K.C. Potter (J.D. ‘64), namesake of the K.C. Potter Center for LGBTQI Life, died Monday at age 85. After his time as a student at Vanderbilt, he served as the university’s dean of residential and judicial affairs, among other roles.
As dean, Potter advocated for marginalized voices on campus. In 1987, when he read a letter to the editor in The Hustler criticizing a homophobic article that was published, he decided to meet with the students who wrote the article and started advocating for LGBTQ+ students at Vanderbilt.
The next semester, Potter started a support group for “gay males, lesbians, bisexuals and friends,” which was open to students, faculty and staff. The group met weekly in Potter’s house and quickly grew into what is now the Vanderbilt Lambda Association.
In a December 1987 article in The Hustler about the new Vanderbilt Lambda Association, Potter discussed Vanderbilt’s “traditionally conservative environment” and how that led to feelings of isolation in the LGBTQ+ community that he hoped to remedy with Lambda.
“There is a need to be able to sit down in a support situation and in a social setting,” Potter said in the article. “On this campus, there is [a] great need for us to provide support and friendship.”
In an interview this past November as part of the Vanderbilt Luminaries Series, Potter said Vanderbilt has always been seen as “more modern” than a typical Southern school.
“They’ve arrived at least as far as my vision will let me see in terms of treating people with respect and dignity no matter what color their skin is or whatever,” Potter said. “You can’t judge by artificial standards. I don’t know what else is in store for them, but I’m proud to have been a part of everything we did.”
