Flag Down on the Play
Vanderbilt's first lady lowers old glory at the chancellor's residence after Kerry's defeat
by Matt Pulle
That the household of Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee and his wife Constance has split political allegiances has been plain for some time. But things got really interesting in the dawn's early light after the presidential election results came in earlier this month.
While some people protested President Bush's reelection by visiting the Canadian immigration site or downing a few cocktails, Vanderbilt first lady Constance Gee tried something a little different. Obviously crestfallen after Bush prevailed over John Kerry on Nov. 2, Gee ordered her staff to lower the American flag to half-mast at the 20,000-square-foot mansion in Belle Meade, Braeburn, that Vanderbilt provides for its chancellor. (Bear in mind that, while half the country was certainly disappointed, no one actually died.)
When the help expressed unease about complying with this unusual request, Constance Gee simply lowered it herself. Later, sources tell the Scene, a concerned Lauren Brisky, Vanderbilt's vice chancellor for administration and the school's chief financial officer, alerted Chancellor Gee to his wife's bizarre form of political expression. Shortly after, in what had to be a husband and wife conversation for the ages, the chancellor called Constance and told her to raise the flag back to its original height. She did.
Mike Hammer, a veteran with the American Legion, says that Constance Gee showed a complete lack of respect by using the flag to express her discontent. "People have been buried under the U.S. flag who belonged to both parties," he points out. "It's absolutely unacceptable to use the flag to protest an election, regardless of who wins or loses."
Michael Schoenfeld, Vanderbilt's vice chancellor for public affairs, chose not to comment on Constance Gee's political dissidence. Constance Gee also declined to comment, perhaps hoping to let the healing begin.
This isn't the first time the first lady has acted out. Last May, Constance Gee openly protested her husband's decision to invite national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to speak to Vanderbilt's graduating class, telling The Tennessean that Rice's appearance amid a close presidential campaign gives President Bush "a wonderful sort of PR opportunity."
Unlike this incident for Gee.
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