blend of several photographs. Xaras first drew the entire painting, in a “cartoon,” the same process usedby Renaissance painters, to work out scale. “Like Chinese cooking,” he says, “it’s all in the prep work.” “The process was like nothing I had ever experienced before,” says Cichowski. “Ted Xaras was quite a character to get to know and his artistic genius was made evident through our casual conversation and construction of the painting. He truly captured the life which John Strassburger breathed into this campus.” “The scale celebrates the man and his achievements and honors the students and their achievements,” Xaras says. “It is the identical scale as all the other portraits on campus. It was an honor to carry out John’s concept and vision.” The remarkable details include a readable program for the student play, The Diary of Anne Frank, although the date of the play on the program was moved from February to April, to allow for green trees out the window.
Right: Ted Xaras at work on the presidential portrait. Below: The finished piece hangs in Corson Hall.
Yet, Xaras says, “We are not competing with a photograph. There is a heightened sense of reality in a painting.”
Welcome Ursinus Interim President John E.F. (Jef) Corson The Hon. Joseph H. Melrose Jr. on a trip to Darfur in July.
Journey to Darfur
Professor Joseph Melrose 1966 visited with residents of the Zam Zam Camp in Northern Darfur, Sudan. Melrose, former Ambassador to Sierra Leone, says the Internally Displaced Persons camp was home to about 100,000 people when he was there in July. “The girls were just outside their school room which was a thatched hut and rather dark inside,” says Melrose, professor of International Relations and the College’s Ambassador-inResidence. “There were no tables, chairs, books, paper or chalk board.” Melrose was in Sudan and Khartoum for one week this summer. Some of the children in the camp may be orphaned, he says. “But some are living with one or two parents or other relatives who have also been displaced.” Melrose was part of a delegation from the 5th Standing Committee of the UN General Assembly, which is responsible for administrative and financial matters. “Our purpose was to look at United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and particularly the hybrid African Union and United Nations force in Darfur known as UNAMID,” says Melrose. His delegation consisted of representatives of seven Member States.
Creating a Work of Art; Ted Xaras Explains the Process Behind the Painting
The stunning 58 x 74-inch painting unveiled at the time of President PAGE 4 URSINUS MAGAZINE
John Strassburger’s retirement reflects the vision of a president who loves to mingle with students, combined with the skill of artist Ted Xaras, who brings those visions to life on canvas. The concept for the painting, the first official presidential portrait to include students, was in development for several years. Xaras, who is Professor of Art Emeritus at Ursinus, met with thenPresident Strassburger in the fall of 2007. At that time, Strassburger was considering the inevitable portrait upon his retirement and said he wanted to be portrayed talking with students, as was his passion. The next step was to think about the location and the students, who are represented by Mark Smedberg and Abbie Cichowski, 2010, and LaToya Brown 2009. The Kaleidoscope, which represents the arts initiative so successfully carried out during the Strassburger years, serves as the location. The students considered the time spent posing an honor. “The fact that President Strassburger wanted to include students in his portrait speaks to his continued dedication to student achievement at Ursinus and his astounding ability to connect with members of this campus,” says Cichowski, now an Advancement intern at Ursinus. “To be immortalized next to a man who devoted so much to this school is, and will be, one of the greatest honors of my life.” Xaras began his planning early in 2009. By Agust 2009, the students took part in a photo shoot, and later all four subjects became a
Business and civic leader John E.F. (Jef) Corson of Plymouth Meeting, Pa. became the Interim President of Ursinus College July 1. Corson serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown and is Vice Chair of the Ursinus College Board of Trustees. “I have been a longtime fan and supporter of Ursinus,” says Corson. “I am also the proud parent of an Ursinus graduate. I hope to ably bridge the gap between President Emeritus Strassburger and the next President of Ursinus College.” Corson is President of the Corson Foundation and the Corson Investment Co., a group of family partnerships and a consulting firm. He also serves as a Principal and Board member of Abbott & Cobb, Inc., a vegetable Interim President John E.F. (Jef) Corson seed company headquartered in Trevose, Pa. He previously held positions as Vice President of C.E.S. Associates, an independent specialty oil wholesaler and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of G & W.H. Corson Inc. until the company was sold to IU International, and he became Vice President of Operations.
“I am thrilled that Mr. Corson has agreed to accept this vital position,” says Spencer Foreman M.D. of White Plains, N.Y., Chair of the Ursinus Board of Trustees. “He is uniquely qualified by his experience with business and non-profit organizations and his long history of active engagement with virtually every aspect of the operation of the College. We are fortunate, too, that he already is so well known by the campus community and enjoys the friendship and respect of faculty, staff and students.” His service will continue until the next President of Ursinus College is inaugurated. A Presidential Search Committee chaired by Ursinus Trustee Robert Barchi, President of Jefferson Medical College, will recommend a candidate for President. President Strassburger now serves as President Emeritus, continuing his role as a national leader and advocate for liberal education. In addition to serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Montgomery Hospital, Corson serves on the Boards of the Montgomery Foundation and The Montgomery County Lands Trust. He formerly served as a Trustee at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Boards of Progress Bank. Corson is a graduate of Williams College and has served Ursinus as a Trustee since 1983. FALL 2010 PAGE 5