Mary “Tipper” Elizabeth Gore

Mary “Tipper” Elizabeth Gore, Garland Junior College ‘68 (born 1948), is an American author, social activist, photographer, and educator. She served as Second Lady of the United States (1993–2001) during her marriage to Vice President Al Gore. (The two met at a senior prom in 1965). After high school, Tipper Gore enrolled in Garland Junior College, a liberal arts women’s college that became part of Simmons in 1976. She continued her education at Boston University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Thereafter, Gore attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University, where she earned a master’s degree in Psychology.

Gore began her career as a newspaper and then freelance photographer in Nashville, Tennessee. She embraced activism around the same time that her husband was elected to Congress in 1976. Gore is particularly invested in supporting women, children, mental health, LGBTQ rights, and individuals experiencing homelessness. She has authored several books, including Picture This: A Visual Diary (DIANE Publishing Company, 1996) and, with Al Gore, Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family (Henry Holt and Company, 2002).

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Creative Commons