Lee S. Smith ’65 Courage & Honor Award
St. Mark's Alumni Association presented the Lee S. Smith ’65 Courage & Honor Award to its inaugural recipient, Dr. David M. Vanderpool ’78. A lifelong humanitarian, Dr. Vanderpool led a successful private practice in Tennessee but moved his entire family to Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake. He has since founded LiveBeyond, a nonprofit that operates a large base in Thomazeau, Haiti, which includes a school, medical clinic, demonstration farm and more. In the decade since its founding, LiveBeyond has succeeded in dramatically increasing the local population’s access to clean water, food and education while also decreasing the infant and maternal mortality rate. Today, LiveBeyond provides more than 7,000 meals and 900,000 gallons of fresh water each day.
The Lee S. Smith ’65 Courage & Honor Award recognizes an alumnus of the St. Mark’s community who demonstrates courage, honor, perseverance and justice, in the communities to which they belong by using his voice and actions to affect measurable change to elevate humanity.