Ann Stahlman Hill, age 93, died October 19, 2014. She was the wife of George de Roulhac Hill who died in 1988 and is survived by her sister, Dr. Mildred Stahlman of Brentwood, her children, Mary (Ben) Sanders of Louisville, KY, George (Eva) R. Hill, Jr. of Franklin, Margaret (William) Whitaker of Philadelphia, PA and Thomas Stahlman Hill of Brentwood, her grandchildren, Michael (Jeanine) Bassett, Alan (Megan) Bassett, John (Larisa) Sanders, Christopher (Nita) Hill, Zachary (Julie) Hill, Matthew Whitaker and Thomas Whitaker, great-grandchildren, Cortland & Olivia Bassett and Harrison Hill.
Mrs. Hill was the daughter of Mildred Thornton Stahlman Rhett and James Geddes Stahlman, now deceased. She attended Ward-Belmont School and Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude.
Mrs. Hill was active in theatre locally, nationally, and internationally. She joined Nashville Children’s Theatre in 1946, serving as treasurer, president, and on its board for almost fifty years. She was instrumental in getting the city to build the second theatre in the United States designed expressly for children, which opened in 1960. The main auditorium was named for her in 1979.
In 1964 Mrs. Hill attended an international children’s theatre meeting in London which was to result in the formation of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Youth, ASSITEJ. She became the first Executive Secretary-Treasurer of U.S. Center and subsequently attended Congresses and Festivals in Moscow and Leningrad, The Hague, Venice, Montreal and Madrid. She was treasurer and registrar of the first Congress held in the U.S. in Albany, NY in 1972.
Mrs. Hill served as president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference (the first woman to do so), the Children’s Theatre Association of America, and the American Theatre Association, all of which gave her distinguished awards. She was the founder of the Tennessee Theatre Association. She was a Fellow of the American Theatre and Dean of the College of Fellows for a two year term. She served as trustee of the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America and received its Medallion in 1995. She was a board member of the American National Theatre and Academy.
In Nashville, Mrs. Hill was a member of the Junior League, Cheekwood, the Garden Club of Nashville, the Ladies Hermitage Association, National Society of colonial Dames of America in Tennessee, and the Review Club of Nashville which she served as president on its hundredth birthday in 1992. She was a board member of Cheekwood, the Junior League, the Symphony Guild, the original Nashville Arts Council, the Institute for the Arts, and the Tennessee Alliance for Arts Education. She served on the Cultural Affairs Committee for the Chamber of Commerce and the Theatre Advisory Panel of both the Tennessee and Kentucky Arts Commissions.
For many years Mrs. Hill traveled the world extensively with her husband and then with her son, Thomas Hill. She loved music and was a gifted painter.
A memorial service will be held 11:00AM Saturday, November 15, 2014 at St. George’s Episcopal Church with visitation one hour preceding. Officiating will be The Rev. Roger Senechal and The Rev. Benjamin Sanders of Louisville, KY, her son-in-law. Her body will be cremated and the ashes placed in the Columbarium of St. George’s.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nashville Children’s Theatre, St. Luke’s Community House, St. George’s Episcopal Church or the charity of your choice. WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 615-794-2289. www.williamsonmemorial.com