Painting memorializes Samuel and Roxana Arsht

4:38 p.m., Oct. 25, 2004--The community leadership and giving that characterized the lives of the late Samuel and Roxana Arsht were celebrated during an Oct. 22 ceremony that also included the unveiling of a portrait of the Arshts by Delaware artist Dawn Majewski.

More than 250 members of UD’s Academy of Lifelong Learning gathered for the ceremony in Arsht Hall, located on UD’s Wilmington campus.

“Both Sam and Roxana Arsht were true University of Delaware treasures,” UD President David P. Roselle said. “Their giving is certainly evident as we gather today in Arsht Hall, a building they made possible with an opening gift for the fundraising campaign in 1988 of $1 million and then a second million-dollar gift in 1991 that closed the campaign.”

Herself a member of the Academy of Lifelong Learning, Majewski works in the fields of graphic design, illustration, instruction and fine art, principally in watercolor and pastel painting. Her art has been exhibited in galleries in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Following the unveiling of the portrait, the Arsht’s daughter, Adrienne, expressed her appreciation for the portrait, which will be on display above the fireplace in the spacious lobby of Arsht Hall.

“There were about 120 members when my mother and father became involved in the Academy of Lifelong Learning, and now there are around 2,120 members,” Arsht said. “Looking around the building, I realize the visions of my parents have been realized and will continue to be realized.”

Besides their support of the academy and many social causes in Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Arshts also were interested in the law and Elizabethan dramatist and poet William Shakespeare, a fascination that was remembered during the ceremony with a series of readings by members of the People’s Light & Theatre Company.

The production, “Shakespeare and the Law,” featured an introduction and commentary by Lee Devin, who recently retired from Swarthmore College, where he developed the college’s theatre program. Devin currently serves as a consulting drama director at the People’s Light & Theatre Company.

The presentation included performances by actors Stephen Novelli, who also serves as associate artistic director, and Mary Beth Scallen, who also teaches drama.

Born in Wilmington in 1910, Samuel Arsht was a partner with the Wilmington law firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. He headed a commission to revise and codify state law in 1949, was counsel for the former State Highway Commission and chaired the committee to overhaul General Corporation Law, which was approved by the Delaware General Assembly in 1967.

Awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from UD in 1991, Samuel Arsht was an enthusiastic supporter of the academy from 1983 until his death in 1999.

Roxana Arsht was a graduate of Goucher College, where she earned a degree in chemistry with a minor in mathematics. In 1939, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The first woman to hold a judicial position in Delaware, she served on the bench of the Family Court from 1971-83.

Judge Arsht, who died in 2003, received a University of Delaware Medal of Distinction in 1989. Other honors included the Trailblazer Award, the First State Distinguished Service Award, the Josiah Marvel Cup and the annual award of recognition from the National Conference for Community and Justice. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women in 1986.

While their career and community achievements were numerous, Roselle said that the commitment to the academy by Samuel and Roxana Arsht did not end with the completion of Arsht Hall.

“They continued as very active forces in the life of the academy, brightening many events with their indomitable spirits and sense of purpose,” Roselle said. “I believe they’d be especially touched by this recognition today, here amongst their friends in the place they thought of as home.”

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Jon Cox

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