Passages
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Marice Moylan Wolfe, MLS’77: University Archivist and Head of Special Collections
Marice Wolfe, of Nashville, the first woman to serve as Vanderbilt’s university archivist, died Jan. 3. She was 86. Read MoreApr 27, 2022
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Gilbert S. Merritt Jr., JD’60: Federal Judge
Gilbert Stroud Merritt Jr., of Nashville, died Jan. 17. He was 86. A Nashville native, he was a major figure in the legal community in Nashville and the state of Tennessee, and he served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit for 44 years. Read MoreApr 27, 2022
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Yusef Harris ’83: Entrepreneur and Community Builder
Joseph “Yusef” Fontaine Harris III, founder and owner of Alkebu-Lan Images, Nashville’s only independent, Black-owned bookstore and a cornerstone of the North Nashville community for more than 35 years, died Jan. 3. Read MoreApr 27, 2022
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Beegie Adair: Nashville Jazz Legend
Bobbe Gorin “Beegie” Long Adair, renowned pianist and bandleader and retired adjunct lecturer in jazz improvisation at Blair School of Music, died Jan. 23 in Franklin, Tenn. Read MoreFeb 23, 2022
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Julie Ditty Qualls, BS’02: Vanderbilt Tennis Legend
Julie Ditty Qualls of Ashland, Kentucky, a member of the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame who helped the women’s tennis team reach unprecedented heights and distinguished herself as a professional player, died Aug. 31, 2021. Read MoreJan 31, 2022
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Van Heflin, BS’82: Trailblazing Commodore Quarterback
Terence Van Heflin, of McDonough, Georgia, minister, pastor and groundbreaking Vanderbilt student-athlete, died July 9, 2021. He was 62. Read MoreJan 31, 2022
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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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Gary Giel Gore: University Designer
Former Vanderbilt University University Designer and book designer, Gary Giel Gore, of Nashville died March 28. He was 89. Read MoreAug 24, 2021
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Andrew Howard Nichols, BA’03: Education Researcher
Andrew Howard Nichols, senior director of higher education research and data analytics at education nonprofit The Education Trust, died Jan. 26 of brain cancer. His studies of educational gaps and financial aid regularly revealed inequities affecting low-income and minority students. Read MoreAug 24, 2021
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Alice Hackney Altstatt, MA’52, MD’56: Academic Anesthesiologist
Vanderbilt Medical School Class of 1956 alumna Alice Hackney Altstatt of Finksburg, Maryland, died Jan. 10. She was 95. Read MoreAug 24, 2021
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Melvyn Semmel, EdD’63, Special Education Pioneer
Melvyn Ivan Semmel of Santa Barbara, Calif., a researcher, educator and 2007 Peabody Distinguished Alumnus, who helped shape the nation’s understanding and policies relating to students with disabilities, died Feb. 25. Read MoreApr 26, 2021
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Patricia Frist, BA’61, Philanthropist and Community Leader
Patricia Gail “Trish” Champion Frist, BA’61, of Nashville, who had a great impact as a philanthropist and business advocate, died Jan. 5. Read MoreApr 22, 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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Bea Martin, MA’62, Lifelong Educator
Annie Beatrice “Bea” Martin, a retired teacher and administrator who was committed to education, outreach and social justice, died Oct. 11, 2020. She was 87. Read MoreFeb 25, 2021
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James Tuck, BA’40, LLB’47, Witness to Nashville History
James Richard Tuck of Nashville, retired associate general counsel of the National Life and Accident Insurance Co. and charter member of the Nashville Metropolitan Council, died Aug. 20, 2020. He was 102. Over his long life, he was part of some key stories in the 20th-century history of Nashville. Read MoreFeb 25, 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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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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Iris W. Buhl, BA’64, MA’74: Educator and Philanthropist
Iris W. Buhl, a longtime community educator, volunteer and philanthropist in Nashville, died Aug. 11, 2020. She was 77. Read MoreNov 3, 2020
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James S. “Jim” Gilliland, BA’55, LLB’57: USDA General Counsel
After decades influencing political and social change, both locally and nationally, Memphis attorney James S. Gilliland died Feb. 24. He was 86. Read MoreNov 3, 2020
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Haywood, early director of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and pioneer in research on developmental disabilities, has died
H. Carl Haywood, professor of psychology, emeritus, and former Kennedy Center director, died Oct. 12 in Nashville. He was 89. Read MoreOct 30, 2020