April 10, 1996
Contact: Liz Latt, (615) 322-2706

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Martha R. Ingram, chairman of Ingram Industries, Inc., has agreed to chair the Blair School of Music's KeyBoard.

The announcement that Ingram will succeed Kenneth L. Roberts July 1 was made during the school's annual Celebration Dinner April 9.

Founded in 1981 by Roberts, the 30-member KeyBoard is composed of volunteers from the community who assist Dean Mark Wait in raising funds and awareness of the school. The group also offers advice on Blair's current and potential impact on the cultural life of the region. During the last three years, the KeyBoard has helped attain a 39 percent increase in annual giving.

"I look forward to working with Martha Ingram as the Blair School of Music further extends its services to the community," Wait said. "In the past three years, Ken Roberts has brought the Blair School to a new level of awareness and funding, and now Martha Ingram, whose civic dedication and leadership have transformed Nashville, will help build on that success. I am delighted that she will be in the forefront for Blair."

Ingram, a member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, and her husband, the late Board of Trust President E. Bronson Ingram, are among the University's most significant donors. They and members of their family have funded cancer research and endowed four chairs and scholarships, including the Ingram Scholars Program which rewards undergraduates for their volunteer efforts and their commitment to continuing those efforts throughout their careers.

Martha Ingram served as director of public affairs at Ingram Industries from 1979 until she became chairman of the board in June 1995. She serves on the board of Baxter International, First American Corporation and Weyerhaeuser Company. She is a member of the advisory board of INROADS/Nashville and is chairman of the 1996 Tennessee Bicentennial Celebration.

Ingram was the guiding force behind the creation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and served as a board member for 15 years. She is a past member of the advisory board for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

A former board member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, she also is a board member of her alma mater, Vassar College. She has served on the boards of the United Way of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and was chairman of the United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society. She has chaired the Nashville Symphony Board, was a founder of the Tennessee Repertory Theater and serves on the boards of the Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera and Nashville Institute for the Arts, as well as the Nashville Symphony and Tennessee Repertory Theater.

In addition to Roberts, the former chairs of KeyBoard are Brownlee O. Currey, Charlotte H. Cone and Richard W. Hanselman.

Founded in 1964, the Blair School of Music provides musical instruction for persons of all ages through its precollegiate and collegiate programs. More than 400 children and adults currently are enrolled in the precollegiate program, and 114 young adults are completing undergraduate degrees in performance, theory and composition or musical arts. Blair's faculty are internationally known and will perform more than 1,000 concerts in Nashville, the United States and abroad this year.