Obituary Notice: Martha Rivers Ingram
Martha Rivers Ingram, 90, of Nashville, Tenn., died August 6.
Following her husband’s death in 1995, she became the chairman of Ingram Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. She also served on the board of directors of several public companies: Baxter International; Ingram Micro; Regions Financial Corporation; and Weyerhaeuser Company.
In 1995, she was elected to the Vanderbilt University board of trust, and she served as the chairman of the board of trust from 1999 until 2011. She also was a trustee of Vassar College, Ashley Hall and The Harpeth Hall School.
An Ingram Marine Group social media post called her “a remarkable leader, dedicated philanthropist, fierce champion of the arts and education and an extraordinary mother, grandmother and great grandmother.”
“She leaves a lasting mark on Ingram and on the Nashville community she served so passionately,” the post continued. “Her leadership, generosity and commitment to making the arts accessible to all helped shape an enduring legacy that will be felt for generations.”
Ingram was born in Charleston, S.C., on August 20, 1935. She was a student at Ashley Hall in Charleston before attending Vassar College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1957. Following her graduation, she worked with her father at WCSC Inc., radio and television stations in Charleston, and was a DJ for a classical music program on the WCSC FM station. In 1958, she married Erskine Bronson Ingram II; and in 1961, they moved to Nashville.
She held a lifelong passion of the arts and was very involved in the development of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in the 1970s and the establishment of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre (now Nashville Repertory Theatre). She also served on boards of local performing arts, ballet, opera, symphony and visual arts organizations.
Among other honors, the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts presented her with the Gold Medal in the Arts Award for her lifetime of supporting the arts. Several sites associated with schools and universities and with the arts are named after her.
She enjoyed traveling, spending time on her boat with friends, fishing and playing golf and tennis.
Survivors include her sons, Orrin Henry Ingram II, John Rivers Ingram and David Bronson Ingram; a daughter, Robin Bigelow Ingram Patton; a brother, John Minott Rivers, 12 grandchildren, two nieces and a nephew.
Her funeral was scheduled for August 14 at St. George’s Episcopal Church with a private graveside service to follow.
