Staff Q&A: Peggy Lucas-McGowan celebrates 50 years in A&S
Peggy Lucas-McGowan is celebrating her 50th anniversary at the College of Arts and Science, all of which has been devoted to the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She has witnessed enormous changes since her start in 1974—from the advent of the computer to increased female representation in the sciences. Read about her transformative career and her insights from half a century at Vanderbilt.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your beginning at Vanderbilt. What led you here and what was that first year like?
A: I was introduced to Vanderbilt through a relative’s wife who, at the time, worked in the Baker Building. My first year as a staff member was very much a blur because I was not only getting accustomed to my new position, faculty, staff, and students, but I was getting acquainted with Nashville. I had only been in Nashville for two weeks before starting my position. I had never been to Nashville prior to then and was adjusting to being away from my immediate family and the induction into adulthood; being independent and responsible for myself.
Q: You’re currently an administrative specialist with the physics and astronomy department. What different roles have you held?
A: I started as a secretary and I have transitioned through titles over the years: Secretary II, Technical Secretary (titled such because I typed technical equations as well as made technical drawings), and Admin I. I have spent my entire tenure with Vanderbilt University in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Q: How many different department chairs have you worked with over the years?
A: Goodness! I believe I’ve worked with nine chairs: Professors Medford Webster, Thomas Pinkston, Joseph Hamilton, David Ernst, Sokrates Pantelides, Richard Haglund, Robert Scherrer, M. Shane Hutson, and currently, Julia Velkovska.
Q: What are a couple of the biggest changes you’ve witnessed through the years?
A: I think the university has grown exponentially since I began in 1974 in all areas including its physical grounds and buildings, student enrollment, faculty hires (especially female), technology, and that the university continues to strive toward greater strides in equity and inclusion. I vividly recall leaving the office at the end of one working day and returning the next morning to discover my IBM Selectric typewriter (with an interchangeable font “golf ball” element) had been replaced with a computer. There had been no prior online training in Oracle. There was an instruction book left on my desk with the expectation that I would learn and adapt. I did.
Q: What’s a favorite memory you have?
A: A favorite memory of my tenure in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is when the first female tenure-track faculty hire in physics took place in 1994. A second favorite memory is when a female tenured faculty member, 29 years later, was selected as chair in 2023. Both professors were very deserving, and I believe, the appointments of females, long overdue. I take every success of theirs very personally.
Q: What has been your most rewarding experience in A&S?
A: My most rewarding experiences in A&S, and especially in the department, is the long-lasting friendships I’ve made over the years. I can’t pinpoint a “most rewarding” one over the tenure of 50 years. I’ve shared in the births of colleagues’ children, named my eldest son after a colleague’s son, and celebrated the achievements, retirements, and life events of students, staff, and faculty. And shared and been comforted by all who know me or (more surprisingly to me) know of me, in my own deep grief from the death of my younger son.
Q: What’s a piece of advice you’d give to a new staff member in their first year here at Vanderbilt?
A: I advise all new staff members to allow their experiences to be theirs alone. To not allow the experiences of colleagues or supervisors to be daunting or to weigh those outside experiences so heavily in any decision(s) they make regarding their new position. Allow it to be “new,” enjoy it as being “new,” and accept the learning process of every project as “new” growth toward the career envisioned. And, to understand that what’s learned as “new” today can and may very well be “outdated” by tomorrow. Learn and adapt.
Congratulations, Peggy, and thank you for your commitment and contributions to the College of Arts and Science!