Tunnelvision a Publication for Alumni of Student Media at Vanderbilt University

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Issue 13 H Spring 2010 H H H SPECIAL 2010 VANDERBILT STUDENT MEDIA HALL OF FAME NEW INDUCTEE ISSUE H H H tunnelvision A publication for alumni of student media at Vanderbilt University

TUNNEL NEWS

STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS

JOURNALISM

DON BENSON ALEX HEARD RALPH McGILL BUSTER OLNEY DR. RAPHAEL SMITH TRACY WILKINSON

Graduating senior David Rutz received the Charles Forrest Alexander Award in Journalism, which recognizes a Vanderbilt student who has achieved distinction in student journalistic projects. Rutz served as sports editor for three semesters, managing a staff of assistant editors and reporters to THE 2010 CLASS produce the sports section of The Hustler. For InsideVandy.com, Rutz helped oversee the production of podcasts, videos, photo galleries, interactive multimedia, summer- time athletics coverage, Sports blog content and breaking-news stories. He also supplied sports coverage to student radio and television. He worked with two other "Davids" to start the sports talk radio show "3D Sports" on WRVU. He also served as a guest commentator on Vanderbilt Television. The Alexander Award is given in memory of Charles F. Alexander, B.A., ‘50. Vanderbilt Student Media names 2010 Hall of Fame class RADIO by Ann Marie Deer Owens, Class of 1976 • Chair, Hall of Fame Committee • Senior Public Affairs Officer, Vanderbilt News Service This year's recipient of the WRVU Nashville Award for Dedication to Six Vanderbilt University alumni who who was executed in 1951 for allegedly rap- Excellence in Radio Broadcasting on don bens was graduating senior Morgan worked in student media and then distin- ing a white housewife. To tell the story, Heard Bernard, who served as the sta- guished themselves through a variety of relied on exhaustive documentary research, tion's promotions director. Among careers – including cardiologist, journalist, Vanderbilt permeated the DNA of Benson’s including court transcripts, contemporary her contributions were putting author and broadcast executive – will be family. His father, grandfather, uncles and newspaper reports, archived papers, letters, together WRVU's local music event to help promote awareness of the inducted into the Vanderbilt Student Media younger brother attended the university and FBI documents, interview transcripts and station and local musicians. She Hall of Fame on Oct. 22. Those selected for Benson Science Hall was named for his other untapped sources, along with the rec- also was integral in the WRVU CD the 2010 class are Don Benson, president father’s uncle. Benson grew up in Nashville, ollections of family members whose parents sale that raised more than $500 for and CEO of Lincoln Financial Media; Alex or spouses were involved in the case. He also Nashville's W.O. Smith School of loved Vanderbilt and developed a keen inter- Music. The WRVU award is present- Heard, author and editorial director for est in radio during his teens. He found his wrote Apocalypse Pretty Soon, a nonfiction ed to annually to an undergraduate Outside magazine; Buster Olney, writer way to campus and WRVU, where he began book about the millennium that was pub- Vanderbilt student who is a current and analyst for ESPN; Dr. Raphael Smith, reporting news on a fill-in basis. WRVU lished in 1999. WRVU DJ, a member of the executive staff and one who has shown professor of medicine, emeritus, Vanderbilt became a large part of Benson’s college life. excellence beyond expectations for University Medical Center; and Tracy After graduating in 1974 with a B.A. in his- ney buster ol their position in their dedication Wilkinson, Mexico City bureau chief for tory, “D.B,” as he was called, began his radio to WRVU either in listenership, the Los Angeles Times. Also to be honored career with Jefferson-Pilot at WQXI AM/FM Olney, who grew up on a farm in Vermont, programming, music education of the public, engineering or financial posthumously is Ralph McGill, journalist in Atlanta. Now, with more than 30 years came to Vanderbilt to study history, but said support. This award was created and Pulitzer-prize-winning columnist with of radio industry experience, he is presi- “my major was working at the newspaper by Dr. James Noble, a 1997 A&S the Atlanta Constitution. dent and CEO of Lincoln Financial Media and at Versus.” By age 15 he knew that he graduate and former WRVU general A ceremony and reception to honor the Co., the previous owner of Jefferson-Pilot. wanted to be a sportswriter, in particular, manager. inductees is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Benson has overall responsibility for the one who covered baseball. He does this now H H H in the Vanderbilt Sarratt Student Center’s operations of 14 radio stations in Atlanta, Cinema and adjacent lobby. The event will Miami, San Diego and Denver. Benson has Hall of Fame, continued on page 8 be held in conjunction with Vanderbilt’s been named to Radio Ink magazine’s list of Homecoming/Reunion Weekend. In addi- “The 40 Most Powerful People in Radio.” tion, the 2010 inductees will be recog- nized in a permanent exhibit in the Sarratt eard you are invited Index… alex h Student Center, the longtime home of Alumni Column 2 Vanderbilt Student Communications. Heard, a native of Jackson, Miss., trans- Student Media Leaders 2 “After reviewing more than 100 nomi- ferred to Vanderbilt from a Kansas school Alumni Updates 4 nations, the selection committee feels in 1978. He enjoyed writing for The Hustler Student Media Fellow 7 strongly that these six alumni are highly and later Versus. Heard earned his B.A. in Our Donors 7 deserving of recognition in the Student English in 1980. After graduation he moved Induction ceremony Media Hall of Fame,” Chris Carroll, direc- to Washington, D.C., where he began work- tor of student media, Vanderbilt Student ing at magazines and he’s been doing that Student media alumni are invited to join us at the Homecoming/Student Media VANDERBILT STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Communications, said. “This is the highest ever since. Now he is the editorial director honor that we can bestow on these former of Outside magazine. He also has worked as Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 5:30 student journalists.” an editor and writer at Wired, The New York p.m. on Oct. 22 in the Sarratt Student 1967 2010 To be eligible for recognition, alumni Times Magazine, New Republic and other Center's Cinema. Space is limited, so have had to work as a student staff member publications. Heard’s new book, The Eyes please let us know if you plan to attend by at least 10 years prior to the Hall of Fame Celebrating 43 years in 2010 of Willie McGee, tells the story of a young emailing [email protected]. induction date. African American man from Laurel, Miss., 2 tunnel vision bright lights an alumni column… Media Leaders The Digital Plunge The VSC Board of Directors selected the following media leaders for the 2010-11 academic year: by Jennifer Peebles, Class of '95

Production night for The Vanderbilt Hustler: Stories to edit. Assignments to be given out. Someone else's irritating mix tape playing on an overly loud portable stereo, and the smell of film-developing chemicals emanating from the darkroom

in the brief periods when the door is WRVU InsideVandy.com The Vanderbilt Vanderbilt opened. Mikil Taylor Chris McDonald Hustler Television You've seen that scene described in Station Manager Director David Namm Andrew Kirkman this space by writers much more talented Editor-in-Chief Station Manager than I. So let me describe a different Jennifer Peebles one. Night fell on the interior of the campus, far from the neon and noise of West End, and the only people walking on the footpaths were students getting out of evening labs. This wasn't the Tunnel or anywhere in Sarratt -- this was the glass-enclosed circular computer building near Stevenson Science Center. I was parked at a computer terminal with a handful of friends from my dorm, and we were enjoying partaking in a new high-tech novelty: We were sending messages back and forth to each other via computer. News Editor Sports Editor Opinion Editor Life Editor It wasn't a telephone call. It wasn't a letter. It was a strange new Kyle Blaine Meghan Rose Theo Samets Charlie Kesslering electronic communications medium called "e-mail." I had heard about it from a friend who heard about it from NOT PICTURED: The Torch a friend -- the university would give you an e-mail "address" for Phil Carroll free if you knew to ask for it. It was all word of mouth. Only a The Slant Editor-in-Chief handful of people I knew had accounts, and we all started dash- Clay Christain Editor-in-Chief Orbis ing into the circular building periodically -- once a day or every Jon Christian couple of days -- to see if we'd gotten any messages. (Few people The Vanderbilt Editor-in-Chief in my dorm had computers of their own, and even fewer had Review Tara Westlund Chief Copy modems.) Editor-in-Chief Editor When I graduated from the university in 1995 and went to Emilie Lyons work full-time at The Tennessean, I suspected I would be part Photo Promotions of one of the final generations of the newspaper business. The Assignments Coordinator Editor Justin Tardiff medium would die off in my lifetime, probably, a victim of tele- Chris Honiball vision and the shrinking attention span of the average American, but that would be years in the future. Maybe I'd even retire before then. I never would have imagined then that the Internet -- the one-time novelty -- would usurp much of the influence of both newspapers and television before my classmates and I had turned 40. And like so many of my former colleagues, I'm now trying to Jim Leeson: 1930-2010 make the leap from print to digital. Student media alumni who Two years ago, two of my former Tennessean co-workers got knew Jim Leeson, VSC’s first a grant to start a nonprofit online news site in Houston, and consultant journalist, gath- Texas Watchdog was born. They asked me to serve on its board of ered at an overlook next to directors and later offered me a job. After 14 years at the paper, I Leeson’s home for a wake packed up my belongings for Texas and took the plunge into the on May 13 to remember the deep end of the digital pool. “one-of-a-kind guy” who died My title here is "deputy editor," but I do a little bit of every- at home on May 3. thing. I report and write stories. I edit stories written by my col- “If you've never heard of James T. Leeson Jr., that's just leagues. I crunch some data. I do some GIS mapping and make how he wanted things,” wrote interactive Google maps. I file a lot of freedom of information E. Thomas Wood, B.A., 1986, request letters and review a lot of government documents. I on a Nashville Scene blog whip up the occasional chart or graphic, largely using what I can shortly after Leeson’s death. remember from 15 years ago at The Hustler. I help people who “Ask him about his role in contact us about government transparency problems they're hav- the Civil Rights Movement, ing in their communities. I blog, mostly on freedom of informa- and he would steer the con- tion issues. I do whatever needs doing, basically. I'm trying to versation from his own activi- learn PHP, a scripting language used by many Web sites, as well ties to the tragicomic foibles as some video skills. of people on all sides of it, As someone who is dog-paddling in that digital pool, I'm glad white and black,” Wood that Vanderbilt student media is putting a greater emphasis on wrote. “Ask him about the neurotics, cranks, paupers and princes he mentored in Alumni Column, continued on page 7 Vanderbilt's Sarratt Tunnel as adult supervisor of the university's student journalists, story starts and ends. He was on his land in Williamson and he could cite an instance a mentor. He taught me to County.” when just about every one of mentor others. He taught me them had shown his or her how to give of myself fully, to Tracy Wilkinson, B.A., 1980 tunnelvision (usually his) ass.” commit to a project, a person, “Jim Leeson was such a fig- Tunnel Vision is published by Vanderbilt Student Communications, Inc. Wood remembered the a cause. And more than any- ure, a force, a presence. He Edited by veteran journalist as a realist thing else, how to be humble educated and helped shape Chris Carroll and Paige Clancy with a “cantankerous soul” in all things from the gifts I so many of (us) young, naïve Stories by who was admired and feared possess to the work we must wanna-be journalists who Paige Clancy, Ann Marie Deer Owens and Erin Prah by many. Wood also posted a do together.” traipsed through the Tunnel. VSC Photos by collection of comments from And over the years he watched Meg Fenton alumni and others whose lives David Barie, B.A., 1981 our careers from afar, even Layout and Design by had been touched by Leeson. “He was a great counselor when we didn’t know he was Jeff Breaux and Matt Radford The document grew to more regarding interpersonal and looking.” Printed by than 12,600 words in length organizational affairs. He was Franklin Web Printing, Co. and included the following: hospitable to all, and among See page 3 to read how Leeson’s Please send address updates via mail, phone, fax or e-mail to: the great highlights of my influence led Alex Heard, B.A., 1980, Vanderbilt Student Communications Attn: Alumni Mailing List • 2301 Vanderbilt Place • VU Station B 351669 • Nashville, TN 37235 John Atkins, B.A., 1989 time at Vanderbilt were the to begin research for his new book,

615-322-6610 (phone) • 615-343-2756 (fax) “He changed my life. It is that wonderful, day-long picnics “The Eyes of Willie McGee.” [email protected] • www.vscmedia.org simple. That is the way this he would host at the ‘ranch’ Issue 13 • Spring 2010 3

Protestors at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. McGee in jail, 1945. Alumni book examines 1951 execution lex Heard said he had two reasons for Heard initially was exposed to McGee's story when he He taught himself. And he was highly disciplined then, using the title “The Eyes of Willie McGee: A was attending Vanderbilt, working for The Hustler and as he is highly disciplined now.” Tragedy of Race, Sex and Secrets in the later Versus magazine. Jim Leeson, the journalism con- Heard's research that began as a hobby in 2004 turned Jim Crow South” sultant for student publica- into a serious pursuit when he received a book contract for his new book tions, owned a tape record- in 2006. about the black ing of McGee’s execution In his fact-based retelling, Heard said he set out to man who was that Leeson made straight answer two questions: First, “was the case presented executed in from the radio broadcast against (McGee) strong enough to warrant him being 1951 for raping a white woman. on the night McGee was convicted to death?” and second, “did (Hawkins) lie? One intention was to reference a executed. Did she start an affair with him and was caught and cried poem, "Lynchsong" by Lorraine Leeson, who died on rape to protect herself?” Hansberry, that includes the line “I May 3, told Tunnel Vision Heard began by reading the trial transcripts. He read see the eyes of Willie McGee.” in an interview before his newspaper stories from the trial days and listened to The other reason was to refer- death that during his time post-trial interviews with McGee’s defense lawyers who ence McGee’s gaze. with VSC, he would play said, “If (McGee) had said the wrong thing, they believe “He was photographed several the tape to let students he would have been killed on the spot. They even times and he had this way of star- know what the Old South believed they might have been killed.” ing at the camera, in a way that is was like. He said he had Many previous accounts of McGee were based on unspoken, but he seems to be say- read Heard’s book twice stories that had been retold so many times they became ing ‘don’t you forget there’s a real and thought Heard had pre- accepted as truth. So Heard also went through the person here and I have dignity,’" sented the still “extremely lengthy process of making Freedom of Information Act Heard said. "I’m trying to remind touchy and volatile ques- requests, about two dozen in total, to retrieve as much people that whatever this man had tion” with objective report- information possible from the federal government about or had not done, he had a lot of ing that allows readers to McGee’s case. dignity and he went out that way.” make up their own minds. Heard said ambiguity will always surround the case, Heard, a 1980 Vanderbilt alum- Recalling Heard's but his conclusion is that while Hawkins was blamed nus and editorial director for writing as a Vanderbilt blame for McGee’s death, those calling for McGee’s Outside Magazine, said he spent Student, Leeson said he release should have been upset with “the court system of years researching McGee, and on remembered that Heard the era.” May 11, his book was made available to the public. “wrote subject matter that was sort of crazy, but you “I argue that this is probably a case of blaming the Heralded as “a real-life 'To Kill a Mockingbird,'” by fel- could tell he had a way with words.” victim for things that were done by the justice system at low authors, the book unearths the history of McGee’s “He was an unusual student in that he would write the time,” Heard said. “That’s one of the main things crime, his trials, his defense lawyers and his accuser something and then when he read the proof he could in my book that is new and is a departure from what – a white woman from Laurel, Miss., named Willette see the flaws in it, and a lot of times he would not want people have written. I’m sure some people will disagree Hawkins. it printed," Leeson said. "But that’s the way you learn. with me.”

Willette Hawkins and lawyers in 1955. McGee was convicted and executed on the second floor of the Laurel Courthouse in 1951. 4 tunnel vision

distant voices alumni updates… A glimpse into a few lives that helped shape student media at Vandy

1946 tice, Gov. Pete Wilson appointed me to the Los Board of Directors since 2004. ble for promoting the development of online aca- Angeles County Superior Court where I have demic and continuing education programs, the been for the past 13 years. My bound volume Anne Ramsey Stringham H B.A., 1968 use of Lander's facilities for educational meetings, Virginia (aka Sis) Mershon Holladay H of the 1959-60 Hustler is full of stories by Roy (Commodore yearbook) Stringham lives in and developing consultive services. "Universities B.A., 1946 Blount and Lamar Alexander on issues of the Nashville, TN, and said: Anne Ramsey Stringham, have an important part to play in economic devel- (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Holladay lives in Nashville, time including the early civil rights activities of Commodore Editor 1968, currently works as opment. We can and should become catalysts for TN, and said: Not too long ago I happened upon James Lawson. Communications and Special Events Director at entrepreneurs and small business who need intel- an admissions brochure that was being sent to Ensworth School, an independent K-12 school, lectual capital and networks for expanding their high school seniors and lo and behold it had a in Nashville. She and husband Jack Stringham, businesses." Chuck's wife Laura is active in the picture on the cover of Framces Ragan Gibson 1961 Commodore Business Manager 1968,J.D. 1974, community and his son, Charlie, is in the Magnet and me as students. I now have a beloved grand- are looking forward to welcoming their first School System for the Arts. "I'll miss the dean- son, Brannan Doyle, a senior at Vanderbilt, who Carl L Sebelius H grandchild in June. ship, but this position gives me an expanded role works in the Admissions Office. B.A., 1961 (WRVU) Sebelius lives in that is more external." Lander University, a state supported institution with 3,000 students, will 1950 Memphis, TN, and said: 1970 I was recently (5-15-10) serve as the host for the South Carolina's Bankers elected as President elect William Eugene Livingston H B.A., Association Bankers Institute involving over 200 Franklin T. Evans H B.A., 1950 of the Tennessee Dental 1970 bankers from 43 counties throughout the state in (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Evans lives in Baltimore, Association. (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Impact Magazine) July. Chuck's blog is www.profentrepreneurship. MD, and said: Retired from active medical prac- Livingston lives in North Olmsted, Ohio, and wordpress.com tice, but still nursing U.S.Patent #5,656,865 for a said: My book "Above and Beyond -- Tim Mack, wind energy device that has about five more years the Pole Vault and the Quest for Olympic Gold" of patent life. Carl L. Sebelius won the silver medal from ForeWord Magazine 1972 as the second-best sports book in the nation that 1951 1964 was published by an independent or university Steve Kendall H B.A., 1972 press. It also won the national media award from (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine, Commodore Nancy Garrison Bates H B.A., 1951 Jack B. Combs H B.A., 1964, J.D., 1968 the Pole Vault Development Committee of USA yearbook) Kendall lives in Harvard, MA, and said: (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook) Bates (Spectrum) Combs lives in Santa Fe, NM, and Track and Field, which I received at the National My debut novel, Follow The Falcon, was pub- lives in Hillsborough, CA, and said: The San said: After graduation I went to Washington Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev. I have been a lished as an e-book by www.clublighthousepub- Francisco Bay Area, specifically Hillsborough, has where I was an Administrative Assistant to a sports columnist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer lishing.com in April. (It will soon be available been my home since 1964, when my husband, Congressman, returning back to law school at since 1984, concentrating mainly on Ohio State through Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Herb, was transferred here with Friden Business VU in 1965 where I became a member of the sports and the Cavaliers. It was nice to do the various other distributors.) Follow The Falcon Machines. My husband passed away in October Law Review. I then returned to Washington as Rose Bowl one more time on January 1 as the is a mystery that was inspired by the largest art of 2008. Gary, my oldest son, is a meteorologist counsel to the Chairman of the Education and Buckeyes beat Oregon. And, no, I do not know theft in history, the still-unsolved heist in 1990 with NOAA in Boulder, CO; daughter Jennifer Labor Committee. At the time, 1968-69 I decided what LeBron James is going to do. of 12 masterpieces from Boston's Isabella Stewart is married to Tony Gerst and also lives in the to move to a more secure life and joined a law Gardner Museum. Bay Area. They have 3 children, Andrew, Emily firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that already had Caryl Privett H B.A., 1970 and Ellen. The twins, Andrew and Emily, started two VU Law Review Grads. I was the 23rd lawyer (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Privett lives in Peggy Shaw H B.A., college this past fall, Andrew at Case Western to join the firm which now exceeds 240 lawyers. Birmingham, AL, and said: I am unopposed for 1972 Reserve Univ. and Emily at Northwestern. Son After 37 years of law practice with the same firm, re-election to another 6 year term as a Circuit (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Steven lives nearby also. My life has followed the I retired and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Judge in Jefferson County, Alabama. I serve as a Shaw lives in Decatur, usual paths--volunteer and church work, cultural to continue my photography. I had been a pho- civil trial court judge which I absolutely love. GA, and said: I am activities and bridge. My main emphasis has been tographer since age 12, and purchased the first the Director of Public on working and advocating for the developmen- 35 mm camera in the remote Eastern Kentucky Truett Smith H B.E., 1970 Relations and Marketing tally disabled--on a local, state and national level. county where I was raised on the Right Fork of (WRVU) Smith lives in Nashville, TN, and said: at Holy Innocents' Some of my fondest Vanderbilt memories are of Troublesome Creek. My pictures were not shown Still heading up M/BITS and working on TV proj- Episcopal School in the time I spent involved with the "Hustler" and or published until 2004 when I first showed ects in the southeast as well as helping TV stations Sandy Springs, GA, one the "Commodore". We worked hard, but had a them to David Alan Harvey, a former National and other area TV facilities recover from the disas- of the largest Episcopal good time--and I got to know some really neat Geographic photographer for 30 years who had trous flooding in Nashville that took place during Peggy J. Shaw schools in the country. people. I don't think there are many of us left subsequently moved on to Magnum, the most the first week of May. Busy is a good thing, but now! prestigious photo agency in the world. By that the losses that I have seen from the flood waters time I had ventured into Cuba thee times and are very sobering. 1974 1957 taken photographs that convinced Harvey (and he convinced me) that I should pursue a book Wiliam M Akers H B.A., 1974 Eleanor McCain Brown H B.S., 1957 on the occasion of the half century of hostility (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine) Akers (Commodore yearbook) Brown lives in Eufaula, Al., between the U. S. and its neighbor only ninety lives in Nashville, TN, and said: I teach screenwrit- and said: I have kept up with my art that I used miles away. One year after their celebration of ing at Vanderbilt, write the occasional script, and as editor of the Commodore. I paint daily and the overthrow of the Batista government by the nurture my book, YOUR SCREENPLAY SUCKS!. have just been very successful in the latest art Castro Revolution in 1959, "The Cubans" was Five star rating on Amazon! I give lectures, semi- contest I have entered. I will spend one month published and distributed by the University of nars, and workshops on writing anywhere a plane in New Mexico in the fall. I will take a plein Virginia Press. The book is about the Cuban will land. aire painting class in Taos, New Mexico. I paint people, not their leaders in green fatigues and mostly from his area. The Commodore year was combat boots, nor their Socialist/Communist Brenda Hopson Hasham H B.A., 1974 very hard. the Pi Phis hated the 35 phone calls I government; it is rather about the Cuban people. (Versus magazine, Rap Magazine) Hasham lives in got each day. I have retired from teaching science Most books on Cuba start and stop in the pictur- Atlanta, GA, and said: Working on a book! T K (Butch) Smith BEEE 1970 after 30 years in 1998. My Vandy years were the esque area of Old Havana, or in the historically most precious in my entire life. We now have the preserved city of Trinidad, but "The Cubans" goes Gregory H Fuller H B.A., 1974 third generation Ronald Singleton Brown, III in throughout every province, including small vil- (WRVU, Versus magazine) Fuller lives in Sausalito, his junior year. lages and farms. It shows that while the Cuban 1971 CA, and said: I now have a blog -- posting humor- people may want for many things, and despite ous / lifestyle essays and other mental detritus: 1959 their lack of food, jobs, material goods. shelter Charles (Chuck) www.gregoryfuller.com/blog1 and am planning and transportation, they retain an indominable R.B. Stowe H B.A., a collection of personal essays to be published George Salo Stern H B.A., J.D., 1959 spirit. The book is described at www.documen- 1971 in the near future. More information in my web (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU) Stern lives in taryphotographypress.com. and can be ordered (The Vanderbilt Hustler site: www.gregoryfuller.com and Facebook as Atlanta, GA, and said: 3 children 8 grandchil- through Amazon.com, photoeye. com, Barnes WRVU) Stowe lives in events unfold. dren former President of the American Academy and Noble. com, and numerous local and nation- Greenwood, SC, and of Matrimonial Lawyers, treasurer of the al chain stores (192 pages, 120 images). said: Chuck Stowe VU'71 1975 International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers will shift from Dean, for past 20 years and founding fellow of acad- 1966 College of Business and David D. Boaz H B.A., 1975 emy, Senior Partner of Stern and Edlin law firm, Public Affairs to a new (Versus magazine, The Freedom Writer - unof- Atlanta, GA, past president of Atlanta Jewish Ellen Eisendrath McGeady H BSN, position as Director, ficial and unsubsidized, except for a Tunnel office) Community Center Charles R.B. (Chuck) External Initiatives 1966 Stowe VU BA '71 Boaz lives in Arlington, VA, and said: David (VUT) McGeady lives in North Charleston, SC, representing Lander Boaz's book Libertarianism: A Primer has just 1960 and said: Have lived in North Charleston, SC for University to develop new educational services been published in Spanish, Italian, Korean, and the past 3 1/2 years. I moved from Flossmoor, and streams of revenue. Chuck will be responsi- Kindle, making a total of 14 languages plus George F. Port H Illinois after 23 years and have never looked audio and e-book. He also contributed the entry B.A., 1960 back. Am active in our choir which sings in the "Libertarianism" to the Encyclopedia Britannica, (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Piccolo Spoleto festival every year. Charleston is a Connect with which for an intellectual is sort of like, as Buck WRVU) Port lives in wonderful city with many activities and offerings old VU friends Owens put it, a country singer getting his picture Boulder, WY, and said: in the arts. My daughter and granddaughter live and classmates… "on the cover of the Music City News." Our production/dis- here, as well as, one of my sons. Another son will tribution company be joining us in August. Looking for old friends and Don House H B.A., 1975 Marvista Entertainment classmates? (WRVU, VSC Board member) House lives in Inc based in Los Angeles 1968 Chelsea, MI, and said: I still have favorable (marvista.net) is hav- visit memories of doing the morning news, and playing a very good year. John Hindle H B.A., ing the straight man, across from Mickey Metro George F. Port Our newest tv film "16 Ph.D., 1968 VUconnect.com in the South Tower of Neely Auditorium. Later, Wishes " will be broad- (Versus magazine, the station’s move to Sarratt was a picture of cast on the Disney Channel on June 25th Spectrum) Hindle Vanderbilt's new online almost unimagined luxury. I graduated from lives in London, UK, the University of Michigan with an MBA and Charles Edward Simpson H B.A., 1960 and said: Recently community, where you then spent 25 years as Sr. VP and CFO at United (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Simpson lives in La named President of can connect with alumni, Methodist Retirement Communities. The past Canada, CA, and said: At Vanderbilt I was a the Vanderbilt Alumni six years I have served as VP of Finance at reporter, copy editor and ultimately business Association for a two- students and friends Presbyterian Villages of Michigan. We provide manager of the Hustler. I took my share of the year term 2010 - 2012, around the world. housing and services to 2,000 low and moderate paper's profits, returned to California and went after serving on the income senior adults in 25 locations around the to law school. After 33 years of private law prac- John Hindle Alumni Association state of Michigan. I credit pounding out news sto- Issue 13 • Spring 2010 5

ries on the WRVU man- Media, which is based at NYU's Institute for WRVU '86-'90, retired from the Air Force at the ual typewriters for Public Knowledge. If anyone watched Anthony rank of lieutenant colonel in April 2010. His last developing my typing Bourdain's show this season, you could spot Air Force position was as Staff Judge Advocate and writing skills and me for about 90 seconds! I'd love to hear from at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. He, his I credit my time as sta- former classmates and get together whenever you wife, Suzanne, and their twin 7-year old daugh- tion business manager are in the New York/Philly area. ters, Emma and Mae Claire, now live in Grosse for directing me into the Pointe Park, Michigan, where Sean specializes in field of accounting and 1985 Federal contract law issues for Foley & Lardner at financial management. the law firm's Detroit office. WRVU was a life chang- Gary D. Gerson H Don House ing experience for me. B.S., 1985 1990 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Mark and Linda Harris WRVU Versus maga- Bruce K Negrin H B.A., 1990 1977 believe), now the nest is empty and Linda (my zine) Gerson lives in (WRVU) Negrin lives in New Rochelle, NY. wife of 26 years) and I are reconnecting with old Bloomfield Hills, MI, and said: Just stepped George Lawton Bevington H B.A., Jefferson Knight H B.A., 1977 friends. Latest habit is biking and we are using it down as head football 1990 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, The Vanderbilt Review) to delay the aging process. Looking for old friends coach at Cranbrook (Versus magazine) Bevington lives in Atlanta, Knight lives in Miami, FL, and said: Continuing that might be willing to ride in the HTH100 after 22 years total GA, and said: Bevington was recently awarded to practice international law in Miami. Visiting 100km ride. If you are a biker you will know coaching. Now I'm rais- 2010 Teacher of the Year honors by the Ga. Madrid this summer, having attended Vanderbilt- about the HTH100. ing my own team of Commission on the Holocaust for his curricu- in-Spain/University of Madrid in 1975. Maddie 8, Eli 7, and lum on the Holocaust at Sophia Academy. Bevy Organizing events for the Miami Chapter of 1983 Isaac 3. I have devoted also won a research grant from the National The Federalist Society, while continuing as a more time to writing Endowment for the Humanities to study JS Bach senior member of Florida Chapter, and former Daniel Monroe H B.A., 1983 and should have an in Germany this summer. He is very much look- state Chair, of the Republican National Lawyers (Versus magazine, The Vanderbilt Review) Monroe article out this fall in ing forward to tasting the various beers there. Association. Will be teaching election law at lives in Birmingham, AL, and said: Cayenne Vanderbilt Magazine seminar in September 2010. Creative continues to flourish down here in as well as Independent Birmingham. We brought in a new Director 1991 School Magazine. My of Design - Marion English Powers, who came Gary Gerson along with Eli on top and Isaac first book, Scoring to us after having spent almost 3 decades at Thanh Chi Cheng H B.S. 1991, M.D., down below. Points, has gathered Slaughter Group (formerly Slaughter Hanson). 1995 some interest, and I'm hard at work on my sec- New clients include Watts Realty, Alagasco, and (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook) ond one. Still hang with my old WRVU buddy, a to-be-named (that's where we come in) frozen Cheng lives in Missouri City, TX, and said: I'm Andy Cohen (BA 1983), and am amazed at how yogurt start-up down in Florida. Also noteworthy: happily married with Cindy for 7 years and have his two kids are already off at college... and gor- Ever the cobbler whose kids ran around shoeless, 2 beautiful daughters, Caitlyn, age 4, and Bella, geous. Cayenne finally has a new website up. Check it age 9 months. I've been working in the Houston out: cayennecreative.com My son Sam has "com- area as an Emergency Medicine physician. menced" from 8th grade to High School. My wife 1986 Pam is now the Assistant Director of College Counseling at Altamont. And I still believe the Thomas Mark Hodges H B.A., 1986 March 2010 Republican National Lawyers (WRVU) Hodges lives in Taipei, Taiwan, and Association reception for Lt. Col. Allen West, next great American novel is trapped in my pen Republican Candidate for Congress in FLA District and simply can't find its way out. said: Thomas Hodges is wrapping up over three 22. In photo are Lt. Col. West, Boca Raton years as the Public Affairs Officer at the American lawyer Lisa Macci, and Jefferson Knight. Macci Institute in Taiwan, and preparing to return to and Knight co-organized the event. Washington, DC, where he'll be the Director of the Office of Public Diplomacy for the State 1979 Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Recently in Taiwan, he and his staff arranged a speaking program in Taiwan for fel- Richard Chenoweth H B.S., 1979 low Vandy grad (and noted political scientist) (WRVU, Versus magazine) Chenoweth lives in Renford Reese, BA 1989. Thanh, Caitlyn, Cindy, Bella. We're in our backyard Princeton, NJ, and said: Richard has recently been awarded a three-month Fellowship from the 1992 U.S. Capitol Historical Society and the Architect 1987 of the Capitol to continue his digital reconstruc- Drew Watson H B.S., 1992 tion of the pre-fire Capitol (1814). The Hall of James Edmund Versfelt H B.A., 1987 In this blast-from-the-past shot: Vandy grads - (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU) Watson lives in Representatives during that period was designed Mike Johnson, Dan Monroe, Steve Pinals, Dees (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, Versus magazine, Kula (Maui), HI. by Benjamin Latrobe, and was referred to by Stribling, Victor Krebs, Rich Frankel, and Rich's Commodore yearbook, The Vanderbilt Review) Versfelt wife, Lisa. Thomas Jefferson as "the most beautiful room in lives in Miami Beach, FL., and said: Currently a Jay Underwood Howington H B.A., the world", yet no picture of the chamber exists. self-employed private Chef/Consultant in Miami Jay Newmark H B.S., 1983 Beach, FL. I am loving the extra time away from 1992 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Newmark lives in Chicago, the kitchen chaos to be with family and my 3 year (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, The Vanderbilt IL, and said: Accepted a position as Associate old son Wyatt! Review) Howington lives in Savannah, GA, and Medical Director, Physician Development said: Using my Creative Writing B.A. to: 1, make Program at Abbott Laboratories. up great stories for my two daughters, Mason and Meg, and 2, write scientific articles and teach neu- Richard Gazala H B.A., 1983, J.D., rosurgery. Unfortunately, my wife, Cori (Meek, 1986 A&S 1994) is a wise Vanderbilt alum and can see (WRVU) Gazala lives in Vienna, VA, and said: through any fiction on my part. My novel, "Blood of the Moon," won Honorable Mention in its category (Mystery/Suspense/ 1995 Thriller) at the Los Angeles DIY Book Festival last February, and won third place in the Santa Fe Trail Amy Elizabeth Buckner H B.A., 1995 Work in progress digital image of Capitol. Creative Arts Guild Book (Commodore yearbook, The Vanderbilt Review) Chenoweth. Competition last March in Buckner lives in San Francisco, CA, and said: the same category. In May Five years ago, I founded a user experience Richard's images will bring us into the Hall for Son Wyatt 3yo, Wife Colleen, James on Pt. Bolivar my novel was named a research firm the first time. Richard is an architect and artist Ferry, Texas coast May 2010 living in Princeton, NJ, and is seeking further Finalist in that category -- AnswerLab. funding to complete his project. at the Next Generation Recently, we Indie Book Awards, and Sarah Krantz Derks reached 20 H 1980 was featured at the 2010 B.A., 1987 e m p l o y e e s , BookExpo America show (The Vanderbilt Hustler) became the #1 at the Javits Center, in Derks lives in Overland user research Daniel Clifford Bowen H B.A., 1980 Manhattan. Also in May, Park, KS, and said: Sarah firm on the (WRVU, Commodore yearbook) Bowen lives in "Blood of the Moon" Fairfax County (VA) Public Krantz Derks (class of '87) INC 500, and Cincinnati, Oh. -- Front Cover Library Director Sam is Senior Communications ranked #49 Clay interviewed me for the FCPL author series, Editor at Hallmark Cards on the list of 1981 "Bookcast," and the recording of our conversa- in Kansas City, where she fastest grow- tion is available at the FCPL website, www.fairfax- writes and edits internal ing compa- Peggy Kolber Dugan H B.A., 1981 county.gov/library. Learn more at my homepage, Sarah Krantz Derks staff communications for nies in the San (Versus magazine) Dugan lives in Summit, NJ, and Amy Buckner & Dan Clifford, www.richardgazala.com. print and online publica- Co-Founders of AnswerLab @ Francisco / Bay said: Peggy Kolber Dugan and Terry Dugan live tions. She has two sons, ages 10 and 13. INC 500 Awards Ceremony Area. We help in Summit, New Jersey with their 3 teenagers and 1984 Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, eBay, Labradoodle. Terry works as a corporate lawyer in Wells Fargo, Honda, and Harley-Davidson deliver NYC and Peggy is a Relocation Counselor. Terry 1988 Steven Hall H B.E., 1984 better online experiences. And, everyday, I rely and Peggy lived in London for 3 years prior to liv- (WRVU) Hall lives in Fort Myers, FL, and said: Alonso Duralde H on the communication and design skills learned ing in New Jersey. Terry and Peggy were co-editors This spring I created my first movie- season high- B.A., 1988 while Editor-in-Chief of the Commodore year- of Versus their senior year and have been married lights for my son's Hockey travel team. It clocks (The Vanderbilt Hustler, book and The Vanderbilt Review! If you have an now for 23 years! in at 52 minutes long and I must say it is ama- WRVU, Versus magazine) interest or background in digital user experience teurish and jittery... but the kids loved it anyway. Duralde lives in West research, please check us out: www.answerlab. 1981 Mass production of 20 DVD's so it is a limited Hollywood, CA, and said: com. We're hiring! edition- made enough for the team and coaches. Alonso's second book, H Betsy Krumme MacConnell B.S., We had lots of fun doing it. HAVE YOURSELF A MOVIE Ronald Slomowicz H B.E., 1995 1981 Duralde. LITTLE CHRISTMAS, will (WRVU) Slomowicz lives in Nashville, TN, and (WRVU) MacConnell lives in Cincinnati, OH, David Livert H B.A., 1984, M.S., 1990 Photo credit: Gabriel Goldberg be published in October said: 2010 is turning out to be an incredi- and said: Working as a music therapist with hos- (The Vanderbilt Review) Livert lives in Milford, NJ, by Limelight Editions. ble year with nominations for Best Website for pice patients and teaching tai chi. and said: It's been a busy year! Penn State pro- DanceMusic.About.Com (International Dance moted me to Associate Professor of Psychology. 1989 Music Awards - 3rd nomination, won last year) 1982 I also was elected to the governing council of and Best Resident VJ (Clubworld Awards.) I the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Sean Allen Sabin H B.S., 1989, M.B.A., recently completed a six week residency at Splash Mark Allen Harris H B.E., 1982 Issues, a division of the APA. And I'm excited 1990 Bar, flying back and forth every Sunday/Monday (NROTC) Harris lives in Conway, AR, and said: to participate in a panel of top scholars, chefs, (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU) Sabin lives in to DJ at one of the hottest clubs in New York 28 years since graduation at Vandy (hard to and food journalists known as Menus in the Grosse Pointe Park, MI, and said: Sean Sabin, City. This summer is going to a busy travel time 6 tunnel vision

alumni updates…

for me with clubs trying 2000 digital photography as exemplified by how a 2005 to book me. I still spin sample group of women of childbearing age weekly on WRVU (lon- interact with family digital photography in gener- Erika Gordon Huddleston H B.A., 2000 Cat Ashley Opderbeck H B.S., 2005 gest continuously running al and how they interact with digital photographs (The Vanderbilt Review) Huddleston lives in (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, Commodore year- show currently on-air), of famous pregnant women and a transgender Austin, Texas, and said: I am living in Austin book) Opderbeck lives in San Diego, CA, and WRFN (local community pregnant man in particular. Dr. Landau accepted attending graduate school for landscape architec- said: Currently pursuing my second bachelor's radio station) and at the a tenure-track assistant professor position in the ture at the University of Texas. Painting quite a bit degree in Web Design & Interactive Media. Loving clubs Tribe and Play. All Department of Communication, Journalism, and and my website is up == www.erikahuddleston. Southern California but looking forward to what of this while running the Philosophy at Keene State College in southern com. Go dores! the future holds! top ranked (according to New Hampshire with a start date of the fall 2010 google) website on dance semester. At Keene State College, she will teach Joanna Pluta Robert Edward Caldwell H B.S., 2005 music and keeping a day and research mostly about visual rhetoric. Brown H B.A., (WRVU, VSC Board member) Caldwell lives in job, it's no wonder that I DJ Ron Slomowicz - 2000 Rolla, MO, and said: Currently, I am a lawyer, and Photographed by Karl Giant am so busy and still sin- Andrea Sims Frankenfeld H B.S., 2002 (Tyra Bank's inhouse pho- (The Vanderbilt I represent indigent people accused of crimes. I tographer) gle. (Commodore yearbook) Frankenfeld lives in South Hustler) Brown lives am what is known as a State Public Defender. I Asia, South Asia, and said: My husband and I in Northbrook, IL, hope to write a book about my experience as a moved to South Asia in April of 2010, where we 1997 and said: Joanna Pluta public defender when I can force myself to sit are working in ministry using our media skills Brown welcomed a and write. (he in audio and video and I in writing). We will Ben Snowden H B.A., 1997 son, Paul Thomas, be here for two years at least, working for a train- (The Vanderbilt Hustler, WRVU, Versus magazine, March 13, 2010. She ing company that provides character education. 2006 Slightly Amusing) Snowden lives in Washington, returned to work this DC, and said: Ben Snowden practices environ- summer as senior Neal Palmer H B.S. M.S., 2006 mental law with the firm of Wallace, King, 2003 Paul Thomas writer for a Chicago- (WRVU) Palmer lives in Nashville, TN, and said: Domike & Reiskin in Washington, DC. He and Brown based professional I am pursuing my PhD in Community Research his wife Rebecca are expecting a baby girl (their Nicole Susonne Pietrantoni H B.S., association. and Action at Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, my pro- first) in August. This spring they finally broke 2003 gram leaves little time to host a show on WRVU. down and bought a house in the suburbs. Sarah Creekmore Woodall H B.A., (The Vanderbilt Review) Pietrantoni lives in Reykjavik, Iceland, Iceland, and said: Nicole 2000 Zach Norton H B.A., 2006 Pietrantoni received her M.F.A. with Honors in 1998 (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Woodall lives in Nashville, (The Vanderbilt Hustler Versus magazine) Norton Printmaking and Intermedia from the University TN, and said: In March, I was promoted to lives in New York, NY, and said: Zach Norton of Iowa where she was a Dean's Graduate Fellow. Beka Browning H B.A., 1998 Assistant Director of Alumni Outreach for the works as an editorial coordinator for McGraw- While in Iowa, she completed a major public (Commodore yearbook) Browning lives in New Vanderbilt Alumni Association (Office of Alumni Hill Higher Education in New York City. In his art commission from the University of Iowa York, NY, and said: I'm the Online Art Director at Relations). I will continue to oversee our athletic spare time, he performs comedy, writes, draws, Hospitals and Clinics. Nicole will now spend Scholastic Book Clubs. programming and will be developing new career and produces short web videos. programming to benefit Vanderbilt alumni - June 2010 - July 2011 working at five artist resi- H dencies across Iceland. Her travel and research are Stephanie Clayton Thompson B.S., coming soon! 2007 1998 made possible by a scholarship from the Leifur (Commodore yearbook) Eiriksson Foundation and a Fulbright Grant to 2002 David Fotouhi H B.A., 2007 Thompson lives in Iceland from the Bureau of Educational and (The Vanderbilt Hustler, The Torch, VSC Board Nashville, TN, and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department Adrian Hill H B.A., member) Fotouhi lives in St. Louis, MO, and said: said: After returning to of State. 2002 After three years in snowy Cambridge, MA, I just Nashville in 2006 as a (Vanderbilt Television) received my law degree from Harvard in May. My critical care pharmacy Hill lives in Chicago, immediate plans include taking (and hopefully specialist, I signed IL, and said: After passing) the Texas bar exam in July and starting a on with Vanguard being a part of Collard federal clerkship with Judge Raymond Gruender Health Systems as the Greens & Cornbread on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Director of Clinical via VTV from 2000 Louis in August. Pharmacy Services for to 2002, I'm now liv- their 15 hospital sys- ing in Chicago with Christina England Livengood H B.A. tem. Shortly after the Stephanie Clayton my wife and young J.D., 2007 Thompson move, I fell in love, daughter. (The Vanderbilt Hustler, VSC Board member) and became happily Adrian Hill Livengood lives in Washington, DC, and said: married in May of this year. Graduated 2010 with a J.D. and a Law & Business Certification from Vanderbilt Law School. Amy Mauritson H B.S., 1998 David Schiff H B.A., 2002 Nicole Pietrantoni at a glacier in Iceland. Currently working at the Department of Energy, (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine) Mauritson (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine, Vanderbilt Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy lives in Memphis, TN, and said: I recently gradu- Television) Schiff lives in Arlington, VA, and said: (ARPA-E), as a Presidential Management Fellow. ated from medical school at the University of Happily, my girlfriend, Autumn, and I have Joshua Melton H B.E., 2003 Tennessee Health Science Center and am about moved to the Washington, D.C. area to pursue (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Melton lives in Tampa, to begin a residency in internal medicine in new careers and better acquaint ourselves with FL, and said: I was accepted into the Ph.D. pro- Memphis. the East Coast. I am now working for the Navy gram in Educational Leadership at the University submarine program as a civilian logistician/ of Oregon beginning Fall 2010. Nathan B. Thomas H B.S., 1998 acquisition specialist. D.C. has been a great place (WRVU, Versus magazine, Slightly Amusing) to reconnect with old Vandy friends. We had the 2004 Thomas lives in Seattle, WA, and said: I have pleasure of spending time with my good friends recently moved to Seattle and joined Amazon. and fellow former Hustler editors Alex Burkett R o b e r t com heading up the Kernel and Operating System and Meredith Berger, as well as some of my Shaw H team. My family has also expanded in the pro- Vanderbilt-in-Spain friends. B.A., 2004 cess, as my wife Wendy and I welcomed our sec- (The Vanderbilt ond daughter, Laine Anjou. Our first daughter, H u s t l e r , Piper Mayhew is now 7 years old. V a n d e r b i l t John Livengood and I were married on May 8th, Television) 2010. 1999 Shaw lives in New York, Allison Malone H B.A., 2007 NY, and said: Kelley Devereaux Kaminsky H B.A., (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Malone lives in Nashville, I am featured 1999 TN, and said: I graduated from the University of nationally on (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Kaminsky lives in Fort Tennessee College of Law in May 2010, and I will B l o o m b e r g Myers, FL, and said: Kelley Devereaux Kaminsky be working as an associate at Manier & Herod in Television as a and her husband David and three-year-old son, Nashville. Harrison, welcomed daughter Norah Ann to fantasy sports David Schiff & Autumn Conrad analyst. I am their family on October 13, 2009. Rob Shaw walks the red carpet Michael Patrick also active at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Wilt H B.A., Jamie Landau H B.A., 2002 behind the 2007 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine, Commodore scenes as the Executive Producer of the daily (The Vanderbilt yearbook) Landau lives in Keene, NH, and said: program Ballpark Figures, which is distributed Hustler, Versus maga- Jamie Landau graduated this year with a Ph.D. online by Bloomberg Sports. More importantly, zine, InsideVandy.com, in speech communication (emphasis in rhe- I am recently married to the beautiful Jennifer The Torch) Wilt lives torical studies) from the University of Georgia. Jaffe with VTV alums Matt Saul, Tom Schoborg, in Columbus, OH, Dr. Landau's doc- James Greenspun, and Dustin Sher at my wed- and said: Recently toral dissertation ding to share the moment with me. is titled “Gazing- graduated from The Imaging: Visual Ohio State University H Rhetorical Criticism Ahmed Bakhash B.E., 2004 College of Law, earn- (The Vanderbilt Hustler, V Square) Bakhash lives Third year law school ing the degree of Juris Norah and Mommy (Kelley Devereaux Kaminsky) and Creation, Digital photo Photography, and in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and said: I joined Doctor. Served as an Reproducing Women, Saudi Aramco (Leading Oil & Gas Company) in editor of the law school's main law journal, the Stacy Nunnally H B.A., 1999 a Pregnant (Trans) February 2005 as an electrical engineer. Got pro- Ohio State Law Journal. Is studying for the (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Nunnally lives in Man, and Family.” moted in July 2009 to Power Systems Engineer. Tennessee bar exam to be taken in 2010. Nashville, TN, and said: Stacy Nunnally has Her dissertation Got married to Bedour Alqannas in Sep 2009. recently become an independent non-profit and Elise Alford H B.S., 2007 investigates the visu- Will be loaned to Total (French Oil Refiner) in new media consultant. She works with individu- June 2010 to build a new refinery in Jubail Saudi (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Alford lives in Chicago, Jamie Landau al rhetorical force of als, organizations and campaigns in creating and Arabia. IL, and said: Elise will earn her Master of Science implementing social/new media strategies. Her in Education degree in Higher Education clients include several political candidates run- Cara Bohon H B.S., 2004 Administration & Policy from Northwestern ning for national office, a local mayoral race, the (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Commodore yearbook) University this summer. She is also thrilled to TN Economic Summit for Women and more. UPDATE Bohon lives in West Hollywood, CA, and said: announce her engagement to Micah Claffey, Nunnally says, "I believe that social and new your contact information at Cara finished her PhD in clinical psychology in Vanderbilt '08. They are celebrating Micah's media are great equalizers in our society, allowing VUconnect.com June and will begin a postdoctoral fellowship recent graduation from Rice University where he people to have a strong voice in advocacy, policy studying brain function and intervention for eat- received a Master of Music degree in cello perfor- and social justice issues." ing disorders at UCLA in July. mance. Elise and Micah are eager to see where Issue 13 • Spring 2010 7

their next career steps lead them and looking Justin Charles Medical Center in New York, I have decided to forward to a Tennessee wedding in May 2011. Roberts H B.A., pursue my dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. 2008 I'll begin hiking at Springer Mountain in Georgia Sean Seelinger H B.A., 2007 (The Vanderbilt Hustler, and hopefully make it to Pennsylvania before (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Seelinger lives in New WRVU) Roberts lives beginning graduate studies in health care policy York City, NY, and said: I graduated from the in San Antonio, TX, and management at Carnegie Mellon University University of North Carolina School of Law in and said: I am enter- in the fall. May and moved to New York City to study for the ing my third year of New York and Massachusetts bar exams in July. I law school at St. Mary's Mike Kranzler H will start a one-year fellowship with the New York University School of B.A., 2009 State Office of the Attorney General in September Law. I am the incom- (The Vanderbilt Hustler, before prior to joining the Boston-based law firm ing Editor in Chief InsideVandy.com, The Ropes & Gray. of the St. Mary's Law Slant) Kranzler lives Gu, Durham, NC. Photos courtesy of Ken Luallen. Journal, which is the in Miami, FL, and Mike Burns H B.A., 2007 Justin C. Roberts (Me) said: I am the Media Lillian Gu H B.A., 2008 - Emceeing the "Off tenth most frequently (The Vanderbilt Hustler, VSC Board member) Burns (Commodore yearbook) Gu lives in Durham, the Vine" wine gala cited law review by Coordinator for Arluck lives in Washington, DC, and said: received his NC, and said: Married Jerry Yen (Commodore and fundraiser for All state and federal courts Promotions, a sports J.D. at Georgetown this May. Saints Episcopal School marketing agency based Yearbook, BS '06) on May 23, 2010! (Are we the in Tyler, TX, where I in the United States. first yearbook couple?) attended high school. I'm currently applying in South Beach repre- 2008 for clerkships for when I graduate. Mike Kranzler senting Olympic ath- Madeleine Pulman H B.A., 2008 letes. We also run the Craig Tapper H B.A., 2008 (InsideVandy.com Commodore yearbook Student Meredith Trezise H B.A., 2008 Swim Champions Fitter & Faster Tour, a nation- (The Vanderbilt Hustler) Tapper lives in New York, Media Advertising) Pulman lives in Atlanta, GA, (The Torch) Trezise lives in Jacksonville, FL, and wide tour of swimming events with Olympians. NY, and said: I have been working as a writer and and said: Still living in Atlanta and working for said: I recently received my wings as a Naval In our first six months of the Tour, we've reached editor for the New York Yankees since graduating Nissan - so not much new there! I travel at every Flight Officer. I fly in the P-3 Orion and am sta- over 40 cities and 10,000 swimmers and their in 2008. I work on the production of "Yankees given opportunity and Scuba Diving remains my tioned in Jacksonville, fL. parents. Magazine" and the annual "New York Yankees passion. I acquired my most recent certification Yearbook." After winning the 2009 World Series, in Thailand; Advanced Open Water Diver, and I Ellen Tremaine H B.A., 2008 2010 I served as an editor for "Twenty-Seven: The look forward to advancing on to the Rescue Diver (Versus magazine) Tremaine lives in New York, Official Yankees World Series Championship Level which I am currently working towards. I NY. Jacquie Berger H B.A., 2010 Commemorative." will be traveling to the Cayman Islands in July (InsideVandy.com, Vanderbilt Television) Berger lives for some tropical diving and a short break from a 2009 in Westport, CT, and said: I recently graduated busy work schedule. from Vanderbilt in December 2009, worked the Becky Tyrrell H 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, and am cur- B.S., 2009 rently working at ESPN on the ESPY Awards. (The Vanderbilt Hustler, Versus magazine, InsideVandy. H H H com) Tyrrell lives in Lawrenceville, GA, and said: After a year of serving as a clinical research coordina- Craig Tapper Scuba Diving off Koh Phangan, Thailand Becky Tyrrell tor at Mount Sinai

Alumni Column, continued from page 2 the online side. When I got out of college, the main skill Maybe the key for tomorrow's Tunnel staffers won't carpet, on the floor of the Hustler newsroom. When I a Hustler/Commodore/Versus/VSC alum could claim was be learning a specific skill, such as writing a story in the was a student, we had to walk to class. In the snow. Five the ability to write -- and back when I was a student, inverted pyramid or how to layout a page on computer miles. Uphill. Both ways. there were some people in the Tunnel who could write -- it might be learning how to learn, and learning how Times change. Today's students working in the like the Lord himself had reached down from heaven to be ready to move to whatever is the next new pro- Tunnel will have opportunities that my generation and imparted His blessing on their keyboards. (This is gram or platform. The core skill involved is the same never had -- such as producing journalism for multiple as good a time as any for me to include the obligatory one at the heart of writing good newspaper stories platforms and broadcasting that work to a universal "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did work with Tyler Kepner -- communication, or more specifically, storytelling -- audience online. But I think those opportunities will in college" comment. No, I seriously doubt he learned and the next generation will have to be nimble enough also require the next generation to be smarter than anything from me. Yes, we all knew he would someday mentally to transfer that skill across multiple commu- mine. work at the New York Times.) nication mediums, including prose, video, data, and At least, I hope they're smarter than mine. Maybe But I've learned from my dog-paddling that, while whatever new whoziwhatzits come down the pike 10 they can do something to get rid of that irritating mix writing will still be important to the next generation of or 15 years from now, the likes of which an old geezer tape on production night. journalists, it won't be enough for them to get by. They'll like me can't even imagine today. also need computer and multimedia skills that my When I was a student, you wrote a story, and if it was Jennifer Peebles is deputy editor and jack-of-all-trades for classmates would never have imagined. Can you write salvageable by the editors, it got edited and got in the Texas Watchdog (http://www.texaswatchdog.org). She lives computer programming code for dynamic Web sites and paper -- and on an average publication day, it was read in Houston and welcomes comments and hate mail at jen- apps? Can you join and analyze databases to find sto- by several hundred 18- and 19-year-olds during Econ [email protected] or on Twitter at @jpeebles. She's ries? Can you shoot and edit your own video? Can you 100 (but only after they had finished the crossword also on Facebook, MySpace, and way too many other social make animations with Flash? puzzle). When I was a student, there was only tile, not networking sites.

Román named Student Media Editorial Fellow for 2010-11 vsc Alumni donors The newest mem- Film Festival as well as the ber of Vanderbilt Student 2009 Eugene International Film Vanderbilt Student Communications recently asked our family of Student Media Alumni for support to publish Tunnel Vision and to help fund our alumni events. VSC is delighted to announce the following Communications Festival, where it alumni responded with generous donations, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to each of them. Inc. is Gaby Román, won the "Cut to the Thank you! who will be join- Chase" award. ing the staff as the "I am looking Alumni Gold Sponsors Homecoming Gold T. William Estes 2010-11 editorial forward to working Skip Bayless Kevin B. Barnard Steven Hall fellow. Román will with and learning G. Marc Hamburger Anonymous Donor Roy Blount Jr. lend her talents from all the mem- Ann Carroll Brad Hammond Jay Graves Don House in video produc- bers of the student Alumni Sponsors tion to the posi- media community Laurie Houston Jerry N. Jordan Curt Jeffrey Mayer Irwin J. Kuhn Juliann Schwan Larimer tion. She is a 2010 this new school Justin Stephen Smith Geoff McClelland Marni Lessa Vanderbilt gradu- year," Román said. Student Media Stars Jeffrey D. Segal Michelle Manzo ate who majored "Multimedia is Justin Seibert Hugh J. Moore Lamar Alexander in film studies and a passion I enjoy Kara Smith Steve Oggel English. Last sum- sharing, and it is my Chris Carroll Margaret Tarpley Harry Howe Ransom Tom Rosenblatt mer she worked hope that the con- Robert C. Eager Sam Feist Other Donors Daniel and Jennifer Schiffer as an intern for tent I produce and C.L. Bowen David C. Scott Encore Media, in ideas I exchange William W. Gwinn, Jr. John Boys Carl L. Sebelius, Jr. Nashville. Within will resonate this Sean Seelinger Paige Orr Clancy Robert Lawrence Shaw the past year, a interest with the Corinne Cookson Jim Tart Charles Cook Dawson John M. Travis short film Román co-edited was students. I'm truly thrilled to be Katherine Degerberg John H. Turner screened at the 2010 Nashville a part of the VSC team." Issue 13 • Spring 2010 tunnel vision the alumni newsletter for student media at vanderbilt university 8

Hall of Fame, continued from page 1 as a senior writer and analyst for all pulled out of the water. Other research He lettered in football under legendary ESPN entities, appearing on programs interests include the diagnosis and new Coach Dan McGugin. However, during Please support such as “Baseball Tonight” and “Sports forms of treatment for heart failure. his senior year, he was suspended for student media Center.” After graduating with a B.A. The cardiology unit at the Nashville VA writing a Hustler column in which he in history in 1988, Olney became the Medical Center is named after him. criticized the administration for not alumni programs Nashville Banner beat reporter for the using the $20,000 that was bequeathed Nashville Sounds. He moved to the San inson by a former professor for a student It is always a great honor to share tracy wilk Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore lounge. By that time, McGill was busy news with you about both the Sun before joining The New York Times, Wilkinson grew up in Atlanta, Ga., with his job outside school as he cov- current student media at Vanderbilt where he covered first the Mets and then and worked as a reporter and news edi- ered the police beat at the Nashville and about your fellow alumni. Your the Yankees. He has been at ESPN since tor for The Hustler. She earned her B.A. Banner. He left the College of Arts and connection to Vandy media has 2003. Olney is the author of The Last in English literature in 1980. After work- Science although he later enrolled in proven to be a great resource for Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, ing for United Press International in Vanderbilt Law School. McGill, who our students and staff, as well as a the Team, and the Cost of Greatness and Peru and Nicaragua, Wilkinson joined was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, tremendous source of pride for us. We sincerely hope you feel equally of the forthcoming book How Lucky the LA Times in 1987. She has cov- got in trouble again and kicked out of proud and have many fond memories You Can Be, which is about basketball ered wars, crises and daily life in more school for pulling a prank against a rival of your time working with campus coach Don Meyer. than 50 countries. Wilkinson has been fraternity. He invited some of the more media. based in San Salvador; in Vienna, where notorious individuals that he had met l smith she covered the war in the Balkans; covering police stories to Beta Theta Pi’s dr. raphae VSC has provided, at no cost to in Jerusalem; and in Rome, where she spring formal. McGill never completed alumni, outreach efforts such wrote about a papal funeral and elec- any degrees at Vanderbilt but continued as Tunnel Vision and this past According to the 1953 Commodore, tion. She has covered southern Europe, to work at the Banner, becoming sports fall's Homecoming and Vanderbilt Smith was among those who began done several stints in Iraq and is now editor and sports columnist. In 1929 Student Media Hall of Fame work on a campus radio station, then based in Mexico City, where she is McGill joined the Atlanta Constitution, ceremony. However, VSC receives called WVU. He served as the station’s the Times’ bureau chief and a con- where he worked his way up to syndi- limited financial support from first technical director and engineer. His tributor to its La Plaza blog. Among her cated columnist, editor and publisher Vanderbilt University and raises activities included laying army surplus awards, Wilkinson received the George of the morning newspaper. McGill was most of its operating budget field wire through the campus steam Polk Award for coverage of the Balkans a staunch supporter of civil rights and through advertising in student tunnels to transmit a radio signal to and Kosovo and the Overseas Press opposed social and educational segre- publications and yearbook sales. the dorms and being on call 24/7 for Club Award twice. She also wrote the gation at a time when few around him repair of equipment. Smith earned his lead story in the Times’ Pulitzer-award- spoke out on the issue. In 1959 he was Please consider supporting Vanderbilt B.A. in chemistry in 1955 and then went winning package on racially motivated awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editori- student media alumni programs by sending your contribution to VSC at to Harvard, where he received his M.D. riots. Her book The Vatican’s Exorcists: als condemning hate crimes by the Ku www.vandymedia.org or by mail He did tours of active naval duty dur- Driving Out the Devil in the 21st Klux Klan. McGill published four books, to the address on page two. Your ing Vietnam and Desert Storm, where Century has been translated into half a including The South and the Southerner. donation to charitable nonprofit VSC he was deployed to the Middle East. He dozen languages. Harvard University was among several Inc. may be deductible, depending joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1969 institutions awarding him honorary on your tax situation. and directed the Coronary Care Unit cgill degrees. McGill died from a heart attack ralph m and Heart Station. He also became chief in 1969. Regardless of your ability to of cardiology at the Nashville Veterans McGill, who was born in 1898 in For more information about the contribute at this time, we're grateful Medical Center. Smith was in charge Igou’s Ferry (Hamilton County), Tenn., Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame, to count you among our alumni, and of a series of experiments involving the enrolled at Vanderbilt in 1917. He contact Chris Carroll at chris.carroll@ we'll continue to send you Tunnel effect of weightlessness on astronauts’ wrote a column called “Censored” for vanderbilt.edu. To learn more about Vision and include you in our events. heart function during the three Skylab The Hustler and contributed to Jade, a Vanderbilt Student Communications, Thank you for your support of missions. He was on the decks of the student humor magazine. McGill also click on www.vscmedia.org. student media at Vanderbilt! recovery ships so he could interpret wrote poetry and became friends with his findings when the astronauts were some of the famed Fugitive writers. H H H H H PRSRT STD PAI D U.S. P ostage F ranklin , TN P ermit N o . 357

NOMINATION FORM We welcome your nomination for the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame.

Candidate Nomination INFORMATION Please include the following information on separate paper or in an email:

Your Information: • Your name • Email address • Phone • Mailing Address

Nominee Information: • Name of nominee • Nominee’s class year or approximate • Vanderbilt student media organization(s) in which nominee worked • Dates (or approximate) when nominee worked in Vanderbilt student media • Please describe your knowledge of how the nominee contributed in a significant way as a staff member to one or more of Vanderbilt’s student media organizations • Please describe how the nominee has achieved outstanding personal or professional accomplishments and/or made distinguished and lasting contribution to his or her field and/or society in general

You are welcome to also send additional supporting information, documentation, photos, etc. ______

To nominate a Hall of Fame candidate, please complete the above information and send via email to [email protected] or mail to: Vanderbilt Student Communications • Attn: Hall of Fame • 2301 Vanderbilt Place • VU Station B 351669 • Nashville, TN 37235-1669