Verla Marie Williams Vaughan, the longtime professor of nursing and administrator at Tennessee State University, died earlier this week in Nashville. She was 64 years old.
Dr. Vaughan joined the nursing faculty at Tennessee State University in 1977. In addition to her role on the faculty for 36 years, Dr. Vaughan served as chair of the Christine Sharpe Lectureship, which provided nursing students access to some of the nation’s top leaders in nursing.
Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State, said, “Her work as a trailblazer and an educator in the field of nursing is a tremendous legacy she has left Tennessee State that will not be forgotten.”
Professor Vaughan was a graduate of Tennessee State University. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University in Nashville and a Ph.D. in nursing from Texas Woman’s University.