VERANDA magazine Features Editor Linda Sherbert has always had a strong interest in architecture and interior design. She is the daughter of a home builder in the Washington, D.C., area. As a child, she began drawing house plans with her father and, while the houses were under construction, she played in the empty rooms, imagining how those spaces could be transformed, used and enjoyed. As an adult, she drew her own house plans, without hiring an architect, to remodel her former home, including the addition of a second story, library, studies and a new master suite. Today, as chief wordsmith at VERANDA, Linda assigns home design stories around the world. She edits them, writes titles and releases pages to go to press. VERANDA is a national magazine in the Hearst chain--along with Town & Country, Esquire, O, Cosmopolitan, House Beautiful, Bazaar and others. VERANDA prints more than half a million copies of each of its eight issues and distributes them around America and beyond, to cities such as London and Paris. Linda works with top designers in the industry on a daily basis. She also edits the stories on architecture. As time permits, she writes stories, often The Last Word on the back page. She has begun writing for the Web site. Linda earned a journalism degree at the University of Florida and, while editing in The Washington Post’s Style department, an MFA at Catholic University. She considers it an honor to work for VERANDA founding Editor-in-Chief Lisa Newsom, who is, Linda says, a “true visionary in the magazine industry.”

In April 2007, William R. Eubanks inaugurated the William R. Eubanks Distinguished Lecture Series in Interior Design through his endowment at the University of Memphis. Eubanks, many faculty and staff of the University, including President Shirley Raines, and a large gathering of the public attended.  Lectures in the series will take place annually with outstanding speakers in the field of interior design chosen by a committee of the faculty in association with William R. Eubanks. 2007 speaker was Dr. Frank Koe, former Dean of the New York School of Interior Design.  2009 speaker was Jennifer Garrigues, international interior designer.

Eubanks has also established the James Weaver Memorial Scholarship in Interior Design.  James Weaver, former resident of Winona, Mississippi, who died in 1998, was memorialized by his longtime friend, William R. Eubanks, in the opening ceremony at the University of Memphis in 2007.  William R. Eubanks Interior Design, Inc. was Weaver’s professional home in Memphis for many years.  The University of Memphis is alma mater to both Weaver and Eubanks.  Eubanks honored Weaver in his remarks by saying, “Jim Weaver, another graduate of the University of Memphis, worked beside me at William R. Eubanks for 18 years.  His dedication to the field of interior design was without limit.  Jim was known throughout the community for his integrity, talent, high standards, and colorful, eclectic European style. So this evening I am very proud to announce the James Weaver Memorial Scholarship Fund in Interior Design.  Thank you, Jim, for enriching our lives.”  A portrait of Jim Weaver was unveiled and given to the University for the School of Interior Design.

Eubanks says “the School of Interior Design is so important for the future of our city.  These young men and women at the University of Memphis will help shape our community’s design future.  The more tools we provide them, the greater their accomplishments will be.”  The James Weaver Memorial Scholarship Fund will be awarded to deserving and qualified students based on merit, with consideration of need, and given to undergraduate or graduate students majoring in the area of Interior Design. 

University President Dr. Shirley Raines has responded to the
William R. Eubanks gifts by saying:

William Eubanks is both a distinguished alumnus of this University and a generous supporter of our programs.  His exemplary design work appears in the nation’s finest homes and showrooms, and he inspires our students with his designs and with scholarships and a lecture series.  Mr. Eubanks has created two legacies for the University – a scholarship in memory of another U of M alumnus and a friend and colleague of his, James Weaver, and a Distinguished Lecture Series in Interior Design.  The scholarship provides direct assistance to eligible students in the Interior Design program.  Through the lecture series, our students and faculty have contact with extraordinary designers, while at the same time, the University’s reputation is boosted.  The University of Memphis is truly fortunate to call William Eubanks an alumnus and a friend.