Obituary
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Retired Vanderbilt chemistry professor whose expertise benefited community has died
Larry C. Hall, a retired chemistry professor who taught thousands of Vanderbilt students and directed training programs for high school and college teachers and others with responsibility for hazardous materials, died Aug. 15. Read MoreAug 22, 2022
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Conkin, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and eminent American intellectual historian, has died
Paul K. Conkin, Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, former chair of the Department of History and author of more than 20 books on a wide range of American intellectual history, died July 23 in Nashville. Read MoreAug 8, 2022
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Johns, leading Vanderbilt scholar on early modern art and culture, has died
Christopher M.S. Johns, the Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Professor of Fine Arts and professor of history of art and architecture, died at his home on May 8 after a long illness. Read MoreMay 11, 2022
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Ben Jordan, esteemed professor for generations of engineering students, has died
Benjamin Thomas Jordan Jr., associate professor of the practice of engineering management, died Feb. 21 in Nashville following a brief illness. He was 79. Jordan was an active faculty member in the Division of General Engineering and had been teaching three engineering management courses this semester. Read MoreMar 1, 2022
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Emeritus Professor of Chemistry Melvin Duane Joesten has died at 89
Melvin Duane Joesten, an emeritus chemistry professor and co-founder of Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science, died Jan. 17 in Nashville after a brief illness. He was 89. Read MoreFeb 4, 2022
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Kirkland bells to chime in memory of clock caretaker Paul Young
The chimes of Kirkland Hall’s clock tower will ring five times on Dec. 21 in memory of Paul Wynn Young, who devoted more than 40 years to keeping Kirkland Hall’s signature clock and chimes in good working order. Read MoreDec 15, 2021
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John Hall, devoted Vanderbilt alumnus and trustee emeritus, has died
John R. Hall, BE’55, a champion for education and trustee emeritus whose deep devotion to Vanderbilt earned him the nickname “Kentucky Commodore,” died Nov. 25 in Lexington, Kentucky. Read MoreDec 3, 2021
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Engineering professor Yaqiong Xu remembered as gifted scholar and devoted mentor
Yaqiong Xu, associate professor of electrical engineering and physics, died Oct. 30 after a long-term illness. A celebration of her life will be held Friday, Dec. 3, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the School of Engineering’s Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium, 134 Featheringill Hall. Read MoreDec 2, 2021
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Beloved Vanderbilt University English professor Vereen Bell has died at 86
Vereen M. Bell, a professor of English, emeritus, who had a transformational influence on countless students, challenged institutional structures and pushed for greater diversity at Vanderbilt, died Aug. 24 at home in Nashville. He was 86 years old. Read MoreAug 31, 2021
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Carter Philips, longtime ‘conductor’ of Vanderbilt Commencement, has died
Carter Philips, BA’65, professor of classics, emeritus, and university marshal at Vanderbilt Commencement for more than two decades, died July 8. He was 78. Read MoreJul 14, 2021
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Event to mourn passing of VU staff member Amber Pursley set for June 25
Amber Pursley, a staff member in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, died suddenly on Monday, June 21. To help process this loss, an in-person grieving session open to the entire Vanderbilt community will be held on Friday, June 25, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Great Room of E. Bronson Ingram College. Read MoreJun 24, 2021
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DiBenedetto, mathematician who advanced knowledge on differential equations, has died
Emmanuele DiBenedetto, a retired mathematics professor who made significant contributions to the understanding of partial differential equations, has died after a 15-month struggle with cancer. Read MoreJun 4, 2021
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Matthew Walker III, gifted biomedical design professor and mentor, has died
Matthew Walker III, who developed and taught Vanderbilt University’s innovative biomedical engineering design curriculum, died unexpectedly on April 24. He was 56. Read MoreApr 28, 2021
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Roos, emeritus physics professor and pioneer in recycling technology, has died
Charles E. Roos, a retired physics professor who built his department’s research in areas ranging from superconducting wire to recycling technology, has died. He was 93. Read MoreMar 17, 2021
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School of Nursing mourns loss of Tom Christenbery, beloved professor and champion of compassion in nursing
Professor of Nursing Thomas Christenbery died unexpectedly in his sleep Feb. 16. In his two decades at Vanderbilt School of Nursing, the popular professor taught and mentored hundreds of students and colleagues, encouraging them to reach for new possibilities. Read MoreFeb 17, 2021
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Zibart, first woman associate dean in Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science, has died
Ruth Grace Zibart, professor of French, emerita, and the first woman to serve as associate dean of the College of Arts and Science, died in Nashville on Dec. 26. She was 101. Read MoreJan 15, 2021
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Payne, Vanderbilt nurse and bioethicist, dies
Associate Professor of Nursing Kate Payne, a bioethicist, attorney and beloved nurse leader at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, died Jan. 6 after a brief and unexpected illness. Read MoreJan 14, 2021
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Fleming, professor of pediatrics and vice president of VUMC Continuous Professional Development, has died
Geoffrey Fleming, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and vice president of Vanderbilt University Medical Center Continuous Professional Development, died Dec. 8. He was 50. Fleming was diagnosed with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma in August 2019. Read MoreDec 10, 2020
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Robert Covington, longtime professor of law, has died
Robert Covington, a professor of law, emeritus, who taught at Vanderbilt Law School for 46 years, died at his home on Nov. 29. He was 84. Read MoreDec 6, 2020
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F. Hamilton Hazlehurst, pioneering Vanderbilt History of Art chair, has died
F. Hamilton Hazlehurst, a professor of fine arts, emeritus, whose longtime leadership helped transform the Department of History of Art and Architecture, died on Nov. 12. He was 95. Read MoreDec 3, 2020