Martha Rivers Ingram, the influential businesswoman, philanthropist and arts patron whose decades of civic leadership helped shape Nashville’s cultural landscape, died Aug. 6. She was 90.
Known as Nashville’s ‘First Lady of the Arts,’ Ingram played a major role in the growth of many of the institutions that have become central to the city’s cultural identity, including the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville Symphony, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera and Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
She was particularly instrumental in the development of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and was involved in the creation of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, now Nashville Repertory Theatre. Her contributions to the arts led to her being described as “the principal architect of Nashville’s cultural infrastructure.”
Born Aug. 20, 1935, in Charleston, South Carolina, Ingram graduated from Vassar College in 1957 with a degree in history. She married E. Bronson Ingram in 1958, and the couple moved to Nashville in 1961.
Following her husband’s death in 1995, Ingram became chairman of Ingram Industries, one of the nation’s largest privately held companies. She also served on the boards of several major corporations and became an influential leader in higher education.
Ingram joined Vanderbilt University’s Board of Trust in 1995 and served as its chair from 1999 to 2011. Her support of the university and the arts is reflected across the Vanderbilt campus, including the Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts at the Blair School of Music and a bronze statue of Ingram at the university’s Ingram Commons.
Her civic involvement extended statewide. In 1992, Gov. Ned McWherter appointed Ingram to chair the Tennessee Bicentennial Commission, which organized the state’s 1996 bicentennial celebration.
Over her lifetime, Ingram received numerous honors for her contributions to business, education, philanthropy and the arts. She has a star on the Music City Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame. Her honors also included the Gold Medal in the Arts Award for lifetime achievement and South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto.
Ingram is survived by her four children, Orrin Henry Ingram II, John Rivers Ingram, David Bronson Ingram and Robin Bigelow Ingram Patton, as well as grandchildren and other family members.
Visitation will be held Thursday, Aug. 13, from 4-7 pm at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Pike. Funeral services will be held at the church Friday, Aug. 14, at 10 am, followed by a private family graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to one of Ingram’s favorite arts organizations or Vanderbilt University.
