Ann Marie, BA’64, and Martin McNamara III, BA’58, represent a hub connecting multiple generations to Vanderbilt. Martin and two siblings followed in their parents’ footsteps to attend. As a student, he met Ann Marie, and together they are parents to three Vanderbilt alumnae and grandparents to three graduates or current students.
The couple have remained deeply engaged as alumni, and they and their family recognized their many ties with the university by creating the Martin F. McNamara Jr. Scholarship in honor of Martin’s father, a student-athlete who graduated in 1932. Supporting the fund has enabled Ann Marie and Martin to build strong connections with the College of Arts and Science undergraduates who benefit from it.
“We have met some of the most interesting young people,” Martin says. “They keep in touch, and we take them and their families to dinner when they come to town for Reunions or other events.”
Over the years, the McNamaras—Nashville residents—have provided support beyond the scholarship by attending sporting events, poetry slams and other extracurricular activities to encourage their scholars’ interests and activities that round out the undergraduate experience.
“It has been a joy for us to make these connections and know that we are providing opportunities to these exceptional students who may not have otherwise been able to get a Vanderbilt education,” Ann Marie says.
Ann Marie and Martin value the ripple effect their giving has on others. Each year, their family makes a collective gift to the McNamara Scholarship, and their scholarship recipients express their intentions to give back to Vanderbilt.
“Investing in Vanderbilt with scholarships for these deserving students has brought us so much pleasure and satisfaction,” Martin says. “They are our future, and it looks bright!”
—Connie Harris
