The first mention of the University's Alumni Association is in an 1895 course catalog, which mentions that members held meetings twice a month. Calls for an organized Alumni Association also appeared in the University Echo student newspaper in 1909. In 1934, The University of Chattanooga Board of Trustees amended the university bylaws to expand Board membership to include three seats for representatives of the Alumni Association.

Ten years later, in 1944, The University of Chattanooga’s Alumni Association was first mentioned in detail in the university’s course catalog. The groups stated purpose was “to promote the interests of the University of Chattanooga, to foster a spirit of friendship among former students, to preserve worthy traditions of the University, and to serve mankind through the personal exemplification and advocacy of the ideals of Alma Mater.” The Alumni Association maintained an office on campus and established an Alumni Fund in 1957. It also held events such as Homecoming, Alumni Tea, Alumni Day, and an Alumni Achievement Award. In 1947, the association erected the Alumni Memorial Gateway on McCallie Avenue to honor the graduates of the University of Chattanooga who lost their lives in World War II.

The first edition of the Alumni Magazine was issued in the 1950s. The founder of the magazine was Betty Blocker, executive secretary for the Alumni Association. Belfield Carter sat as the Editorial Board Chairman. In 1955, Blocker took over Carter's position to much success, maintaining a mailing list of over 7,500 addresses for the publication. She also began offering monthly newsletters to the U. C. graduates in the military with a mailing list of 300. In 1964, Blocker retired, handing over her duties to Franz Ziegler. The Magazine changed names many times throughout its history. It began as the “University of Chattanooga Bulletin, Alumni Magazine Issue”. It began to adopt the title “Echoes From Your Past” in 1953 and completely changed to “Alumni Chats” in 1965.