Nan Ogburn Cullman

Nan Alva Ogburn Cullman (May 22, 1929 – May 18, 2015) was an American opera singer, explorer, and philanthropist.

Early life and education Cullman was born Nan Alva Ogburn on May 22, 1929 in Smithfield, North Carolina. She was the daughter of Jasper Victor Ogburn Sr. and Bunnah Evelyn Jones Ogburn. Her father was a cotton broker and the owner of the Austin-Ogburn Cotton Company. She was the sister of beauty queen Lu Long Ogburn and the local politician Vic Ogburn Jr.

When she was fifteen years old, she won a scholarship to study music at the Juilliard School in New York City.

Career and philanthropy Cullman performed with various regional opera companies and choral societies, including the Westchester Opera Company in Westchester County, New York. She bequeathed $2 million to Johnston County, North Carolina for scholarships for school students.

Personal life and death On May 12, 1951, she married Lieutenant Hugh Cullman, an officer in the United States Navy Reserve, at First Baptist Church in Smithfield.