Martha Rivers Ingram

August 20, 1935 – August 6, 2026

Martha Rivers Ingram, Nashville’s First Lady of the Arts, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on August 20, 1935. Martha was predeceased by her parents, John Minott Rivers Sr. and Martha Elizabeth Robinson Rivers, and her sister, Elizabeth Craig Rivers Lewine (Richard Lewine). She also was preceded in death by her beloved husband of thirty-six years, Erskine Bronson Ingram II.

Martha was a student at Ashley Hall in Charleston before attending Vassar College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1957. Following her graduation, she worked with her father at WCSC Inc., radio and television stations in Charleston, and was a deejay for a classical music program on the WCSC FM station. In 1958, she married E. Bronson Ingram; and in 1961, they moved to Nashville, the city Martha would call home for the rest of her life.

Martha was a businesswoman, fierce supporter of the arts and education, philanthropist, and civic leader. 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 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. Martha also was a trustee of Vassar College, Ashley Hall, and The Harpeth Hall School. In 1992, Governor Ned McWherter appointed Martha to chair the Tennessee Bicentennial Commission which commemorated the state’s admission to the United States.

Martha held a lifelong passion for the arts. She has been called “the principal architect of Nashville’s cultural infrastructure.” She was the board chair of The Advent Theater, Nashville’s first professional repertory company. She was very involved in the development of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in the 1970s and also the establishment of the Tennessee Repertory Theater (now Nashville Repertory Theatre). She served on the boards of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Spoleto Festival U.S.A in Charleston. She was instrumental in the building of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville and the Gaillard Center in Charleston. She served as KeyBoard Chairperson of Blair School of Music. The Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts at the Blair School is named after her.

Martha received numerous honors: President Richard Nixon appointed her to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center; she has a star on the Music City Walk of Fame; and Belmont University presented her with the Applause Award. The State Hermitage Museum and the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts presented her with the Gold Medal in the Arts Award for her lifetime achievements supporting the arts. She has been honored with the Order of the Palmetto from South Carolina, and she was inducted into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame. She received the Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award; De Tocqueville Award; and the AJLI Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award. In 2005, Martha received an honorary degree from the Baker School of Business at The Citadel. Several significant sites bear her name: Martha Rivers Ingram Garden Courtyard at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center; a bronze statue of her in front of Ingram Commons on the Vanderbilt campus; Martha Rivers Ingram Art Center at Ashley Hall; and Martha Rivers and E. Bronson Ingram Library addition at Vassar College. In leisure, Martha enjoyed spending time on her boat with friends and fishing. She loved to travel, especially to New York, London, Paris, Vienna, and Rome, and she played golf and tennis.

In addition to her husband, other important men in Martha’s life were: Nashville Symphony Conductor, Kenneth Schermerhorn, The Honorable Gilbert Merritt Jr., and renowned cello soloist, Zuill Bailey. Also, Martha relied heavily on her loyal “caregivers/enablers,” Dani Kates and Karen George.

Martha is survived by numerous family members. Son: Orrin Henry Ingram II Grandchildren: Orrin Henry Ingram III (Kate Barnes Ingram); Aaron Forrest Barrett (Camille Bentz Barrett); Virginia Ingram Garchitorena (Christopher James Garchitorena) Son: John Rivers Ingram (Stephanie Hampton Currey Ingram) Grandchildren: Alexa Davol Chapman; Christina Currey Vance (Trenton Joshua Vance); Martha Hampton Ingram; Lucas Rivers Ingram Son: David Bronson Ingram (Sarah LeBrun Ingram) Grandchildren: Henry LeBrun Ingram (Yi Jiang); Erskine Bronson Ingram III Daughter: Robin Bigelow Ingram Patton (Richard Connell Patton) Grandchildren: Wilson Rivers Patton (Jasmine T. Patton); Reid Patton Fleishman (Kevin Allen Fleishman); Crawford Bronson Patton Brother: John Minott Rivers, Jr.Nieces/Nephew: Martha Elizabeth Rivers; Caroline Chafford Rivers; John Minott Rivers

Visitation with the family is scheduled for August 13, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church located at 4715 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on August 14, 2026, at St. George’s Episcopal Church. A private graveside service will be held for the family after the funeral service.

Pallbearers will be her grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of Martha’s favorite arts groups or Vanderbilt University.

The Ingram Family would like to thank the team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, including Dr. Emily Kurtz and Dr. Mayur Patel, for their wonderful care and compassion.