ISSUE 24 H SPRING 2016
ALUMNI EXPERTISE … Several Vanderbilt Student Media alumni share their expertise with student journalists … see page 6 and 8.
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Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame 2016 Induction Ceremony scheduled for Oct. 21
The 2016 class of Hall of Famers will be inducted 3-4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Student Media Reunion and 2016 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the John Seigenthaler Center, located near the corner of 18th and Edgehill avenues on the Peabody campus. Reception to follow ceremony. Limited seating is available, so please let us know if you plan to attend by visiting vandymedia.org. We hope to see you on Oct. 21.
NOMINATE ALUMNI FOR HALL OF FAME If you or someone you know would be a great addition to the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame, please email nominations to selection committee chair Paige Clancy at paige.clancy@vanderbilt.edu. Nominations ideally should include a brief description of the nominee’s participation in student media, class year and details of personal and/or professional accomplishments.
HALL OF FAME CRITERIA To be considered for induction in the Hall of Fame, candidates must meet the following criteria. Candidates are not required to be currently working in journalism or the media. • Last worked with Vanderbilt Student Media as a student staff member at least 10 years prior to their potential Hall of Fame induction date; • Contributed in a significant way as a staff member to one or more of Vanderbilt’s print or electronic student media organizations; • Distinguished themselves through their work and acts at a level that merits recognition of the highest honor bestowed by Vanderbilt Student Media.
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VANESSA B. BEASLEY
ALUMNI
NEW ALUMNI DIRECTOR
ALUMNI UPDATES
Emily Maggart, BA’03, M.Ed’11, named Director of Development … page 2
A publication for alumni of student media at Vanderbilt University
PLEASE JOIN US!
DEVELOPMENT
ANDREW MARANISS
Several of your former staff members and classmates give a glimpse into their lives since Vanderbilt … page 3 Cierra Lockett, 2014 see page 5…
PAT NOLAN
WENDELL (SONNY) RAWLS JR.
THE CLASS OF 2016 Four alumni to join Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame in 2016
by Ann Marie Deer Owens (BA'76) The newest members of the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame include a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a public relations executive and political analyst, a Vanderbilt dean, and the author of a New York Times bestseller on sports and civil rights pioneer Perry Wallace. Selected for the 2016 class are Vanessa B. Beasley, Andrew Maraniss, Pat Nolan and Wendell (Sonny) Rawls Jr. A ceremony and reception to honor the inductees will be held during Vanderbilt Reunion Oct. 21 at the John Seigenthaler Center. This marks the seventh class of the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame. To be selected, Vanderbilt alumni must have demonstrated leadership in student media and then distinguished themselves in their careers.
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VANESSA B. BEASLEY Beasley, dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and an associate professor of communication studies, grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and came to Vanderbilt as a first-year student in 1984. She had been the editor of her student newspaper in high school, but wanted to explore different media in college. "I joined the news team at WRVU and added my name to the wait list to be a disc jockey," Beasley said. She met her future spouse, Trey
Beasley, at WRVU. "I was into REM, the Ramones and other bands coming out of the college scene," she said. "The radio station provided some extra space for me to be creative. I encourage our students 'to try different voices' while they have the opportunity." Beasley served as secretary for the student media board her junior year. "I learned valuable lessons about managing volunteers for a nonprofit organization and conducting board meetings," she said. Beasley earned her bachelor of arts in speech communication and theatre arts in 1988 and went on to the University of Texas, where she received a doctorate in speech communication. She taught at Texas A&M University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Georgia before coming "home" to Vanderbilt's Department of Communication Studies in 2007. Media was an important part of her life in college and that has continued in her research, with a focus on race, gender and diversity in U.S. political rhetoric. She is the author of Who Belongs in America? Presidents, Rhetoric and Immigration and You, the People: American National Identity in Presidential Rhetoric: 1885-2000. One of the courses she teaches, "Mass Media and Politics," looks at the business of media, which she said is especially appropriate this election cycle. In 2015, she led a new Maymester course that she created in partnership with Queen's University, Belfast, to explore the comparative, transnational
understanding of the civil rights movements in the southern United States and in Belfast in the 1950s and 60s. Also in 2015, Beasley was named dean of the Ingram Commons, where she serves as the academic leader, mentor and senior administrator of the first-year experience at Vanderbilt. "I didn't feel like I fit in when I arrived here as a student, so I think it's really important that our exceptionally talented faculty and staff across campus strive to meet students 'where they are' when they in the transition from high school to college," Beasley said. "That's why I am so committed to helping every incoming student find his or her place on our campus." Beasley is joined in the Dean's Residence on campus by her husband, Trey, who is assistant vice chancellor for treasury and university treasurer, and their two sons.
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ANDREW MARANISS One of the requirements for all firstyear Vanderbilt students is the Commons Reading—a text that all students receive by mail and are expected to read over the summer prior to their first semester. The undergraduate Class of 2020 will read Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South (Vanderbilt University Press, December HALL OF FAME, continued on page 6
Olney pays it forward in sports journalism education by Ben Weinrib
Olney offers his time and expertise to students during VSC's Sports Reporting Workshop in 2016. photo by Ziyi Liu
Visiting Nashville is a homecoming of sorts for Buster Olney. Although he grew up in Vermont, which he still sees as his true home, and currently lives outside of New York City, Nashville has a special place in the ESPN reporter’s heart. It’s the city in which he went to college, the city in which he started
his journalistic career and much more. Olney makes sure to visit every year, whether it be the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, which have come two of the past four years, or just a trip to meet up with old friends. “I’m a Vermonter,” Olney says. “But I always tell people that if I get OLNEY, continued on page 5
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staff update
development…
Welcome, Emily
New leadership in development
The newest addition to the Student Media staff is no stranger to Vanderbilt. Emily Maggart (BS’03, MEd'11) recently joined Student Media as its director of development. Maggart replaced Brian McGuire, Student Media’s first director of development, who left in the spring to pursue another opportunity. Maggart previously served as director of development for Vanderbilt's College of Arts and Science and Vanderbilt Libraries, and her experience includes working as a development officer for both Tulane University Emily Maggart and Loyola University. Maggart’s Director of Development first job in higher education was at Vanderbilt’s office of Alumni Relations, where she worked with alumni chapters and university volunteers across the country. Chris Carroll, director of Student Media, said Maggart’s fundraising expertise and long history with the university position her to successfully lead Student Media’s development efforts. “We’re thrilled to have Emily join our team,” Carroll said. “Student Media’s programs and student participation are growing every year, and it’s critical to expand development in support of that growth.” The new role for Maggart has led to many new connections with alumni. “As an alum of Vanderbilt, I am excited to be working with Student Media, a group that so far has proven to be very passionate and involved in something life-changing here in the Tunnel. After spending the last seven years in Vanderbilt development, I look forward to connecting with our media alumni across the country,” Maggart said. “Most of our alumni don’t realize that Vanderbilt Student Communications is a separate, not-for-profit entity, so a big part of my job is to educate on the importance of giving to our program in order to benefit the students that use our resources day in and day out.” As a Vanderbilt student, Maggart earned a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in French and Human and Organizational Development and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration with a focus in Institutional Advancement.
Jeffrey A. Greenberg
Anna Butrico
Roshan Poudel
Allie Gross
Greenberg named inaugural Stephen A. Caldwell Leadership Award winner Jeffrey A. Greenberg, an A&S junior, was named the inaugural winner of Vanderbilt Student Media’s Stephen A. Caldwell Leadership Award during an awards ceremony held April 21 at The John Seigenthaler Center. The award was created this spring by the Vanderbilt Student Communications board of directors to honor Caldwell’s “many years of wise guidance, advocacy and support of students and staff engaged in media at Vanderbilt.” Caldwell served more than 25 years in an ex-officio role as the Dean of Students’ representative on the VSC board of directors, until his retirement in April. The Stephen A. Caldwell Leadership Award will be presented annually to an outstanding student media division leader whose performance reflects Dean Caldwell’s vision, integrity, and commitment to excellence. The award carries a $250 cash prize, and the winner’s name will be engraved on a permanent display within the Sarratt Student Center. As Station Manager of VandyRadio, Greenberg increased the radio station’s student staff from 20 to 60 members, grew programming to a diverse array of 40 unique shows, collaborated with multiple
university departments and student organizations, and generally raised awareness of the station that aims to be “the soundtrack of campus life.” An example of the qualities that made Greenberg an ideal candidate to receive the award bearing Dean Caldwell’s name, is this from a peer recommendation: “Jeff is a great and caring friend to those around him. He is inviting and inclusive to all those around him and this shows in the way he carries himself as the Station Manager. His commitment to classwork, his friends, and his extra curricular activities is exemplary and demonstrates what a great leader he is.” Greenberg was recently selected by the VSC board to continue in his role as VandyRadio station manager during for 2016-17. “Through the years Steve Caldwell has done so much to support VSC, it is difficult to adequately express our appreciation or demonstrate how much his contributions have meant to the students,” said Chris Carroll, director of student media. “I hope this award, which will honor Steve’s service in perpetuity, in some small way conveys our heartfelt gratitude.”
Butrico wins first Jim Leeson Prize Anna Butrico, a sophomore journalist who launched the audio series This Vanderbilt Life, received The Jim Leeson Prize and was the first recipient of the honor. The annual prize is awarded to the Vanderbilt student journalist who best exemplifies the value of fairness and impartiality in reporting. It is named for Jim Leeson, journalist and teacher who was the consultant journalist at VSC in the 1970s and 1980s. Having worked as a web editor for The
Vanderbilt Hustler but with no previous audio editing experience, Butrico worked with advisers at Student Media to learn how to use the necessary equipment and software to create installments of This Vanderbilt Life. The audio series played on VandyRadio and was posted to VanderbiltHustler. com. It featured the voices of many Vanderbilt students, addressing issues of sexual consent on campus and access to support for survivors of sexual assault.
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H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H Please consider making a gift of any size to
Vanderbilt Student Media
Visit us online today
vandymedia.org
Gross named Alexander Award recipient Allie Gross, editor in chief of The Vanderbilt Hustler, was awarded the Charles Forrest Alexander Award in Journalism for leading the newspaper staff to cover issues on campus such as sexual assault, the Vanderbilt rape trials, diversity issues, student government controversies, and the history of the LGBT community at Vanderbilt. This prestigious award is presented annually to a student who has achieved distinction in Vanderbilt
student journalistic projects. A member of her staff said of Gross, “When the field of journalism is often experimental, a student newspaper needs a leader who can both pay attention to the old and respected forms of the craft, while simultaneously bearing flexibility and an eagerness to experiment and try new things. Allie has achieved all of this, and has gone beyond the expectations for the Hustler editor in chief.”
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tunnel vision Tunnel Vision is published by Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc.
Edited by: Chris Carroll and Paige Clancy Stories by: Chris Carroll, Paige Clancy, Vibhu Krishna Ann Marie Deer Owens and Ben Weinrib Layout and Design by: Jeff Breaux
Poudel named WRVU annual award winner Roshan Poudel, who served this year as WRVU’s program director and supervisor of the WRVU music blog, received The WRVU Award for Dedication to Excellence in Radio because of his success increasing the station’s presence as both a radio station and a source for music discussion. The award was endowed in 2007 by former WRVU GM Dr. Jamie Noble, and is presented annually
to an undergraduate Vanderbilt student who is a current WRVU DJ, a member of the executive staff and one who has shown excellence beyond expectations for their position in their dedication to WRVU either in listenership, programming, music education of the public, engineering or financial support.
Printed by: Franklin Web Printing, Co. Please send address updates via mail, phone, fax or e-mail to: Vanderbilt Student Communications Attn: Alumni Mailing List 2301 Vanderbilt Place • VU Station B 351669 Nashville, TN 37235 615-322-7166 (p)
emily.maggart@vanderbilt.edu www.vandymedia.org
New Student Media Awards introduced Student Media launched four new annual awards to honor top student staff members and student leaders. The following awards were given:
Rookie of the Year - Cutler Klein Innovator Award - Max Herz and Robbie Weinstein Most Valuable Player - Viktoria Hallikäär
Issue 24 • SPRING 2016
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alumni updates…
A glimpse into a few lives that helped shape student media at Vandy 1958 Barbara Putman Erdman H B.A., 1958 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Erdman lives in Roswell, GA, and said: I was the Society Editor of The Hustler in 1957 and 1958 when Lee Callaway was editor. In Miami, FL, my hometown, I owned the Blue Book Publishing Company for 17 years and published the Social Register of Greater Miami, established in 1928. I continue to do freelance writing and editing. I retired to Roswell, GA, to be near family and stay active with three book clubs and enjoying life! Always looking forward to visitors -come on down!
1960 Chuck Nord H B.A., 1960 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Publications Board) Nord lives in Nashville, TN, and said: Enjoying the experience of living in modern-day Nashville. It certainly has changed since the late 1950s. I served as editor of the Hustler in 1959-60, and one of my tasks each Thursday evening was to drive downtown to Benson Printing Company (which printed the Hustler) and, with a copy editor, proofread the entire paper. I would park my car right outside the Benson Printing entrance on Fourth Avenue North, less than a block from Broadway. Never had a problem finding a parking space: downtown Nashville mostly went to sleep after 6 p.m. back then, and for many years thereafter. The Benson Printing site is now occupied by that Nashville icon, the AT&T "Batman Building." In recent years, I have had a client headquartered in that building, and on my visits there I enter the underground parking garage, approximately where the old composing room was located at Benson Printing.
1963 Roy Blount Jr H B.A., 1963 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Spectrum) Blount lives in New Orleans, LA, and said: My book Save Room for Pie published March 15, and I've been named to the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
1965 Olin West, III H B.A., 1965
firm's pro bono program and later on my own as a volunteer, I became involved in international pro bono work through Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB), International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), Soros Open Society, World Justice Project (WJP) and the Vance Center of the NY City Bar Association (Vance). I serve on the Board of LWOB and as its Vice Chairman. This work is outside the US and affords me travel to countries like Ethiopia, Myanmar, Namibia, Palestine, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan and Turkey. My special interests include international human rights, justice system reform and rule of law. Recently, I have been doing trial observations in Namibia and Senegal and law reform in Myanmar. Having lived in Paris since 2007, I am active in The American Cathedral, a member of the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad France and deeply involved in the American Library where my wife is the Chairman. I lead a book group on Slavery and Race in America. I am a committed opera fan and serve as a Trustee of the Glimmerglass Opera Festival in Cooperstown, New York. We have been a dual-career family. My wife, Mary Lee (Class of ’67), was a career executive with IBM rising to Corporate Vice President. She retired from IBM China in Beijing and became Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Our only daughter, Brantley Turner-Bradley, son-in-law and three grandchildren (Zander 7, Logan 4 and Maclane 2) live in Shanghai, China.
1971 John A. Williamson H B.S., 1971 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Williamson lives in Birmingham, AL, and said: Lex and Mary looking forward to our 45th reunion. Lex is retired from Northwestern Mutual. We are enjoying 11 grandchildren and 14 chickens. Involved in many ministries such as Young Life, Church Resource Ministries and hope to travel with some. Laurence A. Bradley H B.A, 1971, Ph.D., 1975 (WRVU) Bradley lives in Mountain Brook, AL, and said: Getting ready for a trip to Puget Sound with my wife Virginia and her geriatrician colleagues from UAB who will work on their research. Then Virginia and I go to Spain for a week with 2 rheumatologists (UAB and Manchester UK) with whom I work to give talks on knee/hip osteoarthritis primarily to European rheumatologists. Then we will have great times in Alicante and Barcelona, Spain! Vamonos!
1972
West: Taken at Florence, Italy, at a wonderful restaurant, with my family.
(The Vanderbilt Hustler) West lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I loved VU so much that I had too much fun at the Kappa Sigma House, working on the Hustler and several other non-scholastic matters that caused Dean Bingham to evict me from the final couple of months as business manager of the Hustler. It got my attention, but I still have many fond memories of my entire experience at Vanderbilt. Thomas Barber H B.A., 1965 (WRVU) Barber lives in Albuquerque, NM, and said: Peggy and I have moved from Houston, TX, to Albuquerque, NM. We are still a sea of boxes, but each day empties a few more and gets the place looking like someone lives here! Looking forward to the sights and sounds of New Mexico!
1966 Margaret Johnson Tarpley H B.A., MLS, 1966 (WRVU) Tarpley lives in Nashville, TN, and said: Been on the Vanderbilt faculty in surgery education since 2001 and will be transitioning in July with my husband John Tarpley to Africa-first to Kenya and then Rwanda--to work in surgery education with general surgery training programs there. Have 3 married sons (the oldest VU Class of '92) and 4 grandchildren, ages 2 1/2 to 8. Edward L. Turner H B.A., J.D., 1966 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Spectrum) Turner lives in New York, NY, and said: First in my law
Sara Stoffel Doan H B.S. in Nursing, 1972 (Commodore yearbook) Doan lives in Rocky River, OH, and said: After graduation in 1972, I worked for the Dept. of Defense in the Philippines, where I was a school nurse for dependent children at Subic Bay Naval Base. My husband was stationed there for two years during the Viet Nam war. My husband was then transferred to San Francisco where I worked on a pediatric cardiology unit at Presbyterian Hospital. When my husband's Navy commitment ended we returned to our home in Rocky River, Ohio. I have retired from the Cleveland Clinic Health System, where I had the opportunity to work in many interesting and challenging departments. We have raised three terrific daughters and have 4 super grandchildren! Working on the Commodore at Vanderbilt was fun. I am thankful that I was briefly part of Vanderbilt Student Media! Walter Brown Potter H B.A., 1972 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Potter lives in Falls Church, VA, and said: In April, I presented to the 2016 Walter B. Potter Sr. Conference at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. This gathering was the latest in a series of conferences that aim to help community newspapers adapt to new technology. My presentation (https://potter.rjionline.org/ ideas/category/potter2016/walt-potter-thepotter-listening-tour-parts-i-ii) detailed my tours last year and this year of weekly community newspapers to learn in person about their new technology efforts. In 2010, I established a fund at the J-School to finance these and other efforts to help community newspapers like the one I grew up on in Culpeper, Va.
1973 Patrick Joseph Nolan, III H B.A., 1973 (WRVU, Commodore yearbook, VSC Board member) Nolan, lives in Nashville, TN, and
Bo Carter
for the National Football Foundation in Irving, Texas. He is also tri-editor of the new book about the life and stories of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean with the late Gene Kirby, Mark McDonald and Sara Kirby-Burke.
1976 Nolan and Tennessee U.S. Senator Bob Corker on NewsChannel5 Plus.
said: This October marks my 25th anniversary working with DVL Seigenthaler, Tennessee's largest Public Relations firm and one of the largest in the Southeast. We are a Finn Partners Company with world wide capabilities through other Finn Partner agencies across the country and around the globe. I am continuing my work as the on-air political analyst for NEWSCHANNEL5, WTVF-TV, the CBS affiliate in Nashville. I first began at the station 41 years ago as a reporter and continue to write (16 years) a weekly political column entitled "Capitol View" for the station's website. I also host (for 10 years now) a weekly political interview show on the station's cable outlet, NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS. One of my most recent guests is Tennessee U.S. Senator Bob Corker. But my greatest enjoyments in life are my wife (Betty Lee Nolan, AS '73), my two children (including Katie Nolan Rosenhagen, A&S 2001, MA Nursing, 2002) and my soon to be three grandchildren! Dan C. Prince H B.A., 1973 (Versus magazine) Prince lives in Nashville,TN, and said: I have as a mini ''labor of love'' care taking my friend Hiatt's farm - which many of you know as Jim Leeson's Coverbridge Farm. It is currently for sale and for everyone who went to VSC parties there you remember it as a great place! Otherwise, I place data of all sorts in Self Taught Artist Resources ( STAR) an archive housed at Special Collections, Heard Library (Central) at V.U. This is follow up to my initial writing and editing of Versus, subsequent publishing, collecting, and curating exhibits. Always looking for not only Self Taught artists, but folk art, and Outsider genre. Happy to be back in Nashville. Louis Michael Anzek (St John) H B.A., 1973 (WRVU) Anzek (St John) lives in Arab, AL, and said: Michael St John has hooked up with an old friend, Steve Sudbury to purchase WTNK AM/FM - Trousdale County's ONLY Radio Stations Anzek -licensed to Hartsville TN. The format was changed to "The Greatest Hits of All Time" and the moniker "FUN 93-5 FM / 1090 AM" was adopted. Michael and wife Melanie have owned FUN Media Group Inc for nearly 20 years operating WAFN-FM (FUN 92-7) Arab/Huntsville AL. The station also streams 24/7 at www.funradiotn.com. David Rapp H B.A., 1973 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Rapp lives in Washington, DC, and said: David Rapp, former editor and chief content officer of CQ Roll Call, and a former Grantland Rice Scholar (1969), is writing a cultural history of America and baseball at the turn of the 19th-20th century, through the prism of the 1908 Chicago Cubs and their Hall-of-Fame infield of (Joe) Tinker, to (Johnny) Evers, to (Frank) Chance. It's scheduled for publication by the University of Chicago Press in Spring 2018.
1974 Ann Carroll H B.A., 1974 (WRVU) Carroll lives in Annapolis, MD, and said: Ann Carroll (Producer, Writer) is just finishing a film that highlights the crisis facing coral reefs, entitled "Coral Reefs: Trouble in Paradise." It focuses on the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and the efforts of a group of scientists who are studying reefs around the world, supported by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. The Foundation also seeks to educate people about the plight of the coral reefs. Check it out online! Bo Turner Carter H B.A., 1974 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook) Carter lives in Carrollton, TX, and said: Bo Carter continues to serve as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Texas and a consultant
Theo F.K. Baker H B.A., 1976 (Publication Board) Baker lives in Newark, DE, and said: Banking/Finance Career. Master/ Int'l Business (Univ South Carolina, 1979).
1977
Gass
Carlton S. Gass H Ph.D., 1977 (Commodore yearbook) Gass lives in Tallahassee, FL, and said: I have accepted a position as neuropsychologist in the Neuroscience Division at the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Center in Tallahassee, Florida.
1978 Will Akers H B.S., 1978 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine) Akers lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and said: Taught filmmaking and screenwriting at VU for 19 years. Four years ago, made the journey down the road to Belmont to start their filmmaking program, Akers which now has 140 majors, a sound stage, 250 seat mix theater, post audio, and lots of other toys. It's been fun. I keep up with lots of my Vandy students, which is wonderful. My screenwriting book, Your Screenplay Sucks! just came out in Chinese and my (very dark, wickedly funny) children's book, Mrs. Ravenbach's Way, was published in early 2016 by Regan Arts in New York. It's about a fourth grade boy's war with his homeroom teacher. Working on a couple of filmmaking books and the novel's sequel, about the same little boy's battle with the world's worst baseball coach. Consequently, for research, I'm going to a LOT of Little League games! Daniel Michael Gray H B.A., 1978 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, Versus magazine) Gray lives in Falls Church, VA, and said: Although I did almost zero electronic media at VU, except for Bart Grooms's gracious invite to his Sunday night jazz show senior year, I have done quite a bit the last two decades. I try to stay off legal topics, in hopes of keeping the audience interested at all times. Did a one hour public affairs show on a Seattle station from '92 Houston GOP convention, a one hour Baltimore TV show in '95 with Congressman/ NAACP chair Kweisi Mfumei, a 2002 radio show with DC public affairs maven Kojo Nmamdi, and several radio sports shows with my friend, Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall. We talk baseball for one hour at a time on some of these, and sometimes work in some horse racing and hoops. I did a weekly football forecasting show on 560 AM Memphis during 2013 where I focused on the semiprofessional SEC.
1979 David Collins Peeples H B.A., 1979 (Versus magazine) Peeples lives in West Memphis, AR, and said: I am completing my 30th year as City Attorney for the City of West Memphis, Arkansas.
1981 Lewis Schmidt H B.S., 1981 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Schmidt lives in New Orleans, LA, and said: Lewis has had his first chapbook of poetry, "Random Skylines," published by Simpatico Poets Press, April 2016. He has had poems published previously in 'Words of Fire' a 2003 anthology of the New Orleans, Dragon's Den, poetry series, and in the
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alumni updates… on-line e-zine "Big Bridge #14: Crescent City Sturm und Drang." He was the managing editor for the "New Laurel Review, Anthology vol. XXII, 2004," a New Orleans based independent nonprofit literary journal.
1982
Jill Panagos
Jill Faustini Panagos H B.S., 1982 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Panagos lives in Houston, TX, and said: I am an employment law trial attorney in Houston, Texas, where I live with my 15 year old daughter Daphne.
Matthew Harris Kisber H B.A., 1982 (VSC Board member) Kisber lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I am currently a founder and President & CEO of Silicon Ranch Corporation. Silicon Ranch is a solar independent power producer serving Matthew Kisber companies and utilities with clean, renewable solar generated electricity. Silicon Ranch is one of the 15 top solar developers-owners-operators in the United States. David Goldstein H B.A., 1982 (WRVU) Goldstein lives in London, UK, and said: Currently posted to London as a Foreign Service Officer after two years in Canberra, Australia, and a year in Iraq. Carolyn Yamasaki Santo H B.S., 1982 (Versus magazine) Santo lives in Kailua, HI.
1983 Daniel Hardon Monroe H B.A., 1983 (Versus magazine, The Vanderbilt Review) Monroe lives in Birmingham, AL, and said: The last few years have been good ones, if confoundingly busy. The company I co-founded, Cayenne Creative, has grown as if untended Kudzu. We just turned 12 and are up to about 30 folks as of this writing. It feels good – seeing a lifestyle company come of age by doing work that makes you proud. But, my real accomplishment (well, mine and my wife, Pam's) is my son, Sam, who just finished his second year at Vanderbilt as a mechanical engineering major. The poet in me is baffled. Clearly the engineer gene skips a generation; after all, my father was an ME from Ga. Tech. (He did Daniel Monroe redeem himself with an MBA from the Owen School of Management.) It has been a trip visiting campus to see Sam – a trip down memory lane at times, a trip into what was an unforeseeable future in '83 at others. The tunnel is no longer recognizable to me. There is no Versus. I wonder where the ghost of Jim Leeson haunts, as he too must find it fantastical and alien. But, I still recognize the tree underneath which a year-long writer's block left me in a flurry of words one February. I still remember what it was like to sit on the ledge outside my room at McGill with the Reggae festival burning in front of me. I still could identify the building where I took the class on the transcendental poets from Vereen Bell, and didn't pay attention – a regret I feel sharply to this day. So, I find myself both comforted and awed by the Vanderbilt of now. And pretty darned thankful for what it has prepared me to accomplish, despite my lack of commitment as an undergrad.
1984 Antonio Vladeslav Kalecheff H B.S., 1984 (Commodore yearbook) Kalecheff lives in Caracas, Miranda, and said: I am currently managing partner and co-founder at Global Antonio Kalecheff Human Resources Solutions, a human resources consulting firm serving clients in Venezuela and Latin American countries.
1985 Robert Franke H B.A., 1985 (Versus magazine, Commodore yearbook) Franke lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I am still a screenwriter in Film/Television represented by United Talent Agency in all media. In addition, I am an adjunct professor at Lipscomb University's new Film and Media Program teaching Screenwriting to graduate students.
1988 Clark Parsons H B.A., 1988 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, Versus magazine) Parsons lives in Berlin, Germany, and said: After 7 years of building and leading the Berlin School of Creative Clark Parsons Leadership, I have taken a new position as Managing Director of a new think tank in Berlin, the Internet Economy Foundation: www.ie.foundation. We're working to help Europe digitalize its economy and build a more unified single digital market. Please look me up and say hi if you're ever in booming Berlin.
1989 Marlena Sylvia McClure H B.S., 1989 (WRVU) McClure lives in Nashville, TN, and said: Working at Cumberland Heights in Nashville. Except 2 weeks every April Marlena McClure when I break to work at the Nashville Film Festival. Attending grad school for an MSW hopefully in 2018.
1990
consulting in IT, HR, and marketing, I've divulged into the world of real estate! I absolutely love working on a top-producing team at Keller Williams with long-time friends I grew up with here in The Woodlands, Texas! My son just finished his second year at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and my daughter will be a junior at The Woodlands High School this fall. Both are athletic standouts and make me proud! I'm grateful for my Vanderbilt communication experience as it has certainly been a foundation for getting through the roller coaster of life. The power of influence…oh how mighty it is!! (wink) I pray everyone is doing well and making the most of their lives!
1992 Serdar Uckun H Ph.D., 1992 (Versus magazine) Uckun lives in Cambridge, MA. David York H B.A., 1992 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) York lives in Brookfield, WI.
1993 Laura Creekmore H B.A., 1993 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Creekmore lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I joined the board of directors of the Association of Junior Leagues International at the beginning of June. I am excited to serve the 291 member Leagues (with 150,000 individual members) over my 3-year term, and I hope I'll get to see some Vanderbilt
Howlin' Ray's designed by Preen, Inc.
1997 Heather Ebert H B.A., 1997 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook) Ebert lives in Brentwood, TN, and said: My professional writing business has continued to flourish, and I finished my second book in April. This most recent co-authored memoir tells how a young woman who survived a brutal attack by a serial killer finds healing and redemption over the years that follow. In between client projects, I'm working on a novel inspired by the true story of a mother and daughter both wrongfully committed to the same insane asylum by their family in 1930s New Jersey. You can find me online at heatherebert.com.
Heather Ebert (center) with her beloved nieces and nephew, Christmas 2015
Laura Creekmore
friends when board meetings occasionally have me traveling to other cities. This fall will mark 8 years of owning my own business, working with organizations to understand their audience, develop strategies to use content effectively in products and in marketing, and implement the technology and operational plans to make it happen. Creek Content works with healthcare and other highly regulated industries to communicate effectively.
Michael Brill H B.S., MEd, 1997 (WRVU, Vanderbilt Television) Brill lives in Pacifica, CA, and said: Engaged! Getting married on Dec 31, 2016 in the Caribbean!
1996 J. Ryan Underwood H B.A., 1996 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Underwood lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I've just finished my full first year as editor of Vanderbilt Magazine and have since added the position of editor of Vanderbilt Business Magazine (Owen). I'm always looking for great VSC alumni writers, illustrators, and photographers. Please drop me a line if you're interested, ryan.underwood@ vanderbilt.edu.
Michael Brill and Valeri Godden
Karen Vaughan McManus H B.A., 1990 (WRVU) McManus lives in Germantown, TN, and said: In March, I left my litigation practice at FedEx Express to join FedEx Trade Networks, where I practice employment and corporate law.
1990 Kevin H. Brown H B.A., 1990 (Interhall) Brown lives in New York, NY, and said: Moved to NY last year to be at company HQ. Missing friend & fam in ATL but NY has been terrific.
Mary Jean, Robyn, Nicholas and Michael Bruno
Brandi Jackson Scott H B.A., 1990 (VSC Board member) Scott lives in The Woodlands, TX, and said: After a decade of
Vanderbilt Magazine Spring 2016 cover, edited by J. Ryan Underwood
James Gilland H B.E., 1983 (Versus magazine) Gilland lives in Bay Village, OH, and said: Actually a rocket scientist in Cleveland, but one who draws during meetings and uses clauses in his technical papers. And draws pictures for his two small children. Sterling, Brandi, & Skylar Scott - Mother's Day 2016
Alexis Readinger H B.A., 1996 (Commodore yearbook, The Vanderbilt Review, Sarratt Visual Arts Gallery) Readinger lives in Los Angeles, CA, and said: I have an international award winning design firm in LA called Preen, Inc. We work on projects around the globe and just wrapped design on one that is close to home and heart. Introducing the hot and trending Howlin' Ray's Nashville hot chicken in LA for Chef Johnny Ray Zone.
Michael Bruno H B.A., 1997 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook, Vanderbilt Television) Bruno lives in Arlington, VA, and said: Our daughter Robyn was born July 2015, making for a perfect of family of four. Big brother Nicholas is delighted with his acolyte. I remain in Washington, D.C., as senior business editor and content manager for Aviation Week & Space Technology. Every year that goes by I miss my Vandy friends a little more and I hope they are all doing well. Call out to Godfather Langdon Shoop (1997).
2002 Chad Wilcox H B.A., M.Ed., 2002 (The Torch, VSC Board member) Wilcox lives in London, United Kingdom.
2003 Adam Cirucci H B.A., 2003
Issue 24 • SPRING 2016
(The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine) Cirucci lives in West Chester, PA, and said: Adam Cirucci received his M.A. in English from West Chester University. His thesis, "Fathers and Daughters in Short Fiction: Traversing Coming of Age and Middle Age," received rare, unanimous approval on first reading from the Master's thesis committee.
2005 Aaron Kraft H B.A., 2005 (Orbis, Spoon magazine) Kraft lives in Minneapolis, MN, and said: I was recently promoted to Six Sigma Master Black Belt at Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group. My son Eli celebrated his 2nd birthday. And, we made it back to campus for my 10 year reunion. It was great catching up with Chris, Jeff, and the other members of VSC, and seeing how far things have come since I was student!
Aaron, Jessica, and Eli visit campus for Reunion 2015
2006 Gosha Khuchua H B.A., 2006 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, VSC Board member) Khuchua lives in Santa Monica, CA, and said: After a three year stint in London, working for Neo@Ogilvy, Gosha moved to Los Angeles to take up a role as the head of programmatic media at Ticketmaster.
2011 Hannah Twillman H B.S., 2011 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, InsideVandy.com) Twillman lives in Baton Rouge, LA, and said: I've lived in Baton Rouge for the past five years since moving here in 2011 to join Teach For America. After teaching at my placement school for four years, I joined the founding team for Democracy Prep Baton Rouge, where we just finished our first year. Next year I'm excited to continue teaching 6th grade at DPBR and take
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on the role of middle school English Language Arts department chair. Justin Barisich H B.A. B.S., 2011 (The Slant, The Vanderbilt Review) Barisich lives in Atlanta, GA, and said: Since founding his own freelance writing company, Little Writing Man, in 2013, Justin has worked in numerous writing and editing capacities for various companies and publications. He has served as a Blogger, Copywriter, and Community Ambassador for the tech start-up Wannado; as a Staff Writer, Copyeditor, and PR Specialist for the arts and culture magazine NATIVE; as a Travel Writer for Gogobot; as a Novel Reviewer Justin Barisich for BookPage; and as a (Photo by Dwayne Freelance Writer for Single Boyd Photography) Grain, CrowdEndowed, and Creelio digital marketing companies. Since February of 2016, Justin has served as a Copywriter in the Atlanta, GA, corporate headquarters of Allconnect, Inc. -- a multimillion dollar company dedicated to simplifying the purchasing and connecting of home utilities and services such as Internet, TV, and electricity. Justin has also had several pieces of his creative writing published both online and in print. His written poetry has appeared in RATTLE, The Five Hundred, WORDPEACE, and Eyedrum Periodically. He has also performed his original spoken word poetry for thousands of folks all across the United States, in venues such as the Atlanta Fringe Festival, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and the National Civil Rights Museum.
2012 Matthew D. Taylor H B.A., 2012 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Vanderbilt Television, Vanderbilt Political Review) Taylor lives in Washington, DC, and said: Working on the Provider Enrollment Appeals Team for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
2014 Cierra Lockett H B.A., 2014 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, InsideVandy.com, Vanderbilt Television) Lockett lives in Memphis, TN, and said: After graduating, I worked for ServiceMaster in Corporate Sales Support, and I currently work in Education and Guest Services at the National Civil Rights Museum. I decided to spend time gaining real-world experience as
well as expanding and polishing my writing portfolio with the Huffington Post and my scripts. Beginning in fall 2016, I will be in the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television MFA program Cierra Lockett in Writing and Producing for TV with the goal of becoming both a screenwriter and media / cinema studies professor.
2015 Matthew Citak H B.A., 2015 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Vanderbilt Television) Citak lives in New York, NY, and said: I am currently residing in New York City, where I have been working at SportsNet New York since November as a News Desk Editor. In this position, I cover all of the SNY blogs for all New York sports teams. I author and publish articles on each of the SNY sites. I patrol Twitter and other news sources for breaking stories regarding New York sports. I also report at college and high school games for Zagsblog.com, SNY's college basketball and recruiting site. In addition to my position with SNY, I am also a contributing writer for RotoQL, an online tool kit for Daily Fantasy Sports users. I propose, research, and write articles regarding upcoming sports matchups. I also analyze statistics for advice pieces on daily fantasy sports. Sports journalism has been an important part of my life for many years, and I plan on continuing my pursuit of a career in sports media. Scott Witherspoon Head H B.A., 2015 (Vanderbilt Television, VSC Board member) Head lives in Los Angeles, CA, and said: Scott is living and working in Los Angeles, with hopes of becoming a challenge producer in reality television. Matt Miller H B.A., 2015 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, InsideVandy.com, Vanderbilt Political Review) Miller lives in Auburn, AL, and said: I will be working for Slate Magazine this summer, writing a health and science column focusing on issues in human and veterinary medicine. I am currently a second year veterinary student at Auburn University.
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1985 REENACTMENT AT 50TH REUNION! Of the group facing the camera (from left to right): John Nicely, Mary Melton Nicely, Bob Pannell, Joyce Grimwood Pannell, Clifton Smith, Renee Price Smith.
By Joyce Pannell (A&S’65) Three sorority sisters, two of whom were Hustler staff members, and their spouses attended their 25th VU reunion in 1985. They asked someone to make their group photo. Unbeknownst to them, another photographer was simultaneously making a picture of the group including the photographer. This black and white photo appears here as it did in Vanderbilt Alumnus after the 25th VU reunion 30 years ago. Fast forward to 2015 when these three couples were planning to attend their 50th VU reunion. A reenactment of the earlier photo was suggested. However, this time one of the sisters has a different spouse who could not accompany his wife because of a conflict with his law practice. It was nevertheless decided that this husband would be represented by his life-size head-shot mounted on a stick! All was proceeding as planned until it was discovered that the head-on-a-stick had been inadvertently left in a hotel room. Despite a mad dash to retrieve this prop, one of the couples had to leave to get ready for the Quing Banquet that evening. They were promised that they would be photo-shopped into the group reenactment picture. Can you identify who from the 1985 photo is in the 50th VU reunion picture? Can you identify who the two were who were photo-shopped into this current picture? Can you identify the husband who is represented by a head-on-a-stick?
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fired by ESPN, I’d live in Nashville.” Nashville remains a place where Olney has learned so much, through Vanderbilt University and the Vanderbilt Hustler and working at the Nashville Banner. And after all the school and city has given to him, he hopes to return the favor to the next generation of sports writers from Vanderbilt and across the nation. From an early age, it was clear that Olney’s interest was piqued by sports, even though his family had a broad range of interests that did not include athletics. When he would come home from Little League baseball games, there were budding signs of the reporter in him, as he’d rush to tell his mother everything that happened in each inning, frame by frame. “She listened to about five minutes of it, and then she looked at me, and she said, ‘Buster you have tremendous potential to be very boring,’” Olney remembered. “Now, I got her broader meaning, which was you need to speak the language better than just sports geek stuff.” But it wasn’t until high school that Olney finally saw his future in journalism. During his sophomore year at Northfield Mount Hermon School, the boarding school brought in longtime New York Times columnist Red Smith to speak. Since the teachers knew Olney was a baseball junkie, they sat him right next to Smith, hoping he could draw something from the talk. Olney and Smith got into lively conversation about all things baseball, highlighted by a debate over whether Rabbit Maranville deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. It was then Olney realized that Smith had actually seen the infielder play during 1910s, and he saw a future for himself. “What jumped out at me was he just had so much joy,” Olney said. “And that was about the age – 15 years old – where I realized I wasn’t going to be a power forward for the Lakers, I’m not going to play
baseball for the Dodgers. Right after that, I started writing for the paper because it just seemed like a really cool job.” Olney eyed Vanderbilt at the recommendation of his college counselor, who used to work at the university’s admissions department, because of the Grantland Rice Scholarship for sports journalism. But although he finished second runner-up and never had the chance to visit the school, he chose Vanderbilt over staying close to home at Bates College. And that decision quickly paid off with connections to all kinds of journalists. His freshman year, Olney worked under now Tampa Bay Times writer Rick Danielson. San Diego Union Sports Editor Barry Lorge, who was on the scholarship selection committee, would come speak annually and eventually helped Olney get his first job in San Diego before connecting him to Neil Ander at the New York Times. But the deepest connection for Olney was undoubtedly with Fred Russell, for whom the scholarship would eventually honor beginning in 1986. Because of financial struggles, Olney was in and out of Vanderbilt but ended up covering the women’s basketball team for nearly six years, even when he took leaves of absence. When the Nashville Banner was looking for a beat writer for the then-Lady Commodores, they turned to Olney, uniting him with Russell, the writing legend. Russell and Olney shared a special connection, as they both attended Vanderbilt University. Additionally, Russell had followed the Commodore baseball team on a road trip in New England, where the team played a mere 20 miles from Olney’s home in Randolph Center, Vt. “I saw him absolutely blast people in the office because he was very particular, and he was very angry about how things should be done, and I never got
that,” Olney said. “I certainly made my share of mistakes, but I never got the full brunt of his anger. I can’t remember what it was where I disappointed him with something that I had done, but it was more of a wistful, ‘Buster, you can do better,’ as opposed to a flat-out angry, sarcastic thing that I saw him do with some other people.” Olney credits all of these connections for helping him get to where he is now, one of the most widely known and respected baseball reporters in the business. It’s part of the reason he wants to help the next generation of writers. For Olney and many other Vanderbilt graduates in journalism, Vanderbilt is a place they are more than happy to come back to share their knowledge. From Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins to the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner to the Washington Post’s Dave Sheinin, the group of former Commodores continues to grow. “They’re just such a great group of people to draw on,” Olney said. “I’m sure that’s a resource Vanderbilt, any time it wants to, can draw on because I think we all understand how important our time was here in terms of where our careers are.” In time, Olney’s dream became a reality with the Sports Reporting Training Camp run by Vanderbilt Student Communications. Writers from across the United States have now come for three years to Nashville to speak to students at Vanderbilt and beyond. What started as a handful of speakers in the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt’s campus quickly evolved into a conference drawing from across the nation hosted at the Tennessee Titans’ Nissan Stadium, drawing reporters beyond the group of Vanderbilt graduates that initially came. Olney’s education in Nashville, it would appear, has come full circle.
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tunnel vision
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HALL OF FAME, continued from page 1
2014) by Maraniss, who rounds out this year's group of student media honorees. Maraniss was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and grew up primarily in Washington, D.C., but later moved to Austin, Texas, where his father (journalist and author David Maraniss), was the Southwest bureau chief for the Washington Post. "One day my dad was visiting my high school and noticed a poster advertising the Fred Russell-Grantland Rice Scholarship," Maraniss said. "That was life changing. I had been the sports editor for the Austin High Maroon and realized this would be a perfect scholarship for me." Maraniss received the Russell-Rice scholarship in 1988. "I was grateful for the opportunity and privilege to get to know alumnus and legendary sports journalist Fred Russell," he said. "A couple of times each year, Mr. Russell would take the four scholarship recipients in school (one for each year) to the University Club, where we would learn about Vanderbilt leaders and iconic sports figures that Russell knew. I bonded with my university quickly and treasured my friendship with him." Each year the previous recipient of the RussellRice scholarship would welcome the new awardee to campus and to student media. Dave Sheinin did this for Maraniss, who covered men's and women's soccer his first semester. Sheinin later wrote an article for Versus magazine on Perry Wallace. "That was the first time I heard about Wallace," Maraniss said. "I was taking a black history class with Yollette Jones (now associate dean in the College of Arts and Science)," Maraniss said. "I asked her permission to write a class paper on Wallace. Thank goodness she agreed, and I tracked down Wallace, who was a law professor at the University of Baltimore. I also wrote several articles for The Hustler about his legacy." Maraniss earned a bachelor of arts in history in 1992 and went to work for the Vanderbilt Athletics Department in media relations. He moved to Tampa, Florida, to work for the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays team in its inaugural season. In 1999, he returned to Nashville and joined McNeely Pigott and Fox Public Relations. Meanwhile, his interest in race, sports and the story of Perry Wallace deepened. In 2006, he began writing the manuscript for Strong Inside, devoting many evenings and weekends to the project. Strong Inside has been awarded the Lillian Smith Book Award and the lone Special Recognition honor at the 2015 RFK Book Awards. Meanwhile, Maraniss has left McNeely Pigott and Fox to focus on writing books. He is also contributing to an ESPN website called "The Undefeated." "This career adjustment will allow me to focus on my two true loves, my family and writing," said Maraniss, who is married to Alison Williams Maraniss. They have two children, a daughter and son.
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PAT NOLAN Nolan said that his student media experiences led him down the journalism path, although Nolan focused more on broadcasting. He is a lifelong Nashvillian who grew up in the Hillsboro Village neighborhood next to campus. In August 1969, he enrolled at Peabody College and began volunteering as a disc jockey and news announcer at WRVU, then located in the south tower of Neely Auditorium. "WRVU was known back then as a 'carrier current station,' since the signal was broadcast via wires that went through the steam tunnels and out to the dorms," Nolan said. "There was a transmitter in each dorm that relayed the signal onto each floor. That worked in the
smaller dorms but not so well in Carmichael Towers. If you drove by the towers and put your radio on 580, you could hear the signal for a block or two." By December 1970, the Federal Communication Commission had approved an educational FM license for WRVU. After his sophomore year, Nolan transferred to Vanderbilt and continued to work at the radio station. "Our news department would read the Vanderbilt Hustler and the Vanderbilt Register and call people connected to those stories for interviews," Nolan said. "We also recorded various campus lectures, such as an annual series by the late Oakley Ray, a much admired psychology professor. In addition, WRVU would carry any Vanderbilt baseball games not on WLAC, and I learned to 'think on my feet' during those broadcasts." Nolan served on the student media's publications board his senior year. He also wrote a story for the 1973 Commodore about Nashville. Nolan earned his bachelor of arts in political science in May. The next month he was hired to report news for WPLN FM (Nashville Public Radio) under a Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant. He also did some stories for "All Things Considered." Then on July 3 he anchored WDCN-TV's (now WNPT) first live coverage of a Metro Council meeting. "The Vanderbilt Urban Renewal Plan was up for a public hearing," "I was very familiar with the plan because I had covered it while at WRVU. That council meeting was the beginning of a 12-year career for me anchoring the Metro Council television broadcasts." In 1975, Nolan was recruited to WTVF-TV (Nashville's CBS affiliate), where he covered Metro Government for 10 years. Nolan left the media for two years to be press secretary and executive assistant to former Nashville Mayor Richard Fulton. He then returned to WTVF as a political analyst and became director of public relations for Hart & Company, an advertising and public relations firm. In 1991, he joined DVL Seigenthaler Public Relations, a Finn Partners Company, where he is now a senior vice president. Nolan also has an interview program, "Inside Politics" on the NewsChannel5 Network, and a weekly column, "Capitol View," for the WTVF website. "I learned a lot during my WRVU days about gathering, writing and broadcasting stories," Nolan said. He noted that the best part of working at WRVU was meeting his future wife, Betty Lee Love Nolan. She earned a bachelor of arts in Spanish and fine arts. They have two daughters, a granddaughter and a grandson.
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WENDELL (SONNY) RAWLS Rawls, whose celebrated career has included awardwinning investigative reporter, New York Times bureau chief, television screenwriter and professor, was born near Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and grew up in Chattanooga. He enrolled at Vanderbilt in 1959 and joined the Commodore yearbook staff two years later to assist then-editor John Hemphill. Rawls, who was very involved in intramural sports and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, credits Hemphill with early influence on his career. "Hemphill impressed upon me the importance of correctly identifying scores of names in yearbook photos," Rawls said. "These might be the only remembrances of some of my classmates. I learned the importance of accuracy, something that stayed with me through the years." Rawls took a break from college in 1964 but was employed as a university fundraiser in the Office of Alumni and Development. Rawls also served in the U.S. Army before returning to campus in 1966 to complete his degree. At that time, Rawls needed money to cover all
of his college expenses. Hemphill was working at The Tennessean as the Vanderbilt correspondent and encouraged Rawls to apply for a sports opening. Rawls became the tennis and bowling editor and wrote a series of investigative stories about the abuse of Tennessee Walking Horses. His series was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. All of this happened before Rawls, who majored in history while working full time for The Tennessean, received his bachelor of arts in 1970. In 1972, Rawls became the first national correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a Pulitzer finalist in 1975 and then won the Pulitzer in 1977 for a series of articles that disclosed 21 murders and other illegal activities inside a hospital for the criminally insane in Pennsylvania. The disclosed atrocities resulted in 37 guards and hospital officials being indicted for illegal activities before the hospital was closed. Rawls later wrote a book called Cold Storage based on that investigation. Rawls joined The New York Times in 1977 and worked in both Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, where he became the Times' Southern bureau chief. In 1986, he moved to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to direct its news operation. In the next two years, the staff won two Pulitzer prizes and had seven finalists. Rawls later became a screenwriter and producer for several movies and miniseries for television, including "A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story," "Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter," "In the Line of Duty: Ambush at Waco," and "Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story." In addition, he taught from 2000 to 2015 at Middle Tennessee State University, where he was named director of the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. He also taught a Vanderbilt course on investigative reporting. Rawls is married to Kathryn Stark Rawls, who earned a bachelor of arts from the College of Arts and Science and a master of arts from Peabody College. They have two children, a daughter and a son; and two granddaughters.
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ARE YOU CONNECTED? We will be communicating with you, our Vanderbilt Media alumni, more via email and social media, so make sure we know how to reach you. Please send your email address to development@vandymedia.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well! development@vandymedia.org www.vandymedia.org "LIKE" us! Vanderbilt Student Media Alumni "FOLLOW" us! @vanderbiltmedia "JOIN" the Vanderbilt Student Media Alumni Group on LinkedIn
Alumni Scholly, Graves speak at Future of Student Media summit Student media operations at colleges and universities around the country face many of the same challenges of today’s professional media industry. As a national leader among its peers, Vanderbilt Student Media hosted the Future of College Media Summit to address the role of a free student press on campuses and strategies for survival and success. The summit was Feb. 26-27 at The John Seigenthaler Center on campus. Students and advisers attended from around the country. Among the distinguished speakers were Alison
Scholly (BA’90), executive director of Channel X, and husband-and-wife couple Liza and Jay Graves. Liza Graves (BS’94) is cofounder of digital media company StyleBlueprint.com, and Jay Graves (BA‘93) is senior partner at information technology and services company SSB. These alumni speakers provided a valuable glimpse into the professional media industry and shared practical guidance to help student media practitioners.
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Alison Scholly
Liza Graves
Jay Graves
Issue 24 • SPRING 2016
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THE 2016-17 STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS FOR VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
GLOBAL VU GABRIELLE TIMM Class of 2018 Libertyville, IL Political Science and History
THE TORCH LINDSAY GRIZZARD Class of 2018
Mobile, Alabama Political Science
ORBIS ROBERT SCHUTT
PEARL ROBYN DU
RVU RECORDS ALLAN BOUDREAU-FINE
SYNESIS TORI RANERO
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
Memphis, Tennessee Philosophy
Columbus, Ohio Medicine, Health, and Society
Santa Cruz, CA Electrical Engineering
THE VANDERBILT HUSTLER JOSH HAMBURGER
VANDERBILT HISTORICAL REVIEW ROBERT YEE
VANDERBILT POLITICAL REVIEW ALEX SLAWSON
VANDERBILT REVIEW LISA MULOMA
VANDERBILT TELEVISION CARTER ADKINS
Baltimore, Maryland HOD, Sociology
Boston, Massachusetts History, Economics
Atlanta, Georgia Political Science, Economics
Carmel, Indiana English
Locust Grove, Georgia Cinema and Media Arts, English
Class of 2017
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
THE SLANT MARY BETH SCHATZMAN
Bradenton, Florida MHS
Class of 2017
Class of 2017
Houston, Texas Economics
Class of 2018
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To learn more about any of our student media groups or to visit their websites and see their work, please visit www.vandymedia.org VANDY INTERACTIVE JOE HUANG
VANDY RADIO JEFFREY GREENBERG
Eugene, Oregon Computer Science
Parkland, Florida Public Policy Studies
Class of 2019
Class of 2017
VU FINDER VIET THAN
WRVU ROSHAN POUDEL
Hanoi, Vietnam Chemical Engineering
Lafayette, Louisiana Neuroscience, Philosophy
Class of 2019
Class of 2017
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Literary journal partners with Nashville street paper By Vibhu Krishna, Class of 2016 and 2015-16 editor of The Vanderbilt Review literary and arts journal
When I arrived at local street paper The Contributor's offices at the corner of Church and Fifth streets downtown on a gray Monday morning, there was a line out the door of people of many age groups (and a couple of adorable dogs) waiting to register as vendors and purchase their papers for the week, catch up with one another over coffee, and turn in personal submissions of writing and artwork. The Contributor, Inc. is a nonprofit social enterprise that publishes one of the highest-circulating street newspapers of its kind in North America, engaging roughly 10% of the Nashville homeless population. The newspaper is sold to vendors for 75 cents, and vendors sell papers to customers for $2 (plus tips), and keep any and all profits. Vendors of The Contributor are homeless and formerly homeless members of the Nashville community, and undergo interviews and training prior to vending. The paper is a means to create economic opportunity wherein its distributors function as selfowned, self-operating businesses. By 9:30 a.m., vendors had gathered in the Fellowship Hall of the Downtown Presbyterian Church, and after a series of enthusiastic, bright greetings and explanations
of the week’s papers and food stamp rules, they dispersed to retrieve their newspapers. I had the pleasure of meeting some regular writers and artists, including David, whose vibrantly-colored marker drawings are unmistakable in The Contributor. Our collaboration with The Contributor began with a simple insight: the arts, regardless of demographic differences, bring joy, catharsis and awareness to those who seek them. Our theme at The Vanderbilt Review this year, “Gold,” not only spoke to wealth and wealth disparities, but also the preciousness of artworks as capsules of emotion, time, and humanness. We, as The Vanderbilt Review, aimed to speak to these salient issues through our publication and launch ceremony by reaching out to The Contributor, whose enduring mission likewise involves engagement via the arts. The Feb. 22 issue of The Contributor held a particularly special place in our hearts, as it marked the first print collaboration of The Vanderbilt Review with this incredible local publication. In the future, The Contributor will continue to publish works selected by Review editors from submissions from Vanderbilt students in the “Guest Submission” section of their paper. The 2016 issue of The Vanderbilt Review concluded with a 16-page spread composed of short stories, poetry, and visual art courtesy of our new friends at The
Contributor. Their contributions to The Vanderbilt Review added an indelible richness and depth to The Gold Issue’s thematic explorations. At our launch party, published undergraduate writers and artists presented their work alongside fellow creatives from The Contributor, and in Alumni Lounge all of us ate together, laughed together, shed a few tears together, and celebrated the golden thing that we have made. It is my hope that this collaborative spirit will carry on in the future issues of The Vanderbilt Review.
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ISSUE 24 H SPRING 2016
tunnel vision the alumni newsletter for student media at vanderbilt university
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Sporting a unique learning experience
Lee Jenkins meets with students during the Sports Reporting Workshop in 2016 hosted by Vanderbilt Student Media. photo by Ziyi Liu
Vanderbilt Student Media alumni and professional sports reporters present at the 2015 Sports Reporting Training Camp. The camp was presented by Vanderbilt Student Media and was attended by student journalists from 60 colleges and universities. The 2015 Student Media alumni presenters were Mark Bechtel, Rob Shaw, Daniel Wolken, Tyler Kepner, Mitch Light and Buster Olney. photo by Ziyi Liu
PAID
FRANKLIN, TN PERMIT NO. 357
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
Nashville is becoming a premier destination for sports journalism education, thanks to a unique partnership between Vanderbilt Student Media and its alumni. Almost 200 student journalists representing 60 universities spent two days in February attending the third annual Sports Reporting Training Camp, presented by VSC. The workshop was led by a gathering of the nation’s foremost sports media professionals, including a number of Vanderbilt Student Media alumni. Vanderbilt alumni presenters included Buster Olney, ESPN; Lee Jenkins, Sports Illustrated; Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post; Mitch Light, Athlon Sports; Andrew Maraniss, author of “Strong Inside;” and Bill Trocchi, Rivals.com. This year’s event was held at Nissan Stadium, home to the Tennessee Titans, thanks to the support of Vanderbilt alumnus Robbie Bohren, who serves as senior director of media relations for the team. The annual sports workshop began as Olney’s
idea, aimed at bringing Vanderbilt’s sports media alumni to campus to share lessons and advice with current students. The event was expanded to invite students from other colleges and universities and has attracted participants from as far as Alaska, California, New York and Florida. Other Vanderbilt student media alumni who have served as instructors in previous years include Mark Bechtel, Sports Illustrated; Tyler Kepner, The New York Times; Daniel Wolken, USA Today; and Rob Shaw, Facebook. “I felt very privileged to be able to speak with such talented reporters, producers, and analysts,” one of this year’s attendees wrote in a review. “I am very grateful that they committed their time to helping me develop my future career in journalism.” A fourth-annual Sports Reporting Training Camp is being planned for February 2017 in Nashville.
Opening Sports Reporting panel during the Sports Reporting Workshop in 2015 hosted by Vanderbilt Student Media at Bridgestone Arena (home of the Nashville Predators). photo by Ziyi Liu
Lee Jenkins and Dave Sheinin during the Sports Reporting Workshop in 2016 hosted by Vanderbilt Student Media at Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans). photo by Ziyi Liu
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creating the future Did you know? Vanderbilt Student Communications is a separate non-profit corporation, providing students with the greatest amount of unfettered editorial control of content. The downside is that this means we cannot share in the Vanderbilt University fundraising and endowment.
That is why your gifts are so very important! To make a donation or gift, please contact Emily Maggart, BA’03, M.Ed’11 (emily.maggart@Vanderbilt.Edu or 615-322-7166) or visit vandymedia.org.