Jim Patterson

After Lisa Abramson gave birth to her first daughter in 2014, she descended into a dark period of postpartum depression and psychosis, a mood disorder that is estimated to affect more than 3 million women—roughly one in seven new moms—every year. The experience influenced her to write The… Read More

Photo by Laurie Perez When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in August 2017, one of the hardest-hit areas was downtown, home to the Houston Grand Opera. The company was flooded out of its Wortham Theater Center home, but the show would go on. The company’s season-opening… Read More

Photo by Jason Sheldon Leah Stewart, BA’94, has five acclaimed books to her credit, and her sixth, What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw (2018, G.P. Putnam’s Sons), released this spring, is certain to further her reputation as a writer of keenly observed, engaging fiction. With its lively story… Read More

Literary Obscenities: U.S. Case Law and Naturalism after Modernism (2018, Penn State University Press) by Erik M. Bachman, BA’03 This comparative historical study explores the broad sociocultural factors at play in the relationships among U.S. obscenity laws and literary modernism and naturalism in the early 20th century. Putting obscenity case… Read More

Such Sweet Thunder, the debut recording of the Blair Big Band, was released in March and includes Blair students and faculty, plus some of Nashville’s veteran players. Tracks include new compositions as well as standards such as “The Very Thought of You,” which features legendary Nashville pianist Beegie Adair. Read More

Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt University During Vanderbilt’s third annual Giving Day on June 5, alumni from across the country showed their support and Commodore pride by making gifts of all sizes. Bryan Byrdlong, BA’15, was among them. As the chair of Graduates Of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) for the Nashville Chapter… Read More

Frank F. Drowota III, BA’60, JD’65, who served on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1980 to 2006, died April 15. He was 79. Drowota served on the Davidson County Chancery Court and the state Court of Appeals before first winning a seat on the state Supreme… Read More

Daniel DuBois/Vanderbilt University Nancy Ransom, MAT’71, EdD’88, founding director of the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center at Vanderbilt and a champion of women’s rights, education and gender equality, died March 19 in Wilmington, Delaware, from complications of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was 89. From 1978… Read More

Eugene Arthur TeSelle Jr., Oberlin Professor of Church History and Theology, emeritus, and a strong advocate on community issues ranging from urban neighborhood preservation to integrated schools, died March 1. He was 86. TeSelle was born in Ames, Iowa, on Aug. 8, 1931. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa… Read More

Theo Morrison, Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University Theo Morrison developed his civic acumen as a kid watching televised Nashville Metro Council meetings with his parents. “They instilled in me a love for my community and a commitment to making sure that I was engaged,” he says. “It was fascinating to… Read More

The power of hope—and a dark history—come to life through violin project Some say the violin is the instrument that most closely imitates the human voice. In March, 22 violins, most of which were played by Jewish musicians interned in concentration camps during the Holocaust, will arrive in… Read More

Zhubin Parang, BS’03 (foreground, left), and his writing staff discuss the day’s script with Trevor Noah (seated) on the set of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Photo by Sean Gallagher/The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Zhubin Parang, BS’03, always wanted to work in politics. And he does—in a… Read More

William W. Bain Jr., BA’59:  Long-Term Strategist William W. Bain Jr., an alumnus and emeritus member of the Board of Trust, died Jan. 16 at his home in Naples, Florida. He was 80 years old. Bain founded Bain & Co., a corporate strategy consulting… Read More

Above: The Cultures in Clay exhibit includes the Man and Beast seal (Arno Poebel Collection); below, left, a statue of Osiris, mythological father of the Egyptian god Horus, from the private collection of emeritus professor Douglas Knight; and, below right, the Drehem tablet (James Stevenson Collection). Clay… Read More

HELLO, DOLLY  An exhibition of Polaroids and black-and-white photographs by Andy Warhol of his friends and clients—including Dolly Parton, above, taken in 1985—kicked off the 2018 season at the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery. Famous! (and Not-So-Famous): Polaroids by Andy Warhol provides a glimpse into Warhol’s creative process… Read More

DOMINICK REUTER/GETTY Daniel Bernard Roumain, BMus’93, (right, with the production’s assistant director and choreographer Bill T. Jones, center), composed the music for the opera We Shall Not Be Moved, which was named by The New York Times in December as one of the best classical music performances of… Read More

Rocky Boyer’s War: An Unvarnished History of the Air Blitz that Won the War in the Southwest Pacific (2017, Naval Institute Press) by Allen D. Boyer, BA’78 In Rocky Boyer’s War, Allen Boyer offers a wry, keen-eyed, and occasionally disgruntled counterpoint history of the hard-fought, brilliant campaign that won World… Read More

Lee Conell (photo by Susan Urmy) Lee Conell, MFA’15, is not the sort of writer who cultivates a high profile. While she’s excited about the upcoming launch of her first story collection, Subcortical, she finds the public role of author far removed from the drive that compels her… Read More

L. Hall Hardaway Jr., chairman of the board of Hardaway Construction Co., Vanderbilt School of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus, and an emeritus Vanderbilt trustee, died Sept. 20, 2017, in Nashville. He was 84. Having earned his Vanderbilt degree in civil engineering, he first worked as a field superintendent with… Read More

Ann Cook Calhoun (photo by John Russell) Ann Cook Calhoun, Vanderbilt professor of English, emerita—an internationally renowned Shakespeare scholar and a powerful force for making the Bard’s plays accessible to everyone—died Aug. 13, 2017, in Nashville after a brief illness. She was 82. Calhoun held leadership roles in… Read More