By AMY ROSES/Staff Writer

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has just 103 first-year students, and three of them are from Greeneville.

In addition to having the same hometown, Chris Kidd, Arthur Moore and Jordan Yokley have made a rare reunion in Nashville as 2001 graduates of Greeneville High School.

“It is unusual,” said Dr. Scott Rodgers, assistant dean for medical student affairs at Vanderbilt.

He said that what makes this particular situation unusual is that Greeneville is a small city, and GHS is a comparatively small high school, with both located a good distance away from Nashville.

Dr. Rodgers noted that the medical school occasionally has groups of classmates come from nearby larger high schools in Nashville.

“For (Kidd, Moore and Yokley) to all be here just suggests that it was a good day for Greeneville,” he said.

Photo Special to the Sun Three members of the Greeneville High School Class of 2001 are shown in anatomy class at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. From left, are Arthur Moore, Chris Kidd and Jordan Yokley.

 “There’s something especially good in the drinking water there.”

Rodgers described the three GHS graduates as “great students” at the medical school, who already are excelling as leaders and scholars in their own unique ways.

“I’ve been very pleased with all three,” he said.

‘They Made You Work Hard’

Marsha Ottem, who taught all three students in Chemistry I and Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry at GHS, remembered Kidd, Moore and Yokley as “goal oriented” students who appreciated learning.

“They seemed to understand that it took hard work and goals to get wherever you were going,” she said.

She described all three students as being very bright, as well as having good work ethics.

“More than anything else, they all appreciated the learning. It wasn’t just for the grades. They were thirsty to know the material.

“They all had a need to know and questioned why and how things worked.

She added, “They made you work hard” as a teacher.

All three students, Ottem noted, have strong support from their families. “That family support is so important,” she said.

“They all were excellent students,” she said, “and they all did extremely well on the AP exam,” which is given at the end of each advanced placement (AP) course at GHS.

Students can earn college credits by taking AP courses.

Ottem recalled that all three students were involved in many different extracurricular activities at GHS.

Their involvement, she said, was not because they wanted to enhance their résumés; it was because they truly were interested in those activities.

“They’ve all managed to converge at the same place, and they all did it differently,” she said.

Different Paths

After high school graduation, Kidd went to the University of Richmond, Moore went to Vanderbilt, and Yokley went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Now, they are first-year medical students at Vanderbilt, where they started in the fall 2005 semester.

Yokley said the three students see each other daily and are in many of the same classes at Vanderbilt.

During their undergraduate college years, Ottem recalled, she kept in touch will all three students, and she received college graduation announcements from each of them.

Being accepted into the Vanderbilt’s Medical School is “quite an accomplishment for all three of them. All three of those kids are so deserving,” she said.

Kidd Owes Much To Ottem

Kidd said his favorite class at Greeneville High School was AP chemistry, which Ottem taught.

“She was a great resource for the high school, and I owe a lot of my love of science to her,” he said.

Kidd is the son of Fred and Teresa Kidd, of Greeneville.

He attended Tusculum View Elementary School and Greeneville Middle School.

He graduated with honors at GHS, where he was section leader in the marching and symphonic bands.

Also at GHS, he was a state champion in Mock Trial, a member of the National Honor Society and graduated as a National Merit Scholar.

At the University of Richmond, Kidd graduated summa cum laude and first in his class.

He was an officer for his fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon, played on the fencing team and was co-chair of the University Volunteer Action Council.

During his senior year at the University of Richmond, Kidd served on the Admissions and Scholarships Committee.

He also worked in the chemistry department as a teaching assistant.

Kidd majored in biology and minored in chemistry and German at the University of Richmond and graduated with departmental honors in all three.

Kidd said he has always known that he wanted to be a doctor.

Right now, he said he is planning a career in orthopaedic surgery, or possibly a fellowship in hand surgery or sports medicine after completing his orthopaedic residency.

Moore Studies Neurosurgery

Moore is the son of Sam and Pam Moore, of Greeneville.

He attended EastView Elementary School and Greeneville Middle School.

At Greeneville High School, he was a member of the science and French clubs and participated in gymnastics and wrestling.

He received several academic honors at GHS, including the AP chemistry award, AP calculus award, French award and AP biology award.

During his undergraduate years at Vanderbilt, Moore majored in neuroscience, has been on the dean’s list with top honors, and was president of the neuromajors’ club.

He served on Vanderbilt’s board of interfaith organizations and founded a multi-religious discussion group. Moore also was involved in Vanderbilt’s McGill Project, a cooperative residency program with the Department of Philosophy designed to encourage interaction between faculty members and students through the discussion of controversial topics and ideas. Moore said he plans to pursue a career in neurosurgery, which is surgery performed on the nervous system, especially the brain and spinal cord.

He added that he owes all his academic success to his family and his closest friends in Greeneville.

Yokley Recalls Army Hospital

Yokley is the son of state Rep. Eddie Yokley and his wife, Carolyn Yokley, of Greene County.

He attended Tusculum View Elementary School and Greeneville Middle School.

At Greeneville High School, he was a member of the band, chorus and played football, baseball and soccer.

During his senior year at GHS, he was starting tackle on a football team that made it to the state semifinals.

Also at GHS, Yokley was a member of the National Honor Society and several other clubs.

He received several academic awards at GHS and was valedictorian of his class.

Also during his high school career, Yokley earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

At West Point, Yokley majored in life science and played sprint football, a league for lightweight players.

He was a member of the Golden Key and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies, the American Chemical Society and several other clubs. He also held several leadership positions in his company at West Point.

While there, Yokley worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where, he said, he helped treat several patients that were soldiers who had been wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I just wanted to help those people out and make a difference,” he said.

It was during his work at the hospital that Yokley decided he wanted to be a doctor. He said he was one of only about 20 members of his class at West Point who were admitted to medical schools.

Yokley said he plans to be in the army for several more years and is still considering several options before he decides on a medical specialty.