UT Board of Trustees, UT Foundation Board, UTIA Advancement Board, UTAA Board of Governors, UTSI Support Council, UTAA BOG Annual Giving Standing Committee, UT Research Foundation Board and the former Chair of the UT Development Council among other leadership roles.

In 2017, Wharton was recognized with the UTIA Meritorious Service Award. He received the Alumni Service Award in 2012, and in 2009 he was awarded the Development Council Service Award.