William S. Vaughn (1903–1996) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He served as the President of

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

from 1960 to 1967, and as its Chairman from 1967 to 1970. Vaughn House 2

Early life

William Scott Vaughn was born on December 8, 1903, in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

.Vanderbilt University: The Vaughn Home
/ref>Kenneth N. Gilpin

'' The New York Times'', September 26, 1996 His grandfather,

William J. Vaughn William J. Vaughn (February 15, 1834 – December 1, 1912) was an American university professor, school principal, librarian and book collector. He was one of the earliest professors at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and at Va ...

, was a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and later at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; the Vaughn Home on the Vanderbilt campus is named after him. His aunt, Stella Vaughn, pioneered women's athleticism at Vanderbilt University. His father, Harry Vaughn, worked as a dentist in Kansas City until he moved back to Nashville to become a businessman and bird collector; his bird collection was later donated to the Adventure Science Museum (previously known as the Nashville Children's Museum or the Cumberland Science Museum). William, his parents, and his two brothers, Charles and Houghton, lived on 24th Avenue, a few street away from his paternal grandfather's home. Later, they moved to a farm in the affluent suburb of

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census. He was educated at the Robertson Academy, where he skipped the eighth grade, and at the

Hume-Fogg High School Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School is a public magnet high school serving grades 9–12 and located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. History Hume School, serving the first through 12th grades, opened in 1855 on Eighth Avenue ( ...

in Nashville. He went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University in 1923, where he studied German and Mathematics and he was a member of the

Phi Beta Kappa Society The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...

and Class Poet. He was then a

Rhodes scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

at the Christ Church, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.

Career

He started his career in the development department of Kodak in 1928.Former Kodak Chief Who Launched The Instamatic
'' The Chicago Tribune'', September 29, 1996 From 1942 to 1943, during the Second World War, he worked for the War Production Board in Washington, D.C. He returned to Kodak. He became President and Director of the Eastman Chemical Products, a Kodak subsidiary, in 1956. He then served as the President of Eastman Kodak from 1960 to 1967 and Chairman from 1967 to 1970.Blake McKelvey, ''Rochester on the Genessee: The Growth of a City'', Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1993, p. 26

/ref> During his tenure, he committed to the training and employment of more African-Americans. He served on its board of directors until 1973. Additionally, he served on the Boards of Directors of TRW Inc., Procter & Gamble and the Lincoln First Bank.

Philanthropy

He sat on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University, from 1952 to 1995, and as its President from 1968 to 1975. In 1985, together with his brother Houghton he donated $350,000 to restore the Vaughn Home on the Vanderbilt campus. In 1991, he donated an additional $150,000 to the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, a research center named for Robert Penn Warren (1905–1989) at Vanderbilt University. The ''William S. Vaughn Visiting Professorship'' at Vanderbilt University is now named in his honor. He also served on the board of trustees of the University of Rochester as well as chairman of the board of directors of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Additionally, he served as a trustee of the George Eastman House, the Eastman School of Music and the YMCA in Rochester, New York. A supporter of Civil Rights for African-Americans, he sat on the National Council of the United Negro College Fund and he was a member of the Rochester chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Personal life

He was married to Elizabeth Harper Vaughn, whom he met through his German Professor,

George Pullen Jackson George Pullen Jackson (1874–1953) was an American educator and musicologist. He was a pioneer in the field of Southern (U.S.) hymnody. He was responsible for popularizing the term "white spirituals" to describe the "fasola" singing. Early l ...

(1874–1953), at Vanderbilt University, after the latter suggested he tutor her in German. They got married in 1928 in Rochester, New York, where they resided. Later, they resided at 258 Buckland Avenue in Brighton, New York.Who's who in Meadowbrook
/ref>

Death

He died on September 20, 1996, in Brighton, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, William S. 1903 births 1996 deaths Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri Businesspeople from Nashville, Tennessee Businesspeople from Rochester, New York Vanderbilt University alumni Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford American Rhodes Scholars American chief executives Kodak people Philanthropists from New York (state) Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists