She was born in Melrose, Massachusetts , a part of Greater Boston, but grew up in a small town in West Hill, near Schenectady, New York. Her parents were interested in a well-rounded education. Her father was studying for a doctorate at the school now known as the University at Albany. He took the family to Chautauqua Institution in the summer, where she immersed in arts as well as sports. She still holds the Chautauqua Boys and Girls Club record for the longest Softball throw in 1967. At the age of ten, her parents bought her a flute, and arranged for lessons. Two years later, one of the premier flutists in the world was staying in Chautauqua, and her father arranged for lessons with this distinguished teacher. Although she learned to play, she did not enjoy the experience, and gave up the flute in ninth grade. The love of music stayed with her though, and in later years she would take up the piano.
VanDerveer was determined to play basketball in college. Her first choice was Mount Holyoke, but as one of five children, it wasn't financially possible for her to attend Mount Holyoke, so she chose Albany where her father had studied for his doctorate. It wasn't a great team, but she knew the coach, which helped with the decision. The team turned out not be challenging enough. Although naturally a guard, she jumped center, and led the team in many categories, despite being the freshman on the team. She decided she needed a bigger challenge so she talked some of her friends into attending the AIAW National Championship, where she watched many teams, took notes, and decided where she wanted to go. She chose Indiana where she transferred and spent three years, making the Dean's List each of the three years. In her sophomore year, 1973 she helped the team reach the Final Four of the AIAW championship, losing in the semi-finals to Queens College.
VanDerveer returned to Ohio State as head coach in 1981. On February 3, 1985, Ohio State played Iowa. The Ohio State team was unbeaten in conference play, while Iowa had just a single loss. Iowa was coached by future Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. The game was at Carver-Hawkeye Arena which had 15,500 seats. University officials had to close the doors and turn fans away. The turnstiles recorded 22,157. At the time, this was a record number of fans to watch a women's basketball game. Fans sat in the aisles, and the fire marshal sent a letter of reprimand to Christine Grant, who was then the director of women's athletics at Iowa. The letter still hangs prominently on Grant's wall. Ohio State won the game 56–47, but it is the attendance record that the two coaches remember.
VanDerveer was the head coach of the team representing the US at the World University Games held in Sheffield, England in July 1991. The USA team started out with a very strong offense, scoring over 100 points in each of the first four games. The fourth game was against the USSR, a team often challenging the US for the top spot, but the USA won 106–80 this time. The team fell short of 100 points in the game against Canada, but still won by 18 points. In the quarterfinal game, the USA won easily against Romania 135–53, with Ruthie Bolton scoring 40 points. The game against China was more of a challenge. The USA team shot poorly, hitting only 36% of their shots, but the defense held China to 35% shooting, and won a three-point game, 79–76. The gold medal match was against Spain, but the USA had a 13-point lead at halftime and won 88–62. Bolton was the highest scorer for the USA team with 14 points per game, but Lisa Leslie and Carolyn Jones were close behind with 13 points per game.
VanDerveer is also an avid piano player. Her sister Heidi VanDerveer, who coached for several years with the WNBA 's Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm, as well as Occidental College in Los Angeles, is now the head coach at UC San Diego.
Although the USA Basketball women's national team had considerable success in the 1980s—winning the 1984 Olympics, the 1986 World Championship, the 1988 Olympics, and the 1990 World Championship —there were signs of concern. The USA women's Pan American team, while not formally the national team, has, since the mid-1970s, included many of the same players as the national team. The Pan Am team in 1991 would finish third, signaling a potential end to Team USA's past dominance. The national team finished third at the 1992 Olympics, and third again in the 1994 World Championship. The 1995 Pan Am Games were cancelled, so the national team players did not have a win after the 1992 Olympics.
Blake Atkin, a lawyer representing Westover's parents, claims that Educated creates a distorted picture of the parents. Westover has not responded directly to these claims, but according to the book's acknowledgements, prior to publication it was professionally fact-checked by Ben Phelan of This American Life and GQ.
In 2018, Penguin Random House published Westover's Educated: A Memoir, which tells the story of her struggle to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her family's rigid ideology and isolated life.
The coming-of-age story was a #1 New York Times bestseller, and was positively reviewed by the New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, Vogue, and The Economist, among others. , Educated has spent two years in hardcover on the New York Times bestseller list and is being translated into 45 languages.
Lewis Grizzard, Jr. Grizzard was a writer and humorist best known for his Southern values and criticism of the American South. Grizzard became one of the youngest sports editors of the Atlanta Journal at age 23 after leaving UGA with only one course left until graduation in 1969.
Walker is retired professional football player who got his start here at the University of Georgia in 1980. During his three years at UGA, Walker was named a three-time All-American for football and track as well as winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award.
Herschel Walker. Walker is retired professional football player who got his start here at the University of Georgia in 1980. During his three years at UGA, Walker was named a three-time All-American for football and track as well as winner of the 1982 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award.
He also played supporting roles in "King Kong," 'Super 8," Argo," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Carol" and now stars in the Netflix original series "Bloodline.". For "Bloodline," Chandler received his fourth Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Josh Holloway. Holloway is an actor, model and producer best known for his role on the TV shows "Lost" and "Intelligence.". His family often faced financial strains, so Holloway began working part-time at the age of 11.
Holloway is an actor, model and producer best known for his role on the TV shows "Lost" and "Intelligence." His family often faced financial strains, so Holloway began working part-time at the age of 11.
Wayne Knight. Knight is an actor and comedian best known for his roles as Newman in the TV sitcom "Seinfield" and as Officer Don Orville in "3rd Rock from the Sun." Knight also played Dennis Nedry in "Jurassic Park" and Stan Podolak in "Space Jam" and the voices of Al McWhiggin in "Toy Story 2" and Tantor in "Tarzan.".