Lunsford Yandell
Lunsford Pitts Yandell Sr. (July 4, 1805 – February 4, 1878) was an American physician, educator, geologist, paleontologist and preacher. He was one of the founders and first professors at the University of Louisville. He also taught at Transylvania University and the Memphis Medical College. Early life Lunsford Pitts Yandell was born on July 4, 1805, in Hartsville, Tennessee to Elizabeth (née Pitts) and Dr. Wilson Yandell. His father practiced medicine in Hartsville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His grandfather, William Yandell, was from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and served in the American Revolutionary War. Yandell studied medicine under his father. He attended the 1822 to 1823 session at Transylvania University and would graduate from the University of Maryland in 1825. While at Transylvania University, he was taught by Charles Caldwell and they became friends. Career Yandell practiced medicine for five years with his father in Murfreesboro until his father's death. In 1831, Yandell accepted the Chair of Chemistry in the medical department of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. The nomination for the job was influenced by his friend Charles Caldwell. In 1837, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky to become the founding dean of the University of Louisville. He served as Chair