Perry Wallace

Nearly 100 community members gathered outside of MLK Academic Magnet School, formerly Pearl High School, to celebrate Ridley’s legacy. Funded by Vanderbilt Athletics, the Metro Historical Commission marker was the latest expression of Vanderbilt’s support for the North Nashville neighborhood around Pearl High. Alumni Perry Wallace and Walter Murray, valedictorian and salutatorian of the segregated high school’s class of 1966, went on to have pioneering careers as students at Vanderbilt. Read More

A partnership of the Metro Nashville Historical Commission, Vanderbilt University and Washington Junior High School alumni succeeded in erecting a historical marker honoring the school where it once stood. The marker, at the intersection of 25th Avenue North and Morena Street, was a celebration of the effort to honor Black history in Nashville by preserving the legacy of the school. Read More

Photo by Trey Clark For Jessie Wallace Jackson, the trailblazing experience of her brother Perry Wallace, BE’71, is a story of love and hope for the future. A recent Memphis Vanderbilt Chapter Commodore Classroom expanded his inspiring message. On Dec. 9, more than 60 alumni and friends gathered at the… Read More

Alan Hicks, BA’66, left, speaks with Strong Inside author Andrew Maraniss, BA’92, at the San Francisco Commodore Classroom event. The New York Times best-selling book Strong Inside shares the trailblazing Vanderbilt experience of Perry Wallace, BE’70. The story has resonated with alumni everywhere, and Commodore Classrooms events have provided… Read More

Men's basketball's Joe Toye, an economics major and the lone senior on the Commodores’ roster, is the embodiment of student-athlete-leader. Read More

As 70-year-old Williams nears the end of a 15-year run leading Vanderbilt athletics—and his 27th year as a senior administrator in higher education—he is ready to hand over leadership of a department that has made enormous strides during his tenure. Read More

Civil rights trailblazer Perry Wallace, BE’70, who became the first-ever African American varsity basketball player in the Southeastern Conference when he suited up for Vanderbilt in 1967, has been honored with a new scholarship at the university. Read More

By Andrew Maraniss, BA’92 “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Perry Wallace, who through quiet strength and courage blazed a trail that still serves as a lesson in resilience and perseverance in the face of incredible obstacles. We are more fortunate for having known him and for… Read More

Just three days after Perry Wallace, BE’70, died, hundreds of people—including family, friends, teammates and fans—gathered at Vanderbilt’s Langford Auditorium on Dec. 4 for the premiere of Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace, a documentary about the late Wallace’s courage and struggles as a student-athlete breaking the color barrier in the SEC. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Alumni Association will celebrate Perry Wallace, BE’70, as the 2017 Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Read More

Andrew Maraniss, who wrote Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South, is working with Vanderbilt students from a unique position this academic year. He is spending part of his time as a writer-in-residence at The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, where he is… Read More

Equality Weekend, a three-day event that honored 21 of Nashville’s civil rights leaders, celebrated the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt’s breaking the SEC color barrier with men’s basketball players Perry Wallace, BE’70, and Godfrey Dillard. The 21 leaders were honored at the Commodore men’s basketball game Feb. 18 and the women’s game Feb. 19—both of which were Vanderbilt victories. Read More

Watch video of ‘Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South’ by Andrew Maraniss on February 22, 2017. “STRONG INSIDE: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South” with instructor Andrew Maraniss is being offered as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning… Read More

Watch video of the 10th Annual Lawson Lecture featuring Perry Wallace, Godfrey Dillard, and Andrew Maraniss. Read More

Relentlessly courted by athletic powerhouses nationwide, Perry Wallace, BE’70, ultimately made the short trip across town to Vanderbilt—and changed the course of SEC history… Read More

Each year Vanderbilt selects a book for all incoming first-year students to read during the summer before arriving on campus. This year’s selection is Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew Maraniss, BA’92. Here we present an excerpt adapted from Strong Inside, which is currently being made into a documentary film and a children’s book. Read More

Whatever your political leanings, the acidic divisiveness between—and among—parties in this election cycle has left little for anyone to love. Luckily, I got a break from the daily shouting matches about finger lengths, email servers and Bernie Bros by digging into some of the fascinating, reasoned research around presidential politics being produced by members of Vanderbilt’s esteemed political science department for this issue’s cover story. Read More

The Vanderbilt University athletics will present the Next Steps at Vanderbilt program with the Perry Wallace Courage Award on Tuesday. Read More

Vanderbilt engineering alumni Kendall Card and Perry E. Wallace Jr. will be inducted into the School of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni at a special event in April. S. Shankar Sastry will be inducted as a member of the school’s Circle of Distinguished Friends. Read More

What is driving Nashville’s growth? How does Coach Tim Corbin prepare his players for success in life off the field? Why do we meddle in the lives of others? What was it like to be the first African-American athlete in the SEC? These engaging topics,… Read More