Lindsay Mallard Rauth '90—Distinguished Alum

At this year’s graduation ceremony, Distinguished Alumni Award winner Lindsay Mallard Rauth ’90 shared with graduates some of the ways her eight years at Harding profoundly influenced her. She noted, “I entered Harding Academy a pig-tailed five-year-old and left as a young woman interested in science and her community.”

Those two interests are at the heart of Lindsay’s professional work today. A pediatrician in private practice, Lindsay not only cares for her patients but also focuses on the general health of the family. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University Medical School, Lindsay believes that her calling is “to serve children and their families and to provide education regarding their emotional and physical health.” Having been in practice for seven years, Lindsay has encountered the gamut of children’s health issues and has built rewarding relationships over time. She notes, “It is exciting to see children that I started seeing as newborns seven years ago now be so grown up. It is so rewarding to see the changes in the children, how they take control of the visits, answer all the questions now, and ask me their own questions about their bodies and health.”

A Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Lindsay discusses with families such issues as healthy eating, exercise, preventive care, and the importance of vaccination. She says, “I also talk about balance in life, and not putting too much pressure on children to be ‘busy’ all the time.”

Balance is something Lindsay strives for in her own life as well. Quality family time, she says, is so important. She and husband Tom, a surgeon, have two children: Lilly, who just finished first grade at Harding, and Margaret, who will be starting kindergarten this year. Being a Harding parent and volunteering for her daughter’s classroom activities and other events has renewed Lindsay’s appreciation for the safe, nurturing space the school provides.

“The Harding Academy community felt like family to me,” she says of her own experience. “I love having my girls at Harding. It has been so much fun to see them grow and learn in the same environment that I thrived in.”