“Bob Davis has numerous University of Delaware legacies,” Roselle said. “His superb management and fundraising skills have resulted in the Campaign for Delaware, the largest and most successful campaign in the entire history of our state, being one such. But 'Bob Davis' is also the straightforward and honest answer to the question 'How is it that the University of Delaware's Commencements and its other events, both large and small, are so well planned and so well executed?' The fact is that many such events are conceived by Bob, and almost all are orchestrated and scripted by him.
“Very important is that Bob Davis leaves a legacy of friendship with University colleagues and friends, many of whom have benefited from his organizational or visual talents, his effective assistance, his advice or his ready sense of fun and humor. Bob's popularity is widespread and well deserved,” he said.
“It is great that Bob will relocate to Winterthur, another important Delaware institution and a University partner,” Roselle said. “He will be missed here, but his unequaled knowledge of Delawareans, his many talents, an ability to energize his colleagues and his University experiences, coupled with an abiding interest in art history, decorative arts and Delaware history, will serve Winterthur very well.”
At Winterthur, Davis will lead the efforts of Winterthur's development and membership divisions, with central responsibility for foundation and donor relationships and for the growth and enhancement of the museum's membership groups, including the Collectors Circle, the Friends of Winterthur, the Port Royal Society, and the Winterthur Garden & Landscape Society.
“While it is difficult to leave the University, I am excited to be moving into a position that will enable me to use my fundraising and management skills in connection with my long-time interest in art history, history and related areas,” Davis said. “Interestingly enough, that interest was born at UD, when, as an undergraduate, I took an art history survey course with Wayne Craven. This new move just feels right.”
A member of the UD staff since 1977, Davis served as assistant vice president for alumni and University relations for two years before becoming vice president. Previously, he held a number of positions at UD, including director of alumni and University relations, director of University relations and director of research and records in the development office.
Davis holds two bachelor's degrees from UD, in political science and art history, as well as a master's degree in education administration from Bowling Green University. In 2003, he completed the Henry F. du Pont Winterthur Museum Winter Institute.
He is a member of several campus committees, including the Trustee Committee on Honorary Degrees and Awards, the Faculty Senate Committee on Student and Faculty Awards and the Student Appellate Court.
In addition, Davis is active in numerous organizations, including the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and he serves on the Board of Directors of the New Castle Historical Society and the GardenFair Committee of Winterthur Museum. Formerly, he was on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Centreville School.
Winterthur Museum & Country Estate is a nonprofit, educational institution, located on 1,000 acres, including 60 acres of naturalistic garden. The museum, located just outside Wilmington, Del., features the world's foremost collection of American decorative arts and antiques, with approximately 85,000 objects showcased in the 175-room ancestral home of Henry Francis du Pont. The Winterthur Library includes more than 87,000 volumes and some 500,000 manuscripts and images. The Winterthur Program in Early American Culture and the Winterthur Program in Art Conservation, graduate degree programs, are administered in partnership with the University of Delaware.
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson