Year: 2019
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Golden Memories: After the tragic death of his parents, cross-country coach Steve Keith reflects on their lifelong love for Vanderbilt
The passing of Bob Keith, BA’53, and Sharon Wemhoener Keith, BA’53, marked the end of a 70-year love affair that began on the Vanderbilt campus. I always felt a special Commodore connection to my parents, attending the university myself in the 1970s as a philosophy major and member of the men’s track and cross-country teams. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Fortifying History: Vanderbilt research leads to UNESCO designation for Nashville’s Fort Negley
Two years ago, Fort Negley, a Union Army stronghold located a few miles east of Vanderbilt’s campus, was slated to be demolished to make way for one of Nashville’s newest mixed-use developments. Yet, in part because of efforts by Vanderbilt researchers to document the vital contributions African Americans made to building and defending the site, not only was Fort Negley spared, but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also recognized it as a “Site of Memory” as part of its Slave Route Project. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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How to be a grill master: Expert advice from chef Jon Bonnell, BS’94
Chef Jon Bonnell, BS’94, shares his tips for success as both “grill master” and host. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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‘The Wing of a Butterfly’: Why the ugliest pitch in baseball is a thing of beauty
Because knuckleballers want no spin at all, they don’t engage the same muscles as conventional pitchers. If a robot could pitch, it would throw like a knuckleballer, like one mechanical piece instead of a flexible acrobat stressing multiple leverage points to impart spin. The physical dangers of repeated throws at maximum effort do not apply for these craftsmen. Theirs is the safest pitch of all, but the trade-off is severe: It is also the hardest to master, and to trust. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Final Four Finish: Men’s Golf reaches NCAA semifinals
The loss capped the storied Commodore careers of seniors Will Gordon, BS’19, and Patrick Martin, BS’19, who combined to win 16 team championships, five individual titles, three NCAA match play appearances, six GCAA All-America honors, seven All-SEC honors, three Palmer Cup selections, and two GCAA All-America Scholar honors during their time on campus. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Fernanda Contreras: Game, Set, Match
Women’s tennis standout Fernanda Contreras, BE’19, grew up knee-deep in a pile of LEGOs in her living room. Now, having graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, she feels her path has come full circle. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Accolades: JJ Bleday and Kristin Quah
The Miami Marlins selected junior right fielder JJ Bleday with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft on June 3, and bowler Kristin Quah, BE’19, became just the third student-athlete in Vanderbilt history to win the H. Boyd McWhorter Award in April. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Ceramics Capstone
This tall, earth-tone glazed vase is one of Susan DeMay’s classroom demonstration pieces, 17x8x8 inches, completed in stages throughout a semester for an assignment involving numerous objectives for honing pottery wheelwork techniques. Photo by Bill Luton Clay artist Susan DeMay’s retirement exhibit showcases a three-pronged approach to ceramic art From… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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In the Spotlight: Matthew Baker’s innovative literary work grabs Hollywood’s attention
Vanderbilt M.F.A. graduate Matthew Baker has sold eight of his stories to media production companies for film adaptation during the past two years. Photo by Logan Werlinger Matthew Baker, MFA’12, never expected to see his work inspire a Hollywood bidding war. When an agent contacted him in 2017 about pitching… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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The Art of Imaging: VUIIS, Fine Arts Gallery bridge science and art to create 3D artifacts
Anna Fisher, a certified nuclear medicine technologist, scans an ancient stamp using the PET/CT scanner. Photo courtesy Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery When the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science installed a new state-of-the-art PET/CT scanner in early 2018, the team probably never imagined it would be used for an art… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Chancellor’s Lecture Series: STEM Stars
Two giants in the science world joined Chancellor Emeritus Nicholas S. Zeppos on April 30 for the final 2018–19 Chancellor’s Lecture Series event, passionately advocating for an America that encourages its citizens to abandon simple opinion on big challenges and instead use evidence-based, critical thinking. Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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On the Hunt: Elaine Shannon, BA’68, Investigative Journalist
Investigative journalist and New York Times best-selling author Elaine Shannon has spent decades reporting from the globe’s danger zones. Her latest book recounts the efforts to take down notorious criminal Paul LeRoux, whom she describes as “a twisted-genius entrepreneur and cold-blooded killer who brought revolutionary innovation to transnational crime.” Photo… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Border Roots: Donald R. “Dee” Margo, BA’74
Dee Margo (photo courtesy City of El Paso) EDITOR’S NOTE: As this issue of Vanderbilt Magazine was going to press, the world was just starting to hear about the tragic mass shooting that took place in El Paso on Aug. 3. Mayor Dee Margo wrote on Twitter in the immediate… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Lester G. “Ruff” Fant III, BA’63 R.I.P. Ruff
Lester G. “Ruff” Fant (Photo courtesy of the Fant Family) EDITOR’S NOTE: Fant, a prominent financier, lawyer and philanthropist in Washington, D.C., died May 19. His friend and classmate, the acclaimed author and humorist Roy Blount Jr., BA’63, penned this remembrance. Lester Glenn “Ruff” Fant III, my old friend and… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Accolade: Blair Big Band ‘biblical’ honor
The Blair Big Band, Photo by Susan Urmy The Blair Big Band is the undergraduate collegiate winner in the category Large Jazz Ensemble in DownBeat magazine’s 42nd annual Student Music Awards, announced April 23. This is the Blair School of Music’s first award from DownBeat, which is widely considered the… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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New Members Join Alumni Association Board
The Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Board of Directors announces seven new members, who began their three-year terms July 1. “Each of these new members sets a great example for all alumni through their philanthropy and volunteerism,” says Dan Lovinger, BA’87, president of the Alumni Association Board. “That passion for… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Armstrong Family Inspires Biochemical Breakthroughs
Photo by Stephen Doster The story of Richard Armstrong is a shining example of how one person’s legacy can have a powerful ripple effect on others. A basic sciences professor of biochemistry and chemistry from 1995 until his 2015 death, Armstrong was known for his groundbreaking biochemical research. In his… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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2019 Alumni Awards Presented by Alumni Association
The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board of Directors is pleased to announce its 2019 alumni award recipients. They will be honored Oct. 17 at a special ceremony during Reunion and Homecoming weekend. “These honorees shine through their professional accomplishments and leadership service to their communities and Vanderbilt,” says Jodie Leeka… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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Engineering to Inform Medicine: Dr. Jeffrey Williams, BE’92
On the wall of heart-rhythm specialist Jeffrey Williams’ medical office is his seventh-grade essay in which he writes that he wants to be a cardiologist. He doesn’t remember writing it, but his younger self accurately predicted the future. As co-director of the Heart Rhythm Center at Lakeland Regional Health in… Read MoreAug 20, 2019
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The Hindles: Leading by Example
John Hindle The establishment of the Hindle Family Scholarship in 2014 was one more way for John Hindle, BA’68, PhD’81, and his wife, Joan Barr Hindle, to pay forward the lifelong success they have achieved, which John credits in large measure to his Vanderbilt education. At the time they created… Read MoreAug 20, 2019