the suzanne h. arnold art gallery • lebanon val l e y c o l l e g e
friends of the gallery
Newsletter W I N T E R 2 012
Dick Charles Shares Memories from the Gallery’s Early Days Dick Charles, chair of the Gallery Advisory Council, recently shared some of his memories of the early history of the Gallery. Charles began his career at LVC in 1988, the same year as President John Synodinos, and served as vice president for advancement from 1988–1997. Both Synodinos and Charles believed that a professionally directed art gallery at the College could attract “museum quality” exhibits, which would, in turn, attract people to the institution itself. Shortly after arriving at LVC, Charles and President Synodinos explored the Collegeowned church on the corner of North White Oak and Church streets and thought it would pro-
In this photo from 1990, Dick Charles (left) and President Synodinos (right) meet with artist Doug Osa as he works on his painting in the space in the Suzanne H. Arnold Gallery that would later become Zimmerman Recital Hall.
vide an excellent location for such an art gallery. Charles explained that the College had a permanent art collection long before there was an actual building to house it. He learned from the Rev. Christopher Frye ’90, then an intern in the Advancement Office, that it was stored in a room on the second floor of the library. Conditions in that location were poor, and it was decided that the works needed to be catalogued and moved to a safer environment. The church was put forth as a possible location. As discussions about converting the church into a gallery progressed, benefactor Suzanne H. Arnold made the initial gift that enabled the College to replace the church’s leaking roof in 1991. With additional gifts provided by Arnold, and Richard and Nancy Zimmerman, the transformation of the building continued. To celebrate LVC’s 125th anniversary in 1991, artist-inresidence Dan Massad suggested commissioning a heroic-sized painting to be displayed in the Humanities Building and proposed that artist Doug Osa paint a scene of the Lebanon Valley. The space in the church that would become Zimmerman Recital Hall provided an excellent location for Osa to work on his nearly nine- by eight-foot painting. The artist took up residence at LVC and began painting.
Dick Charles currently chairs the Gallery Advisory Council.
Charles recalled that he frequently stopped by to check on the painting. On one occasion, he noticed that Osa had removed an image of a train previously painted into the work. The artist thought that the train might be too industrial to include in such a bucolic setting. Charles convinced him to put the train back in, as the rail line that runs through Annville had always been a pivotal part of both the College community and the Lebanon Valley. In the early to mid-1990s as part of the Toward 2001 Capital Campaign, additional gifts from Arnold, the Zimmermans, and other donors allowed the final renovations of the Gallery to be completed. Charles has served as chair of the Gallery Advisory Council since 1997 and his dedicated service is much appreciated. Managing principal of The Franklin Consulting Group and an Annville Township commissioner, Charles resides with his wife, Pauline, in Annville. In 1997, they established the Richard and Pauline Charles endowment fund, which provides acquisition funds for the Gallery on a yearly basis. 1