Epilogue

  • Vanderbilt University

    Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, MS’84: UNESCO Education Leader

    It was with a scholarship from the Africa–America Institute that Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta enrolled at Vanderbilt to study educational leadership. Honored with the institute’s Distinguished Alumna Award, she now invests those skills in her native Africa. Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Amanda Iovino, BA’08: Pushing for Positive Change

    Photo by Pamela Lepold Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in June 1919, and the amendment became law Aug. 26, 1920, giving American women the right to vote after a decades-long fight. This year, the centennial of women gaining the right to vote, a record number of… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Tom Mulder, BMus’12: Musician and Mentor

    Photo by Elena Cherkashnya Look no further than Tom Mulder to sing the praises of ArtSmart, a nonprofit begun three years ago in which classical musicians provide free individualized music lessons to high school students in underserved communities. “There’s a power in that one-on-one relationship between a teacher and a… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Summer Send-Offs Support New Commodores

    Elizabeth Hawkins, BA’86, and Bill Hawkins, BS’82, hosted the Nashville Summer Send-Off Party this summer. They are the parents of Charlie Hawkins, BA’18, and Eliza Hawkins, Class of 2021. This summer Vanderbilt’s welcoming, supportive community celebrated together at 52 Summer Send-Off Parties held in 31 states and three other countries. Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Virginia Shepherd and Charles Brau: Promoting STEM Education

    Charles Brau and Virginia Shepherd, photo by Susan Urmy Virginia Shepherd knew in eighth grade that she wanted to become a scientist. Her education and training eventually led to a tenured research scientist position at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Nashville’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Shepherd’s passion for science education… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Vanderbilt Faculty Are Highlight of 2020 Vanderbilt Travel Program

    Each year the Vanderbilt Travel Program offers exciting opportunities for alumni, parents and friends. The 2020 lineup features 24 trips, including a scenic Japanese cruise, a journey through Vietnam, and fresh itineraries for popular European destinations. The shining highlight of the program is the addition of Vanderbilt faculty members. Currently,… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Dr. John Oates: Iconic leader, physician, scientist

    Photo by John Russell Dr. John Oates, an internationally known physician at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a founder of the discipline of clinical pharmacology, died July 30 in Nashville after a short illness. He was 87. The Thomas F. Frist Sr. Professor of Medicine, he founded the Division… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • photo of Dan Lovinger

    Message from the Alumni Association President

    Vanderbilt Alumni Impact the World Dan Lovinger One of my great pleasures as president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board is to highlight some of the Commodores who are leading positive change in the lives of people around the world. When Justin Miller, BS’09, was a student at Vanderbilt, he… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Emerita Faculty Leader Continues to Inspire through Opportunity Vanderbilt Scholarship

    It wasn’t the unfamiliarity of a new city or the intimidation of a new faculty position that stood out to Fräncille Bergquist when she first came to Vanderbilt in 1977. The new professor of Spanish was taken aback by the rolling hills and green trees of Middle Tennessee—a stark contrast… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Martin Katahn: The Rotation Diet

    Vanderbilt University Special Collections and Photo Archives Martin Katahn, a retired psychology professor and best-selling author who wrote The Rotation Diet and other books promoting healthy weight loss and lifestyle, died Sept. 17. He was 90. Katahn, who was known to his family and friends as Dick, was born in… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Simon Mayfield “Dick” Dickerson, BA’63: “Connected to Everybody”

    Photo by John Russell Simon Mayfield “Dick” Dickerson of Franklin, Tennessee, died Sept. 20. He was 79. A graduate of East Nashville High School and George Peabody College for Teachers (now Vanderbilt Peabody College for education and human development), he was president of the student body and “Mr. Peabody.” A… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    Heidi Nieland Hall: Gifted Storyteller

    Photo by John Russell A communications leader and champion for STEM research at Vanderbilt, Heidi Nieland Hall died Sept. 25 in Nashville from metastatic colorectal cancer. She was 49. Hall, an honored reporter and editor for decades, left The Tennessean to join the Vanderbilt School of Engineering communications team in… Read More

    Nov 7, 2019

  • Portrait of Alumni Association Board President Dan Lovinger

    Message from the Alumni Association President: Share your thoughts on Vanderbilt’s next chancellor

    Dan Lovinger By all measures—admissions, graduation rates, philanthropic support, exceptional faculty, diversity and financial health—Vanderbilt has raised its profile dramatically under the leadership of Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. We will be forever grateful for his knowledge, vision and passion during his 11 years as chancellor, as well as his 32… Read More

    Aug 23, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Vanderbilt University

    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 More

    Aug 20, 2019