Obituaries

Frances Norman “Sis” Miller, BA’50, of Lake Mary, Fla., May 19, 2024. At Vanderbilt she earned a degree in English and was a cheerleader and president of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She married Russell M. Faulkinberry, BA’51, who had been captain of the football team, in 1954. They moved to Lafayette, La., where they had two daughters. She stayed home with them in their early years before having a long career as a teacher and supervisor with the school board. Frances was a devoted Christian and a lifelong member of the Baptist church, where she taught Sunday school and led Bible studies.  She was also involved in many professional and community organizations throughout her life. After retirement she moved to Florida to be near her daughters and two grandchildren who survive her.

Katherine Anderson “Katy” Terry, BA’50, of Birmingham, Ala., July 15, 2024. At Vanderbilt she studied English, graduating magna cum laude, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and was a member of Delta Delta Delta. She also was involved in the Student Christian Association, the editorial staff of the The Commodore and of The Vanderbilt Hustler, where she served as headline editor. She joined the A Capella Choir, the Women's Panhellenic Society and was president of the Tri Arts Club. She met her husband, Charles Roden Terry, BA’50, at Vanderbilt. For many years she was an active member of Canterbury United Methodist Church and the Junior League of Birmingham and served in many other civic organizations. She was predeceased by her husband of 68 years. She is survived by two daughters and a son, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Charles Howard Davis Sr., MA’52, PhD’68, of Bethesda, Md., May 24, 2024. At Vanderbilt, he studied economics. He taught economics at Mercer University and University of Memphis before he began a 30-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services, retiring in 2007. Howard and his wife of 44 years, Mary K., were active members of Bethesda Friends Meeting. He served diligently on the board of Friends House Retirement Community and remained a steadfast presence in his community until his move to Florida in 2011. He is survived by his son and two grandchildren.

Lou Carol Bearden Henderson, BA’53, of Nashville, July 30, 2024. At Vanderbilt she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta. After graduation she taught school at Fall Elementary in Nashville. In 1968 Carol founded the Westminster School, now Currey Ingram Academy. In 1972 she was awarded the Service to Youth award by the Middle Tennessee YMCA. Carol and her husband, Bobby, were active supporters of children with learning differences. After the passing of their son Britt in 1994, they founded the Britt Henderson Training Series with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, an ongoing educational program for teachers in public and private schools in Middle Tennessee. She is survived by three children, five grandchildren and two nieces.

Martha Crowe Davis, BA’54, MS’60, of Nashville, March 29, 2022. At Vanderbilt she studied history, received her certificate to teach and was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. She returned to earn a master’s in speech pathology and worked at the Bill Wilkerson Center and later as a speech therapist with Metro Nashville Public Schools. She was a Girl Scout leader for many years and a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her daughter, Ready Davis Bateman, BS’84; son, James Joseph Davis Jr.; five grandchildren, including Yates Bateman, BE’14, and his wife, Alexandra T. Bateman, BA’12, MSN’14, DNP’16, and three great-grandchildren.

Gary O. Cohen, BA’59, of Chevy Chase, Md., Aug. 27, 2024. At Vanderbilt he was president of Zeta Beta Tau and editor of The Vanderbilt Hustler, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He was Don Elliott’s first hire for Vanderbilt’s nascent development office and continued to produce fundraising materials after entering Harvard Law School (JD’63). After an Air Force stint and five years at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary entered private practice focusing on federal securities, variable annuities and investment companies. He addressed legal conferences and, until his death, wrote for The Investment Lawyer, which he helped found. In 2019 he was inducted into the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame. In 2023 his geometric paintings and assemblages merited a prominent D.C. gallery showing. At 87, still an active attorney with Carlton Fields, he was stricken while traveling abroad. He leaves wife, Jean Lawlor Cohen, MAT’63, two daughters and three grandchildren.

Lucia Flowers Gilliland, BA’59, of Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 1, 2024. She graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She and her husband, Jim Gilliland, BA’55, LLB’57, first met at Vanderbilt. After graduating, she was hired as a financial secretary in the Rockefeller Center office of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr. Afterwards, in Memphis, she entered the executive training program at First National Bank and reconnected with Jim Gilliland, whom she married in 1964. They raised three children and used their professional and social connections to work for a more progressive and inclusive Memphis. She chaired the Center City Commission (now the Downtown Memphis Commission), was a founder and director of the Grant Center (now the Tennessee Nonprofit Network), and was president of Junior League Memphis. She also was on the boards of the Greater Memphis Chamber, the University of Tennessee Board of Regents, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Tennessee Bicentennial Commission and the Memphis Development Foundation among others. In 1992, after the Clinton-Gore ticket was elected, she took a White House position as adviser to Tipper Gore. She is survived by a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren.

David L. Watson, BA’59, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, May 19, 2024. He entered Duke University, then served in the U.S. Army as a radio operator in Germany. He completed his bachelor’s at Vanderbilt and earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Yale. He joined the faculty at the University of Toronto, eventually becoming a full professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa campus. In more than 32 years at UH, Dave taught many courses, conducted numerous research studies, chaired the department for a time, and published many articles and books, including a very influential text—Self-Directed Behavior, now in its 10th edition—in the field of behavior modification. He is survived by his wife, two children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.

Bernard “Bernie” Edwards Akin, BA’59, of Herndon, Va., March 18, 2024. At Vanderbilt, he was a member of Phi Kappa Alpha. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and attained the rank of captain. He was a personnel chief with the U.S. Forest Service and earned a master’s in public administration from American University. He is predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Lois Murphy Akin. He is survived by two children and three grandchildren.

Linda Windrow Veirs, MALS ’62, North Granby, Conn., Jan. 16, 2024. She was born in Brownsville, Tenn., and earned her bachelor’s from Centre College in Danville, Ky. Linda was the head librarian for the East Granby Public Library for 15 years. She was named as the East Granby Citizen of the Year in 2002 for her significant contribution to the new library. She took great pride in the contribution of the new library to the community. She and her husband, Jim Veirs, BE’62, MS’67, married in 1962 and moved to Connecticut in 1970, where they raised two children, Helen Veirs Rice of Granby and Walter Veirs of London, U.K. She was the admired grandmother of James Rice, Will Rice, Henry Rice, Sanna Veirs and Ian Veirs.

Louis Ira Levy, BA’63, MD’66, of Columbus, Ga., July 28, 2024. As an undergraduate he majored in chemistry and played football, and he remained an avid Commodore fan throughout his life. He celebrated every Vanderbilt football team win with a Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit No. 1 combo. He completed his pediatrics residency at Babies Hospital of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and was chief of pediatrics at the USA Air Force Hospital in Azores, Portugal, for three years. He completed a fellowship in neonatology at Duke University and then moved to Columbus, where he started his pediatric practice and Columbus’s first neonatal intensive care unit. He served on multiple state boards for maternal and infant health in Georgia. A lifelong learner, he was a mentor and leader in Columbus’ Jewish community. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Laura, five children, seven grandchildren and his sister.

Joe V.W. Gaston, JD’64, of Springfield, Tenn., Feb. 9, 2024. Joe earned his bachelor’s from Duke University. While at Duke he won the Atlantic Coast Conference tennis singles and doubles championships. Joe practiced law in Chattanooga with a firm that became Chambliss Bahner Crutchfield Gaston & Irvine. He also served in the U.S. Air Force and the Tennessee Air National Guard as a navigator. In 1967 he married Kay Baker, BA’62. They lived on Signal Mountain, where they raised daughters K. Healan Gaston and Josephine W. Larson. He and his wife retired to an 18th century farm in Robertson County, Tenn., near Springfield, where they raised cattle. He is survived by his wife, daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Bennett “Bumpy” Baldwin, BA’65, of Nashville, July 13, 2024. Bumpy attended Vanderbilt on a football scholarship and was drafted by the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders). He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. After graduation, he served in the Tennessee Air National Guard and worked for Ambrose Printing Co. for more than 30 years. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and escaping to his house on Anna Maria Island, Fla. He is survived by his three children—Ben, Emily and Helen—and eight grandchildren.

David D. Early, BE’65, MS’67, of Seattle, Wash., April 13, 2024. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Dave and his wife, Pat, moved to Seattle, Wash. As a metallurgic engineer, his career spanned 40 years, highlighted by numerous new airplane programs dedicated to supplier quality and field operations, including composite fuselage on-site support to the groundbreaking 787 program. Dave loved coaching Little League and also Scouting America, including hiking at the renowned Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. An outdoorsman, he enjoyed fishing, skiing, hiking (summiting Mount Rainier) and spending time on his East Tennessee farm. He was married for 58 years to Pat, who predeceased him. He is survived by two children and three grandchildren.

Joe Curry Peel, BA’65, MAT’69, of Nashville, June 19, 2024. Joe taught at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, and at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tenn. After graduating from University of Tennessee Law School and working in private practice, he served for 39 years in the Tennessee Attorney General's Office. He was a recognized expert in the fields of state and local taxation, interstate commerce and constitutional law. He handled many of the most significant cases about Tennessee's revenues, involving many millions of dollars and crucial principles of taxation, often appearing in the chancery and appellate courts in Tennessee. The matters that Joe handled set many important precedents in the areas of banking, insurance and telecommunications. He is survived by his wife of 46 years and soul mate, Mary Margaret Alsobrook Peel, BA’71, and their daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Peel-Shakespeare (Lyndon).

Raleigh McDonald Hussung, ’66, of Nashville, June 9, 2024. At Vanderbilt she studied nursing and was a member of Tri Delta sorority. She met her husband, Buck Hussung, BA’65, on a blind date in 1962. She was an accomplished businesswoman who managed a successful catering business, an import business and authored a cookbook. She was predeceased by her parents and brother, John P. McDonald, BA’64. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, three sons, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Faye Allen Hale, BA’67, of Nashville, Aug. 3, 2024. An honor graduate at Vanderbilt, her outgoing personality resulted in her election as Miss Freshman. She was a member of the Honor Council and proudly supported the Commodores as a cheerleader. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Faye was past chairman and president of The Allen Co., a real estate investment company. Throughout her life, she was active in many civic and charitable organizations, including the boards of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Family and Children’s Services and Harpeth Academy. She was a member of St. George’s Episcopal church. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son, stepdaughter and five grandchildren.

Richard Neill, BA’68, Oak Ridge, Tenn. March 27, 2024. Growing up in Oak Ridge, he treasured memories of the “Secret City.” At Vanderbilt, he played saxophone in the marching band and hung around the Department of Biology. After graduation, he began graduate work at the University of Georgia in forestry. He was drafted for military service during the final years of the Vietnam War, where he served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency. He returned to Georgia and earned a master’s in forest ecology and a Ph.D. in forest genetics. His career included college-level teaching, agricultural/forestry research, regulatory compliance and environmental restoration. He retired from the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Frankenfield Neill, BA’68, his daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

Philip Lawrence “Larry” Hester, BA’69, of Virginia Beach, Va., Sept. 3, 2024. At Vanderbilt Larry earned his bachelor’s in economics and was awarded a scholarship to the first class of the Owen Graduate School of Management. Before completing his degree, he was asked to become assistant to the provost at Vanderbilt. He found a true home where he had previously been a student and was soon Vanderbilt’s director of fiscal planning. He later joined the University of Massachusetts system in Boston, then moved to H.U.D. as a university consultant and finally into a private consulting partnership working with more than 35 universities. When health problems ended his career, he addressed a long-standing interest in Edgar Cayce's work and the Association for Research and Enlightenment. He served on the boards of the Edgar Cayce Foundation and Atlantic University for 12 years. Though sadly predeceased by all his immediate family, his friendships were, and are, numerous and ingrained.

Morris H. Morgan III, BE’69, of Williamsburg, Va., Feb. 25, 2022. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Morris received a master’s in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton and was the second African American to receive his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After a research stint at General Electric, he returned to RPI and became the engineering school’s first tenured African American professor. Morris served as the dean of the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology. He published 96 research articles and six book chapters and held four patents on designing industrial spouted bed systems, a field in which he earned world-class prominence. He received Vanderbilt’s Legacy Award as a pioneering African American degree recipient, and in April 2022 he was posthumously inducted into the Vanderbilt School of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Bradshaw, BA’69,  his son and daughter.

Mary Lillian Pullig Schatz, MD’69, of Nashville, June 10, 2024. Mary was an anatomic and clinical pathologist with Associated Pathologists, West Side Hospital, Centennial Medical Center and assistant clinical professor at Vanderbilt School of Medicine. She was elected medical staff president at Centennial Medical Center in 1991 and was certified by yogi B.K.S. Iyengar to teach and to certify his method of yoga. She was the author of numerous medical journal articles and was on the editorial board of Yoga Journal. She authored Back Care Basics, a best-selling yoga book for back pain solutions using gentle yoga techniques. Fluent in French, she loved to spend time in Quebec, Canada, with her late husband, Walter, and her two dogs, Katie and Havoc. She is survived by her sons David and Douglass Schatz, MS’96, three grandchildren and her sister.

William Wayne Teegarden, BA’71, of Atlanta, March 31, 2024. After graduation he moved to Atlanta, where he met his wife of 50 years, Caye Carden Wilbanks, at the Atlanta Ski Club. There he began a 40-year career in the banking industry, beginning with First National Bank of Atlanta. He retired in 2017 from SunTrust. He was a member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church and Ansley Golf Club. Thirty-three years ago, he suffered a near-fatal car accident that impacted his walking ability and introduced him to Atlanta’s Shepherd Center, where he used his experiences as a patient to volunteer his time as part of their Peer Support Team. Bill’s efforts as a Shepherd Center volunteer were recognized when he was selected to carry the Paralympic Torch during its journey to the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Survivors include his wife, two sons, a sister and six grandchildren.

Patricia Ann Kiser, BA’73, of Farmington, Conn., March 21, 2024. She studied French at Vanderbilt and earned degrees in library science and music from Long Island University and the University of Hartford’s Hartt College of Music. She worked for the libraries of the University of Hartford and Trinity College before spending more than two decades at the Capitol Region Library Council and Library Connection Inc. She was a voracious reader and a devoted fan of opera and Broadway musicals. She sang with the Sweet Adelines, Farmington Valley Choral and the Avon Congregational Church choir, where she was a member for more than 40 years.

Christine Stoykovich Van Dongen, PhD’85, of St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 29, 2024. Born in North Conway, N.H., Christine earned her B.A. from Smith College and her M.S. from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A noted expert in the field of sensory evaluation, she worked as an experimental psychologist at Warner-Lambert, Colgate, Best Foods and Nestle Health Science. In 2017, she joined University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, as a Sensory Center Fellow. She was a member of the Society for Sensory Professionals, the Institute of Food Technologists, the American Psychological Association, Sigma Xi, the Sensometric Society and ASTM International, who awarded her their top annual award in 2024. She was an avid skier, gardener, chef, world traveler and Scrabble player who was known equally for her outspokenness and for her generosity. She is survived by her husband, her son, a brother, two sisters and other family and friends.

Larry Dean Eldridge, MA’86, PhD'90, of Sherman, Texas, July 14, 2024. After time in the U.S. Marines, Larry attended East Texas State University where he met his wife of 46 years, Virginia Lee Eldridge, MLS’85. They moved to Nashville for his graduate work in history and welcomed their daughter, Emily. Larry loved teaching, writing and travel.

James Alexander Kemp, BE’92, of Pensacola, Fla., June 9, 2024. At Vanderbilt, he studied chemical engineering and won top honors in his graduating class. In 1993, Jim took a job at Monsanto Chemical Co., allowing him to move to Florida to pursue his dream of playing golf. Jim loved to play competitive golf and sought out every opportunity he could to play competitively in individual and team events. His greatest golf accomplishment was qualifying for the 2003 USGA Mid-Amateur played at the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. As much as he loved golf, his greatest passion in life was people. His ability to forge a connection with anyone anywhere was legendary. Jim's humor and enjoyment of life were infectious. There was no greater friend. He is survived by his mother, five siblings and 13 nieces and nephews.