Spring 2019

Adrianne Mathiowetz Photography Nafissa Thompson-Spires, MA’05, PhD’09, was announced as one of 10 Whiting Award winners March 20 at a ceremony at the New York Historical Society. Thompson-Spires’ short story collection Heads of the Colored People (2018, Atria/37 INK) has been honored with a PEN Open Book Award,… Read More

Impacting Alumni Careers Dan Lovinger Vanderbilt alumni truly are Vanderbilt for Life. By giving back as volunteers and donors, we directly impact future alumni and prepare them to take the next steps in their lives. Many help students find their way in the real world by… Read More

Courtesy Merrily Talbott It was while interviewing travelers for a tourist publication in Breckenridge, Colorado, that high school psychology teacher and writer Merrily Van Norstrand Talbott came up with a fresh idea. A woman who thought she was suffering from altitude sickness told Talbott that she found relief after… Read More

Courtesy of Kim Le After spending nearly two decades as a storyboard artist for Hollywood film and television production companies, Kim Le is guided by a singular imperative: “I want to tell a good story, entertain people, and hopefully make them laugh.” As creative types go, storyboard artists… Read More

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans On clinic day every week, first-year nursing student Brooke Hazen’s 12-hour shift starts at 6:30 a.m. “We’re taking vital signs, helping patients shower and walk, administering shots and IVs, and interpreting lab results,” she says. Hazen is in Vanderbilt School of Nursing’s prespecialty… Read More

Photo by John Russell Reading, and a child’s access to books, is a precursor to success by all yardsticks. But the lack of reading materials in many neighborhoods across America—regions known as “book deserts”—threatens the educational achievements of countless students. English teacher Jarred Amato decided to do… Read More

Left to right: Nick Lovinger, BA’15; Jake Goldklang, BA’15; and Liam Byrne, BA’14, braved a snowy Saturday morning with other members of the Metro New York Vanderbilt Chapter to volunteer for their service project benefiting the Bowery Mission. Vanderbilt’s long-standing commitment to community service includes strong student traditions such… Read More

Everett H. Erlick, a distinguished veteran of the broadcast industry and longtime public servant, died March 8, 2019, at his home in Stuart, Florida. He was 97. As executive vice president, general counsel and director of the American Broadcasting Cos. Inc. for 25 years, his expansive portfolio… Read More

Karen White, BA’11, was born to be an advocate. Her first experience in advocacy was for herself at the age of 15, when she left a volatile home life and struggled to support herself through periods of homelessness. “I remember sleeping on the couch in the tattoo parlor… Read More

“Y.Y.” Clark at thebeginning of her groundbreaking career. Photo courtesy Society of Women Engineers Yvonne Young Clark, the first woman to earn a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Howard University, the first woman to earn a master’s degree in engineering management from the Vanderbilt University School… Read More

Photo by Daniel Dubois Barbara Tsakirgis, a noted scholar on ancient Greek domestic architecture as well as a strong community advocate for Nashville’s Parthenon, died Jan. 16. Tsakirgis, 64, had been diagnosed with ALS three years ago and died at her home. She was a professor of classical… Read More

Bradley in 1961. Photo by Joe Rudis/THE TENNESSEAN Harold Bradley, member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, famed guitarist, and cog in the family that led the ascent of country music in Nashville, died Jan. 31. He was 93. Bradley grew up in Nashville and took up… Read More

Benn Torres is joined by a team of faculty across a range of disciplines, from anthropology and history to Latin American studies and literature, who are filling in the gaps of our knowledge about the African diaspora and bringing a fresh perspective to its present-day consequences. Read More

From an aspiring cardiologist attuned to women’s health issues to an award-winning flute player who mentors young students, the Vanderbilt Class of 2019 is ready for new challenges and new adventures. Read More