“There is no better gift than an education,” says Dr. Betty Witherspoon. “It is the gift that opens doors to a better life.”

With a strong mantle of education and work ethic impressed upon her early in life, Dr. Witherspoon received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s predecessor, the University of Tennessee at Memphis, a master’s in nursing from the University of Alabama, and a doctor of education from California Coastal College.

With her wit for science and math and passion for caring for others, Dr. Witherspoon knew her calling was nursing. “I was influenced by watching a cousin and a friend’s mother who were both nurses,” she says. “I have always been fascinated by the health care industry, and I knew nursing was a profession that would bring great satisfaction and meaning to my life.”

After nursing stints at military hospitals in Germany and hospitals in Mississippi and New Orleans, Dr. Witherspoon compassionately taught nursing, with specialties in child care and mental health, for close to three decades at Tennessee State University. In 1988, she began nursing babies back to health in the neonatal intensive care unit of Vanderbilt University Hospital. She continues to share her craft with students and faculty members at Vanderbilt as does her husband, Dr. John D. Witherspoon (UT Memphis ’68), who is in private practice as an otolaryngologist. “UT in Memphis holds a special place in my heart…it’s where John and I met; it’s where I was molded by many amazing students, faculty, and mentors. Many of my college classmates are still great friends,” she says.

Faith, family, and friends are what inspire Dr. Witherspoon, who calls Nashville home, to be one of the biggest philanthropic cheerleaders for education, the arts, and community service. Mother and grandmother are her nearest and dearest titles. Her son, John, has a thriving real estate career, and her daughter, Reese, “who could have been a doctor, if she wanted to” is an Academy Award-winning actress. Her granddaughter, Ava, 12, “is a budding veterinary,” while Deacon, 8, “has his eyes on architecture.” And her youngest grandchildren — Abby, 6, and Draper, 5, “still have some time,” she says laughing.

A member of St. George’s Episcopal Church, Dr. Witherspoon is also a tireless advocate for the Arthritis Foundation of Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Children’s Theatre, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville. She also enjoys spending time with her pets—horses, which are often used for therapeutic and educational purposes.