As two busy and involved UTC students, Jay Dale and Cynthia Inglis, met in an elevator at a fraternity formal. While this would be their meet cute moment, it was not love at first sight. “When we first met, she was less than impressed,” says Jay. “Our relationship started off as a wonderful friendship, important in building any good relationship.”
Graduating in 1994 with a degree in finance and coming back to UTC to complete an MBA in 2010, Jay served as the Vice President of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and helped his fraternity win the overall Intramural Greek Championship seven years in a row. Cynthia graduated in 1993 with a degree in communication and utilized her skills as the assistant features editor of The Echo, UTC’s student newspaper.
Despite their busy lives, they repeatedly crossed paths through shared classes, extracurricular activities and mutual friends. “Our friendship and dating grew socially over simple typical student occasions,” Jay recalls. “We really enjoyed social time with fraternity brothers and friends at the Kappa Sigma house, formals at Helena and beach, UTC basketball games and good times at David’s, Yesterdays and the Sand Bar.” Over time, they grew to admire each other’s drive and dedication, and eventually, their conversations grew longer and more meaningful. Before they knew it, they had fallen in love.
Jay & Cynthia Dale
As the Dales grew their family and professional careers after graduating, so has their community and alumni involvement. “We love Chattanooga, and we both are very involved philanthropically helping make Chattanooga a better place for all Chattanoogans,” they said. “We know how important UTC is to our community’s growth and prosperity. So, we are proud to share we are UTC alumni.” Jay currently serves as the Market President for Southeast Tennessee for First Horizon Bank while Cynthia works in enrollment and engagement at a local private school.
For Jay and Cynthia, UTC is now a family affair. Emma, the Dale’s oldest daughter, graduated last December with a degree in business management and was equally as involved on campus as her parents. Their youngest, Caroline, is a current UTC student and involved in many campus activities.