Summer/Fall 2024
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Message from the Alumni Association President
Through Vanderbilt’s remarkable progress in its ongoing historic Dare to Grow campaign, we are charting a collective course that connects great minds with opportunities to offer solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. We are stronger together, and that strength continues through your alumni journey as Vanderbilt for Life. Read MoreOct 4, 2024
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Stronger Together
Vanderbilt's commitment to freedom of expression and civil discourse is inseparable from its collaborative spirit. It is at the heart of the Vanderbilt community. None of the transformative learning and discovery that we cherish as an institution of higher education can happen without it. At Vanderbilt, “unexpected collaborations” will always lead to great things. It is a function of who we are; it is, quintessentially, this community. Read MoreOct 4, 2024
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One Guest at a Time: Bernard Nomberg, BA’90, creates an oral history of Vanderbilt football
In January 2020, Bernard Nomberg, BA'90, launched the 'Conversations with Commodores' podcast, along with a Facebook group specifically for Vanderbilt football alumni and others close to the program—coaches, trainers, cheerleaders, etc. Today, the community has grown to around 500 members. For all who played, the stories that emerge on the podcast are their shared history. Read MoreOct 3, 2024
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Crossword puzzle: How well do you know VU?
How well do you know VU? Try your hand at Vanderbilt trivia with our Dare to Grow crossword puzzle. Read MoreOct 3, 2024
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Unexpected Collaborations: The best collaborations lead to new ways of seeing the world
In today’s world, collaboration is essential in solving problems, bridging the gaps between science, engineering, medicine and the humanities. By prioritizing cross-disciplinary collaborations, Vanderbilt walks the walk—not only across departments—but across schools and cultures. Read MoreOct 2, 2024
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At the Center of Everything: Vanderbilt hubs connect campus with communities across the country
New York City, Miami, Houston and Atlanta all share one common denominator. These cities are home to a Vanderbilt regional hub. The hubs are key to one of Vanderbilt’s signature initiatives: to grow the school’s footprint beyond the Nashville campus. Read MoreOct 2, 2024
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Lawson’s Legacy: Rev. James Lawson helped Vanderbilt navigate a vision of human dignity in an uncertain global era
With his deep understanding of nonviolent protest, the Rev. James M. Lawson (1928–2024) showed us the way forward for fighting injustice and left a legacy of courage and compassion. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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Mind’s Eye: Juneteenth celebration unveils mural honoring Black country music artists
A mural by local artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik was unveiled at a Juneteenth celebration on June 19. Inspired by the stories of Black country music artists featured in Vanderbilt professor and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall’s latest book, 'My Black Country,' the work features likenesses of five Black artists pivotal to country music. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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Work in Progress
An aerial view of FirstBank Stadium in the Frist Athletics Village highlights the Vandy United campaign’s ongoing commitment to reimagining the footprint of Vanderbilt Athletics. Launched in 2021, Vandy United is an ambitious investment in the university’s student-athletes and athletics programs through major facility and operational enhancements. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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How to stock a home bar: Expert advice from Jacob Grier, BA’04
With Portland, Oregon, as his base, second-generation Vanderbilt alum Jacob Grier, BA'04, consults in the spirits industry and writes books on topics from tobacco policy to mixology. His latest book on cocktails is 'Raising the Bar: A Bottle-by-Bottle Guide to Mixing Up Masterful Cocktails at Home' (Chronicle Books, 2022) cowritten with Brett Adams, bartender and curator of the selection at the Multnomah Whiskey Library. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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Stirring Up Success: Five Questions for Betsy Ayala, BA’99
Elizabeth “Betsy” Sanner Ayala, BA’99, is the executive in charge behind many popular TV shows across the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio of networks. After joining HGTV in 2016 and advancing her career to head Food Network in 2022, she now oversees the creation, production and release of all Food Network programming and operations. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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Access Point: Chrysa Kovach, BMus’13, works to help everyone experience music on their own terms
Whether on a Zoom call with adults regaining their ability to enjoy music through assistive technology like cochlear implants, or working with preschoolers with no music experience at the Neighborhood Music School in Los Angeles, community music facilitator Chrysa Kovach, BMus'13, helps make music accessible for all. Read MoreOct 1, 2024
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Williams gets the gold
Two-time Olympian and Vanderbilt cross country and track and field alumna Lily Williams and Team USA took home a gold medal in the women’s track cycling team pursuit final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Read MoreSep 30, 2024
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Helen Iola McClellan Manoogian, BSN’47: Nursing Pioneer
Helen Iola McClellan Manoogian, nursing missionary to the Middle East and founder of a nursing school in Lebanon, died March 16, 2024, in Richmond, Virginia. She was 102. Read MoreAug 1, 2024
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Lachs, Centennial Professor Emeritus and beloved instructor for a half-century, has died
John Lachs, professor emeritus of philosophy and Centennial Professor Emeritus, died November 14, 2023, in Nashville. He was 89. Read MoreAug 1, 2024
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Judge Richard H. Dinkins ’77 Dead at 71
The Honorable Richard H. Dinkins, JD'77, who served on the Tennessee Court of Appeals from 2008 until his retirement in 2022, died October 1, 2023, in Nashville. He was 71. Read MoreAug 1, 2024
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Tamara Baynham, BE’93: Finding Community, Advancing Innovation
Tamara Baynham, BE'93, an active, long-standing alumni leader across the university, including leadership roles as president of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni, member of Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board and of the Engineering Board of Visitors, was inducted into the School of Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in April. Read MoreJul 17, 2024
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Amanda Headley Piper, AuD’16: Sound Compassion
Amanda Headley Piper (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt University) “If you want to make a difference in the world, meet a need,” Amanda Headley Piper’s grandmother once said, and Piper heeded those words of wisdom. She is the first pediatric audiologist from her twin-island home of Trinidad and Tobago, where… Read MoreJul 17, 2024
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Sherry Chen, BA’15: Learning Experience for a Lifetime
A college education at a residential campus means more than a degree earned through successful completion of coursework and class projects. Student life beyond the classroom also provides a formative experience, and that is especially true for Sherry Chen, BA’15, who has served as president of the local Vanderbilt Chapter in Phoenix since 2018, connecting the community of Commodore alumni and parents. Read MoreJul 17, 2024
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New Facility Honors Legacy and History
Patti White, BA'76, and her husband, George, recently funded the Black Box Theater in Rothschild College to honor their children, Frances White, BA'11, and George A. White, BA'19. Read MoreJul 15, 2024