At the ceremony, Howard E. Cosgrove, chairman of the Board of Trustees, noted Weymouth's accomplishments. “Your paintings hang in galleries and museums across the country and in many private collections,” Cosgrove said. “Focused and inspired by the subject matter you cherish--the land you've worked so hard to protect--you have captured the natural beauty of a region of the country which now thousands and thousands enjoy and which you have called home for your entire life.”
Weymouth was appointed by former President Richard Nixon to the Commission of Fine Arts, serving from 1972-77. He also served on the Visual Arts Panel of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to paint at Cape Kennedy during the moon shots. Weymouth has painted of the unknown and the well-known, including singer Luciano Pavarotti and art collector Joan Whitney Payson. His commissioned portrait of Britain's Prince Phillip of England, completed after 18 sittings, hangs in Windsor Castle.
Weymouth also is devoted to conservation and preservation efforts. Cosgrove said Weymouth purchased meadowland in Chadds Ford, Pa., 40 years ago, saving it from commercial development. Weymouth co-founded the Brandywine Conservancy and serves as chairman of its board of trustees and as chairman of the Museum Committee for the Brandywine River Museum, Cosgrove said, adding that the conservancy today holds nearly 40,000 acres. Cosgrove noted that the Brandywine River Museum is internationally known for its collection of works by three generations of the Wyeth family and for its collection of American illustrations, still lifes and landscape paintings.
“Frolic Weymouth, institutions tell the world what they stand for and strive for by honoring those whose lives reflect the finest values that inspire them,” Cosgrove said. “There is no greater calling than to enrich and enhance the world in which we live, improving the quality of life for those on this, our island home.”
The honorary degree is the highest honor the University of Delaware bestows and is given to individuals whose contributions to the public good warrant exceptional recognition. Recent recipients include artist Jamie Wyeth, documentary film director Ken Burns, the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Article by Julia Parmley, AS '07
Photo by Kathy Atkinson