Southeast Tennessee Volunteer of the Month, T. Arnold Ferguson - February 2018

Over the last 58 years, T. Arnold Ferguson has stuffed envelopes, taught CPR and served on dozens of task forces, boards and committees. Recently, he’s become a national Red Cross information technology expert.

In recognition of his skills, service and dedication, the Southeast Tennessee chapter has named Ferguson its Volunteer of the Month.

“Without his help, we could not bring in volunteers seamlessly, coordinate and talk with volunteers easily, manage needs and positions, and easily work disaster response,” said Amanda Bisgaard, Senior Volunteer Services Specialist for the American Red Cross’s Tennessee Region. “And his expertise in the system makes him one of the top in the nation.”

Besides being Southeast Tennessee’s top “I.T.” guy, Ferguson fills several positions remotely for the Connecticut-Rhode Island chapter. He also helps the Crossroads Division crunch data, and enjoys “pestering” (as he calls it) the national Red Cross staff on the Humanitarian Information Technology Services team.

Ferguson joined the Red Cross while in high school in Providence, R.I. He became a metallurgical engineer while continuing to volunteer in the Red Cross in Newton, Mass., and Cleveland, Ohio. Ten years ago, he and his wife moved to Cleveland, Tenn.

In recent years, Ferguson has faced some mobility challenges. Yet he still does all he can to help people in distress. “Anything I can do sitting in front of a keyboard,” he said, “I take on.”

Most Red Cross volunteers and staff know Ferguson as “T.” He tells jokes about the unusual nickname. “I tell people it’s “T” like tsunami,” he said. (In fact, he was named after his grandfather, T. Arnold Ferguson, who died two weeks before he was born.)

In his six decades of service, Ferguson learned that all volunteer tasks– from sending out fundraising letters to attending board meetings – are vital to the Red Cross mission. But he encourages all volunteers, staff and board members in the Red Cross to help a Disaster Assistance Team (DAT) respond to a house fire, at least once. “Just seeing the faces of the clients, looking in their eyes, they know you’re there to help,” he said. “The reward and satisfaction you get from that is amazing.”
One of the most rewarding moments in his career, though, arose from a more mundane activity. One day he was working in his office, he said, when a former CPR student walked in. He had tracked Ferguson down. He wanted to thank him, because his CPR skills allowed him to save his father’s life. “He wanted to let me know how good he felt about it,” Ferguson said. “I don’t know if he realized how good it made me feel about it.”