Thanks to the generous contributions of 2015 Convention attendees through Pi Beta Phi Foundation, a portrait of our 12 founders was commissioned in honor of Holt House’s 75th anniversary. The painting is the only picture we have of all 12 founders together. From top left, Founders CLARA BROWNLEE HUTCHINSON, FANNIE WHITENACK LIBBEY, INEZ SMITH SOULE, MARGARET CAMPBELL, LIBBIE BROOK GADDIS and ADA BRUEN GRIER. From bottom left, Founders EMMA BROWNLEE KILGORE, JENNIE HORNE TURNBULL, NANCY BLACK WALLACE, FANNIE THOMSON, JENNIE NICOL, M.D. and ROSA MOORE.
daughter of “Major” Holt, taken during the time the two women rented a room. And we have individual portraits of the 12. But we have nothing of them all together. So the Holt House Committee took charge to rectify this situation. The portrait of the 12 together started as an idea and was brought to life by Bloomington, Indiana, artist Carole Heslin. Carole is an award-winning artist whose work has been featured in dozens of national shows, at Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and in the private collections of Paul Harvey, Harry Connick Sr., Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige and Ted Williams. In addition, her autographed portrait collection includes Presidents Reagan, Clinton and Obama, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, Laura Bush, Woody Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov and the Rolling Stones. The final portrait stands two feet tall and four feet wide. It is surrounded by an elegant wood frame custom made for the piece. The portrait will hang on the wall of Holt House’s
Parlor, located in the front southwest corner. The room is furnished in Victorian fashion featuring a velvet covered sofa, antique chairs, marble top tables and a fireplace. Both the painting and the frame were funded through Pi Beta Phi Foundation thanks to the generous contributions of 2015 Convention attendees. In less than a day, 400 special Holt House tribute halos were purchased by individuals, alumnae clubs and chapters. The halo charms were $10 each and raised a total of $4,000 for the piece. “On behalf of the more than 300,000 women who have worn the arrow, we dedicate this work of art to those 12 young women who dared to dream and whose dream is our reality,” Fran said. “When they wore their gold arrows for the first time on their way into chapel, they must have been so proud to introduce their organization to the Monmouth College community and the world. Those 12 young women, in founding our organization, began what is now a very long chain of friendship.”
THE ARROW | SUMMER 2016
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