Robert Vantrease, artist and medical illustrator is one of Vanderbilts longest serving employees, his tenure spanning over six decades. A Nashville native, he grew up near the Vanderbilt campus. He entered Vanderbilt University as an undergraduate in 1946 and studied biology in the College of Arts and Science. In 1948, he began working part-time in Vanderbilts medical illustration department, becoming a full time employee in June of 1949. He was hired by Susan Wilkes, who, under Dean Canby Robinson, founded the medical illustration department in 1926 to provide illustration and photography for the School of Medicine. His architectural renderings of medical center buildings and other artwork have appeared in numerous campus publications as well as being featured in brochures and prints and note cards. His calligraphy work, decorative borders and embellishments on certificates and bookplates grace many offices on the Vanderbilt campus and beyond. Vantreases long tenure includes serving as director of the medical illustration department for 14 years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He continues to work one or two days a week, but spends the remainder of his time pursuing his passion for art. His favorite subjects to sketch include nature, historic homes and buildings, churches and live performances, He is member of many art organizations, including the Tennessee Art League, the Tennessee Watercolor Society, and the Nashville Artist Guild, and he enjoys entering his artwork in area exhibitions and juried contests.