Spring 2008

John D. Rockefeller Sr. (1839-1937) and Jr. (1874-1960) At the end of the 19th century, vast personal fortunes were created in the United States. Industrial advances made from 1870 to 1900 opened opportunities in railways, oil, banking and manufacturing. Savvy businessmen with names like Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Morgan and Rockefeller… Read More

Editor, Gaynelle Doll Art Director and Designer, Donna DeVore Pritchett Editorial Read More

    Sandy Besser, BA’58, shares his Santa Fe home with thousands of works of art, including Koi Neng Liew’s “One Pretty Flower for Mr. Rabbit Man,” shown here. “There’s a story behind every single piece in this house, and I don’t have favorites,” Besser says. “They are all… Read More

Give the gift of tradition with the official Vanderbilt class ring for alumni and students. For more information contact Balfour Rings at www.balfour.com or visit the Vanderbilt Bookstore. Read More

Illustration by Joe Johnston In its ability to learn, the cockroach is a numskull in the morning and a genius in the evening. Dramatic daily variations in the cockroach’s learning ability were discovered by a new study performed by Vanderbilt University biologists and published last fall in the Proceedings… Read More

Middle school students teach a cartoon character and then test her comprehension. Photo by Jason Tan Anyone who has ever helped children with homework knows how much they resist checking their answers. Now a new animated computer program created by Vanderbilt engineers is showing students that self-checking is an… Read More

“Never believe the landlord when he says that living next to the ‘el’ train is an ‘urban experience.'” Life After Vanderbilt is a new guide written for new graduates by recent graduates–a collection of advice that the Alumni Association will present as a graduation gift to each member of the… Read More

Katrina Markoff, BA’95 Alumni who are part of the 37 Vanderbilt Chapters nationwide are staying connected by planning dozens of events each year, from simple get-togethers for ballgames and happy hours to elaborate wine tastings and educational lectures. Here’s just a sampling: The New York and Chicago chapters each… Read More

“Opening Dores allows students to get real-world advice about what they can do with their Vanderbilt degree. And it’s fun for the alumni, who chat about their old classes and professors, sports, and what it means to be a Vanderbilt alum.” ~Kate Stuart “Should I take Italian or Spanish? And… Read More

Courtesy of Don Hyatt–www.donhyatt.com Anthropologists working on the slopes of the Andes in northern Peru have discovered the earliest-known evidence of peanut, cotton and squash farming, dating back 5,000 to 9,000 years. Their findings provide long-sought evidence that some of the early development of agriculture in the… Read More

Billy O’Steen, BA’89 (left), Betsy Macdonald, BS’90, and Kirk Williams, BA’89 “Kids seem to be the admission ticket for making new friends in strange places,” says Kirk Williams, who figured he was the only Vanderbilt alumnus living in the small coastal village of Sumner, New Zealand, until one day… Read More

Women have made their way into every aspect of the workforce and comprise 46 percent of employees. Yet they consistently earn less than men. In separate research studies a Vanderbilt economist has found a disappointing answer to the age-old wage debate regarding pay inequity, and also has pinpointed which professions… Read More

Research from Vanderbilt shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward–much like sex, food and drugs–offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football. The research was published online the week of Jan. 14 by the… Read More

Illustration by Bruno Budrovic A few years ago I taught a non-majors chemistry course at Vanderbilt. I wanted to make the class relevant, so I had the students write a paper about the application of chemistry to everyday things. Students wrote about Dead Sea salts, Gatorade, NASCAR tires,… Read More

lockwise from top: Max Notowitz is the first boy standing on the left end of a group of Jewish boys wearing Star of David armbands as they shovel snow; Notowitz (in white suit) with a friend before the war; Fred Westfield's identity card; Inge Smith in 1936; Star of David… Read More

Ted Hildreth, BE’89 (standing, right), with Terry Moran, co-anchor of ABC News’ Nightline. Photo by Sgt. Jack W. Carlson III If North Korea or Iran shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the United States, most of us would be blissfully unaware. But for Lt. Col. Ted Hildreth, this… Read More

Marc Hamburger, BA’64 Photo by Daniel Dubois People who collect stamps or coins have it easy–they can add to their collections whenever their budget allows. But for car collectors like Marc Hamburger, space is always a consideration. Of the seven cars in his collection, those nearest and dearest to… Read More

John Hunter, “Hear Me,” linoleum block print Vanderbilt senior Aimee Casey’s oil painting “Explosion” was featured at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in December. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts exhibition Future/Now: Mid-State Art Majors featured the work of nine Vanderbilt students last winter among… Read More

Great Performances at Vanderbilt and its director will help the National Dance Project set the agenda for dance in America when it becomes one of 10 “hub sites” that guides the organization. “I am pleased that we are now in the room as one of the top 10 curators,” says… Read More

Greg Barz, associate professor of ethnomusicology in the Blair School of Music, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional World Music Album category for his album Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing, and HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Singing for Life, released last February by Smithsonian… Read More