In my mind, the Frye community—members, trustees, stakeholders, volunteers, and staff—has always been family. There is a meaningful commitment each of us makes to invest in a vision in which we all believe. That sense of mutuality and support of our shared community resource defines us.

This spring, the Frye lost a valued member of its family in the death of Peter Donnelly. Many of you knew Peter as a key arts figure in the Northwest but I hope, more recently, you knew him as the president of the Frye Board of Trustees and that you had a chance to interact with him at the many Frye events he attended.

When Peter joined our Board of Trustees in 2005, it was a real coup. Many non-profit boards sought him after his retirement as president of ArtsFund. That he chose us as one of several boards on which he would serve was, for me, a sign of the potential he saw in us. He believed in the Frye, and saw that it held a special niche in the local art ecosystem. And he helped to lead us forward in that vision.

There have been many changes since Peter joined the Board: refining our mission, initiating research into our collections, establishing connections with institutions in Munich. Peter was solidly behind all these undertakings. He made a special trip to Munich last fall to represent the Frye at the Secession exhibition at Museum Villa Stuck. His role in shepherding our museum’s mission to include a larger sense of our unique contributions to the community is part of his legacy.

Peter brought wisdom, energy, and enthusiasm to everything he undertook. He was generous with his time, his expertise, and his personal support of me. I will never forget his kindness. I am honored to have considered him my friend.

As in all families, our grieving process must yield to honor the memory of Peter’s gifts to each of us who were privileged to know him. He died far too young, but he left us better for his presence in our lives. He will always be remembered at the Frye.

Midge Bowman
Executive Director

The Peter Donnelly Memorial Fund at the Frye Art Museum
Gifts can be made to the Museum in memory of Peter Donnelly, Frye Board President from October 2006 to March 2009, to honor his commitment to the mission of the Frye and to support the quality exhibitions and programs he championed. Please call Kathy Lindenmayer, manager of membership development, at (206) 432-8227 or donate online through our Membership/Donation page. (To make a non-membership donation, please enter the amount in the Additional Donation field and indicate that your gift is for the Peter Donnelly Memorial Fund in the Comments field on the donation page.)

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009 edition of the FRYE members’ magazine.

Photo: Auston James