Mrs. Chapman, whose late husband, John Chapman, was dean of VUSM, worked tirelessly to advance health care and the nursing profession on the local and national level.

Among the Eskind family’s many contributions were the establishment of the comprehensive Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic and the Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Recently, he attended the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the School of Medicine, proud to be its oldest returning alumnus.

The J. Kenneth Jacobs Fellowship in Surgery was established in Dr. Jacobs’ honor to support surgical residents during their laboratory years.

During his 20-year career at VUMC, he developed the Vanderbilt Small Bowel Center and was a leader in endoscopic innovation.

Mr. Ayers and his wife, Janet, have been a major philanthropic force in all of Tennessee.

He and his wife, Patricia Ingram Hart, who died in 2022, endowed multiple chairs across the School of Medicine and Peabody College of Education and Human Development.