Spring / Summer Obituaries 2023

Joan Chaffin Daugherty, ’49, of Nashville, Oct. 5, 2022. Joan was a Quinq (Vanderbilt alum from 50 years or more ago) and “Vanderbilt for Life.” She loved nothing more than Vanderbilt football, a love which began when her four brothers played for Vanderbilt. While she was enrolled at the university, she was head majorette in the Spirit of Gold Marching Band. Her lifelong school spirit was evident, whether she was tailgating in Vandyland or watching every Commodores game on TV. She is survived by three children, including Mary Daugherty Overstreet, BA’81, and Robert Davidson Daugherty, BS’86; eight grandchildren, including Corinne Mattern, BA’09; seven great-grandchildren; a brother, Robert J. Chaffin, BA’57, and a sister.

Jerry Niles Jordan, BE’49, of Dallas, Nov. 20, 2022. Jerry entered Vanderbilt at 16 to study electrical engineering. He was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity, co-editor of The Commodore yearbook in 1947, president of the Student Council, president of the Engineering Senior Class, band and Honor Council. After graduation, Jerry earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University before becoming a JAG officer in the U.S. Air Force and then entering private practice in Dallas. Jerry was active in the Dallas Bar Association and the Dallas Committee on Foreign Visitors. He also spearheaded fundraising for the construction of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house at Vanderbilt. His wife, Mary, survived him for one month. His other survivors are his daughters, Jill Jordan, BE’79, and Jan Jordan Altman, BA’81; his son-in-law William Altman, BA’81; grandsons Linkon Altman, BS’11, Austin Altman, BS’13, and Andrew Hanson; his granddaughters; and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Michael Alvin McCall, BA’49, of Nebo, N.C., Oct. 10, 2022. While serving in the Army during World War II, Mike studied in a premedical program at Vanderbilt. When the war ended, he applied to Duke University School of Medicine and was accepted although he was one quarter short of finishing his undergraduate degree. He earned his medical degree from Duke in 1952, completed his residency at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and in 1968 joined Broughton Hospital in Morganton. After retiring in 1997, he went on to work at the J. Iverson Riddle Center in Morganton and 21st Century Oncology in Marion. In 2013 he returned to the Vanderbilt campus with his family for a private ceremony at Kirkland Hall where he received his long-delayed undergraduate diploma. He is survived by his wife, seven children, 19 grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Mary Louisa Bartlum Walker, BA’49, of Gainesville, Fla., Sept. 22, 2022. Mary attended Randolph-Macon Women’s College before earning her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt. She and her husband, James W. Walker, moved to Jacksonville, Fla., after he completed medical school and pediatric residency. In 2007 they moved to a retirement community in Gainesville. She is survived by three sons, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and extended family.

Dorothy “Dot” Hailey Buchanan, BA’51, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., July 23, 2022. Dot lived briefly in Auburn, Ala., where she provided mathematical support to Buckminster Fuller’s original design calculation for his geodesic dome and to Wernher von Braun’s aerospace team at NASA. In Fort Walton Beach, she had a successful career in construction and real estate. She is survived by four children, James Buchanan, David Buchanan, Lanier Buchanan Cooper and Louise Buchanan McAdoo; sister Mary Anne Hailey Capeci, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Noel Preston Martin, BE’51, of Gallatin, Tenn., Jan. 13, 2023. Noel met his first wife, Elaine Warden, while he was at Vanderbilt and she was at Peabody; she died in 1979. He and his second wife, Margaret “Patsy” Carroll Martin, were devoted Vandy sports fans for more than 40 years. Noel and Patsy attended Saundersville Methodist Church and were youth leaders there. They were founding board members of The Jason Foundation. In 1966, Noel and Harold Boyd opened Boyd and Martin Electric in Gallatin, where for decades they worked as plumbing and HVAC contractors. An avid fisherman, he also enjoyed woodworking and was known for his hand-carved, hand-painted ducks, many of which were donated to charity auctions. He is survived by three children, a stepdaughter, eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Sarah Newman Shouse, BA’54, MA’68, of Huntsville, Ala., Nov. 21, 2022. At Vanderbilt, Sarah was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa honor society. In 1984 she earned her Ph.D. in history at Auburn University. She began her teaching career in 1954 at Avondale Elementary School in Atlanta and taught at Emory & Henry College in Virginia in the early 1960s. In 1965 she and her family moved to Fayetteville, Tenn., where her husband took a position as a pastor, and in 1968 she became a history professor at Alabama A&M in Huntsville. Her book Hillbilly Realist: Herman Clarence Nixon of Possum Trot was published in 1986 by the University of Alabama Press. She retired from Alabama A&M in 1994 and lived on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. She is survived by her husband, her three children, her grandson and a brother.

Dr. John B. Otis, BA’58, MD’62, of Tiger, Ga., Jan. 2, 2023. John graduated cum laude, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Tau Omega, and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed an internship in anatomical pathology at Vanderbilt University Hospital, a residency at Duke University Hospital and a fellowship at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was assistant director of the clinical laboratory at the National Institutes of Health and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service 1967–69. He entered private practice in the pathology department at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta in 1969, where he specialized in bone pathology. He retired in 1999. He is survived by his wife, Gail; his children, Stephanie Otis Petersen, BE’84, MD’88, son-in-law Eric Petersen, BE’84, Sharlene Martin, BE’86, John Otis Jr., Barrett Otis, Patrick Fairchild and Virginia Sewell; and his 17 grandchildren.

Gwendolyn “Gwen” Lapham Efird, BSN’59, of Little Rock, Ark., June 24, 2022. After earning her bachelor’s at Vanderbilt, Gwen worked as a hospital nurse. Her husband, Ernest Eugene “Gene” Efird, BDiv’60, served as pastor in small towns in Tennessee and Arkansas. Gwen joined the Little Rock School District as a school nurse in 1970 and became the first health services coordinator of a public school system in Arkansas. After earning her master’s in psychiatric nursing, she provided small-group experiences for children with mental health issues. She was health services coordinator for more than
30 years, and after her retirement continued to work with troubled teens. Her husband survived her for seven months. Her other survivors include her three children and four grandchildren.

James Scott Grigsby Jr., BE’59, of Leesburg, Va., Aug. 15, 2022. Upon graduating from Vanderbilt, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the nuclear weapons program. Scott was secretary-treasurer of the Southern States Industrial Council, later owned Tennessee Metal Works and retired in 2005. He was a member of the Nashville Rotary Club, Fellowship of Companies for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Gideons. He is survived by his wife, Glenda; two sons, James Scott Grigsby III and Glenn Garrett Grigsby; and six grandchildren.

Ernest Eugene “Gene” Efird, BDiv’60, of Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 8, 2023. Gene graduated from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., in 1955 and entered Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1956. Gene served as the pastor at Owen’s Chapel Methodist Church outside of Nashville for two years while he finished his studies and his wife, Gwendolyn Lapham Efird, BSN’59, worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In spring 1960, led by fellow divinity student James Lawson, Gene and other classmates joined the Nashville sit-ins to desegregate downtown lunch counters. After leaving Nashville in 1960, Gene served as pastor of various Methodist churches in Arkansas. He worked to create rehabilitative opportunities and expanded spiritual services for incarcerated men. He also was a part-time chaplain at the VA Medical Center. He is survived by his three children, his sister and four grandchildren.

Mark Eugene “Gene” Meadows, MA’60, of Charleston, S.C., July 8, 2022. Gene earned an Ed.D. at the University of Georgia. His academic career included positions at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Kennesaw State University and Virginia Commonwealth University, and he had a 26-year affiliation with Auburn University as professor and department head of counseling and counseling-psychology. After retiring with emeritus status from Auburn in 1995, he relocated to Charleston, S.C., and taught for several years at the Citadel. In addition to his academic appointments, Gene frequently served as a consultant to academic and governmental organizations and was a professional and civic leader. He is survived by two daughters and a son, four grandchildren and a brother.

Fred D. Hall, ’61, of Brentwood, Tenn., Oct. 8, 2022. Fred studied engineering at Vanderbilt. He served in the U.S. Air Force and became an electrical engineer with the Department of Defense, living and working all over the world. He is survived by his sister, five nieces, a nephew and sister-in-law Janell Glasgow-Hall, BA’72.

Elizabeth Ammons Light Harrell, BSN’62, of Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 16, 2022. She majored in nursing at Vanderbilt, and her first job was in the operating room at Vanderbilt Hospital. She then transitioned to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she worked for more than 35 years. She maintained contact with nursing classmates with an annual class letter. She is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Harrell and Kimberly Harrell. Her spirit lives on at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

David Thomas “Tom” Moody, BA’63, JD’66, of Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 14, 2022. As an undergraduate at Vanderbilt, Tom majored in mathematics, and as a law student he was chosen for Vanderbilt Law Review. After serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps, he became a partner at law firm Baker Botts in Houston. He moved to Jacksonville in 1982 and focused on bankruptcy law, handling the Chapter XI reorganization of the Charter Company. Tom is survived by his wife and two daughters, his brother, two grandchildren and two nephews.

Ronald Richard Bailey, BA’69, of Vero Beach, Fla., Dec. 1, 2021. Ron attended Vanderbilt on an ROTC scholarship and was awarded the ROTC Superior Cadet Decoration for 1968–69. He married Clarice Helms of Cordele, Ga., in 1972 after a tour of duty in Vietnam. Ron and Clarice enjoyed various assignments in the U.S. and England. Ron retired in Washington state after a distinguished 20-year career and began work in the real estate industry. While selling real estate, he regularly donated his time for various charitable causes. Through wise investments over their lifetimes, Ron and Clarice were able to travel the world observing nature and to establish a trust to make a sizable endowment to their favorite charity.

Marcia Nightingale Carlson, BSN’69, of Reston, Va., Jan. 29, 2023. Marcia graduated summa cum laude and was the Founder’s Medalist for the School of Nursing. Two weeks after graduation, she married Brian Carlson, BA’69, whom she had met at a freshman mixer. Marcia began her nursing career in the ICU at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. After her husband joined the Foreign Service, they were posted a year later to Caracas, Venezuela. As the family moved from assignment to assignment, Marcia worked in various capacities, from teacher in Belgrade and Embassy nurse in Sofia, to medical evacuation manager for the State Department in London and the Embassy nurse in Madrid. She worked in a variety of medical-related positions in Washington, including a telemedicine counselor and international medical emergency case manager for insurance companies. Marcia is survived by her husband, a daughter and a grandson.

Usama Abdulwadood Mugharbil, PhD’69, of Syosset, New York, Dec. 4, 2022. He was a former professor of biochemistry at the Lebanese University and the Beirut Arab University and head of the laboratories of Berbir Medical Center and Dar al Ajaza al Islamia. He also had been a research associate in the Department of Biochemistry at the American University of Beirut; a WHO expert in Aleppo, Syria; and director of clinical laboratories in Lebanese government hospitals. He had a fellowship at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He was secretary general of the Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Science and led the LAAS International Conference on Computer Simulation in 1995 and 1997. He participated in the Alzheimer’s Association Lebanon. He is survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren.

George William Schlossnagle Jr., BE’69, MS’72, PhD’75, of Baltimore, Md., April 21, 2022. He graduated from Vanderbilt in uniform as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served as an engineering officer on the USS Warbler during the Vietnam War and later as the engineering officer of the USS Norton Sound. He returned to Vanderbilt to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in bioenvironmental engineering and then transferred to the U.S. Air Force to continue his military career as an environmental engineer. He was a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. George retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 32 years of decorated military service and went on to work for the Department of Energy, where he was awarded the Distinguished Career Service Award. Survivors include his wife, Sherry Ezell Schlossnagle, BA’69, sons George William Schlossnagle III and Theo Ezell Schlossnagle, and five grandchildren.

Dayton Foster Hale Jr., BA’72, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Aug. 8, 2022. Dayton was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and active in Navy ROTC at Vanderbilt. He achieved the rank of lieutenant during four years of naval service after graduation, then he returned to his hometown of Tuscaloosa and earned a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law. He founded Hawkeye Oil and Gas Inc. with his father and brother and pioneered the development of coalbed methane in Alabama, working for 40 years in the oil and gas business that he loved. Survivors include his wife; two children, including Dayton F. Hale III, BA’06; five grandchildren, a sister and a brother.

Laurens Arthur “Art” Blankers, MLS’74, of Owatonna, Minn., Oct. 25, 2022. Art earned a bachelor’s in music education from Iowa State Teachers College in 1955. He was drafted into the army in 1956 and was assigned to the 55th Army Band. He earned a master’s in music education from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1969 and a master of library science from Peabody College in 1974. In Nashville he typeset music for Nashville publishers, played alto clarinet for the Nashville Community Band and directed the Nashville Community Orchestra. He helped found the National School Orchestra Association and served on its board, evaluating all scores of music published for school orchestras. In July 2017 he moved to Owatonna, where he was a member of the Owatonna Symphony and the Owatonna Community Band. He is survived by two brothers and several nieces and nephews.

Colby Shannon Morgan Jr., JD’74, of Memphis, Tenn., May 24, 2022. After earning a law degree at Vanderbilt, Colby began a legal career that included the Jackson Lewis national labor and employment law firm, the FedEx and Holiday Corp. legal departments and private practices in New York and Memphis, including Apperson Crump. During 22 years at FedEx, Colby received awards for his litigation success. He was admitted to practice law in New York and Tennessee, 15 federal district courts, seven U.S. Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court. He served on the boards of Latino Memphis, the National Hispanic Professional Organization and others. He is survived by his wife, one daughter, two sons, including Jeffrey Michael Morgan, BA’04, four grandchildren and four siblings.

Mary Lynn Morrill Moser, BA’74, of Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 21, 2022. Mary Lynn majored in economics at Vanderbilt, worked for three years for Eastman Chemical and then earned an MBA from Indiana University. She went to Charlotte in 1979 to work for NCNB, the forerunner to Bank of America. In her 27-year career there, she became a senior vice president and managing director in Bank of America’s syndicated capital markets business. In retirement she was on the board of directors of Raymond James Bank for 10 years and chaired its audit committee. She served on the board of Mary’s Meals USA, which provides meals in school to children in developing countries, and she volunteered at New Horizons of Southwest Florida, which helps migrant children with their homework. She is survived by her husband and two sisters.

Sharon “Lolli’ Robinson Bonte, BA’75, of Manchester, N.H., Nov. 22, 2022. At Vanderbilt, Lolli was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and majored in mathematics. She earned a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Before retiring, she had been a teacher at Manchester West High School for 20 years. Previously she had worked as an actuary for various insurance companies. She enjoyed music, the theater and the symphony, but her greatest passion was everything “West High School.” Lolli was predeceased by her daughter Stephanie Bonte in 2017. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Andre “Duncan” Bonte, their son Zachary Bonte, daughter-in-law Angelina and sister Linda Klinger.