Artist given honorary degree

George A. “Frolic” Weymouth, renowned artist and conservationist, has received an honorary doctor of humane letters, the highest honor the University bestows.

At a ceremony in April, 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 has painted the unknown and the well-known, including singer Luciano Pavarotti and art collector Joan Whitney Payson. His commissioned portrait of Britain’s Prince Philip, completed after 18 sittings, hangs in Windsor Castle.

Also devoted to conservation and preservation efforts, 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, internationally known for its collection of works by three generations of the Wyeth family.

The honorary degree is the University’s highest honor 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, Ireland’s President Mary McAleese and U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

Weymouth’s own work is part of “In Tradition: Works by Brandywine Artists,” an exhibition that will run until July 20 at the University Gallery in Old College. It explores and celebrates the Brandywine Valley tradition as exemplified in the work of the region’s most prominent 20th-century artists.