Ohio University gets $13 million for arts center

by John Smith, Staff Writer

Jan 12, 2010 08:14 AM

A 1938 alumna has pledged more than $13 million to Ohio University to establish a center for arts education, officials announced yesterday.

The gift from Violet L. Patton, 92, is among the 20 largest personal donations in Ohio University history, said Jennifer Bowie, director of development.

The money will be used to build or renovate a home for the center; fund scholarships, fellowships and residencies for visiting artists; and build links between the university and the region. OU officials haven't decided where the center will be.

Patton contacted university officials about the gift last summer, asking for a proposal of how the money would be spent.

"We brainstormed like crazy to find a way to put this together," said Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost. Benoit worked with the deans of the colleges of Education and Fine Arts to craft a proposal that matched Patton's interests with the strengths of each college, she said.

Patton placed the money in a charitable trust and will live off the interest until she dies. At that time, the university will have access to the money. The building would not move past the planning stage until then, said Renee Middleton, dean of the College of Education.

"There are a handful of days in the life of a university that you truly begin to understand that universities make a difference because they touch people's lives in very significant ways," said university President Roderick McDavis. "Today is one of those special days."

Patton, who communicated with the university only through an attorney, didn't attend yesterday's news conference.

"She's a very private lady," said Howard Lipman, vice president for university advancement. "She just wants to be left alone."

Patton grew up in Ohio, where her father was a school superintendent and her mother wrote textbooks, Lipman said. Patton co-wrote etiquette books with her mother, worked in New York and devoted her life to teaching, he said.