obituary Archives
David Williams II, trailblazer and former Vanderbilt University vice chancellor and athletics director, has died
Feb. 8, 2019—David Williams II, who made an extraordinary impact on Vanderbilt, college athletics and higher education during his 18-year tenure as a university vice chancellor, died Friday, Feb. 8.
Scholar who pioneered Vanderbilt’s curriculum in classical antiquity dies
Jan. 30, 2019—A memorial service at Benton Chapel is planned Feb. 23 for Barbara Tsakirgis, professor of classical studies, emerita, who recently died.
Robert Fox, early leader in Vanderbilt’s vision research, dies
Jan. 8, 2019—A memorial service for the late Robert Fox, an emeritus Vanderbilt professor who was renowned internationally for his landmark studies of human and animal vision, is being planned for early spring.
Horace Williams, emeritus professor of mathematics, dies
Jan. 7, 2019—Horace Edward Williams, an emeritus professor of mathematics who taught mathematics and statistics at Vanderbilt for four decades, died Dec. 31.
Longtime Mail Services staff member dies
Jan. 3, 2019—Bryon Walker, a longtime Vanderbilt Mail Services staff member and fixture at the Station B Post Office stamp window, died Dec. 31 following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 55.
Colleen Conway-Welch, nursing education pioneer and emerita dean, has died
Oct. 12, 2018—Conway-Welch, who transformed nursing education at Vanderbilt and nationally, died Oct. 12 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Larry Dowdy, emeritus computer science professor, dies
Sep. 21, 2018—Larry Dowdy, former chair of the Department of Computer Science who served as Vanderbilt Dean of Students from 1998 to 2001 and long supported the university's Alternative Spring Break program, died Sept. 11.
James Sandlin, former Sarratt director who championed arts on campus, dies
Sep. 20, 2018—James Sandlin, a former Sarratt Student Center director who worked tirelessly to expand cultural offerings on campus, died Sept. 18 after a brief illness.
Hatton, scholar and advocate for the visually impaired, dies
Sep. 9, 2018—Deborah Hatton, an emerita faculty member in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, has died.
Fassinger, chief admissions and recruiting officer at Owen School, dies
Aug. 15, 2018—Tami Tinsley Fassinger, a beloved member of the Owen Graduate School of Management community for more than 20 years, died Aug. 15 in Nashville. She was 55.
Virginia George, originator of VUSN’s family nurse practitioner program, dies
Aug. 1, 2018—Virginia Maxwell George, professor of nursing, emerita, and an early champion of nurse practitioners, died July 26 in Nashville. George was founding director of Vanderbilt’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program, one of the first in the Southeast.
Tommy Howe, longtime scientific glassblower for Department of Chemistry, dies
Jul. 11, 2018—Before his retirement in 2016, Howe made major contributions to the chemistry department’s teaching and research programs as well as to other science departments in the College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering and School of Medicine.