The Frye Art Museum mourns the passing of Peter F. Donnelly. Mr. Donnelly joined the Frye Board of Trustees in February 2005 and served as President from October 2006 until his death on Saturday, March 28, 2009.

“We are deeply saddened by Peter’s passing,” said Midge Bowman, Frye executive director. “As a trustee, Peter was an integral part of the museum. He brought energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to everything he undertook. It was a privilege to work even more closely with him when he became board president. His wise counsel, empathy, and support will be missed.  I am honored to have considered him my friend.”

Mr. Donnelly was born in Lynn, Mass., and graduated from Boston University. He traveled to Seattle in 1964 to work at the then-fledgling Seattle Repertory Theatre as a Ford Foundation management fellow. Soon after, he was chosen by the Rep’s board to be its first managing director and later, producing director.

He was a pivotal figure in the building of the Rep’s Bagley Wright Theatre and brought together the arts and business communities to address issues affecting the arts, artists, and the region. He worked tirelessly to help create the Building for the Arts program that brought more than $57 million in funding from the state to support 150 arts facilities including the Intiman Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and Benaroya Hall.

He was instrumental in the formation of the Seattle Arts Commission and turned the Corporate Council for the Arts, now known as ArtsFund, into the region’s premiere arts supporting organization. Under Mr. Donnelly’s leadership ArtsFund’s contributions to the community doubled each year and the organization raised more than $10 million for an endowment fund.

“It is difficult to think of the arts in Seattle without Peter,” noted Bowman. “All of us at the Frye valued his vibrant personality and his depth of knowledge and experience.  In the larger sense, he was truly a connective force, uniting the entire region around the importance of art as necessary to a life fully lived. The legacy of his leadership and vision is his real gift to us all.”

In addition to his position as Frye board president, Mr. Donnelly served on the boards of Classical KING-FM 98.1, the Seattle Art Museum, the 5th Avenue Theatre, and the Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation. He also served as vice chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization Americans for the Arts; chaired the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge Grant panel; and chaired the National Coalition of United Arts Fund.

Mr. Donnelly is survived by his partner, David Farrar, of Seattle; and his sisters Donna Down, of Winchester, Mass., and Patricia Fabucci, of Lynn, Mass.

A celebration of Mr. Donnelly’s life will be at 6 p.m. April 20 at Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Bagley Wright Theatre, 155 Mercer St.

Gifts in memory of Mr. Donnelly may be made to the Peter F. Donnelly Merit Fund, part of ArtsFund’s endowment. Donations can be made online through artsfund.org, or sent by mail to: ArtsFund, P.O. Box 19780, Seattle, WA 98109.