LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Jane Lew Philanthropists
Your story in the Summer 2001 issue on the $2.2 million gift
failed to mention that Mary Jackson's brother, George, an oil
and gas entrepreneur, left $6 million or $7 million to the WVU
College of Law. This probably makes Jane Lew, population 439
according to a 1995 road atlas, the "givingest" town
in the state on a per capita basis. Although the Jackson siblings
were my cousins, I've fallen a little short of their philanthropical
standard.
Harry J. Bryan '41
Honolulu, Hawaii
Artist's
Work Needs Identification
Your magazine and Eric Hrin did a marvelous job of reporting
on my dad's murals for the Century of Progress Exhibition [Summer
2001]. Thank you so much. I had never given the murals much thought—except
as a job well done. Dr. Cuthbert's description of the WPA's attempt
to help artists of that era was insightful. I also agree with
Dr. Cuthbert that a plaque acknowledging Mr. Grauer's work should
be considered a must. Too many times, the work is incorrectly
listed.
Gretchen Grauer Vanderhoof
Belleair, Florida
Jackson's
Coat Could Be Gray
I thoroughly enjoyed Eric Hrin's article in the Summer 2001 issue.
It is wonderful when someone takes the time and effort to recover
history like the story of these great murals. I remember Jackson's
Mill fondly from my seven years in West Virginia. In my travels
with the Program for the Study of Technology, I often planned
my route so that I could stop and eat at the Mount Vernon dining
hall. If the painter of Gen. Stonewall Jackson revised history
by painting his uniform blue, it would be easy for a computer
artist to revise history again and change it to its rightful
gray. I'm not saying that the painting be changed, just reproductions.
Ronald W. Hull '74 Ed.D.
Houston, Texas
Ohioan
Painted Jackson's Portrait
I enjoyed the Summer 2001 article on "Mysteries of the West
Virginia Building" at Jackson's Mill. As I read the article,
a familiar name jumped from the painting on page 28: Eliphalet
Frazer Andrews. I can provide background on the painter of the
Stonewall Jackson portrait.
Eliphalet F. Andrews was a native of Steubenville, Ohio. He studied with Bonnat in Paris and Ludwig Knaus in Berlin. He returned from Germany in 1860 and purchased the property at Fourth and Slack Streets in Steubenville, which is today across the street from the library that I direct. From 1860 to 1876, Andrews operated a studio in Steubenville and specialized in portrait paintings. In 1876, he moved to Washington, D.C., where from 1887 to 1902 he headed the Corcoran School of Art.
Some of his portrait paintings were exhibited
at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. His portraits
included Dolly Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Johnson, and
James A. Garfield. Two of the Ohio governor paintings in the
state capitol building in Columbus were painted by Andrews.
He painted portraits of famous citizens for Steubenville's Centennial
in 1897. Those paintings have graced the walls of the Main Library
of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County since
their 1916 donation.
Eliphalet F. Andrews died in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 1915, and was returned for burial in Union Cemetery in Steubenville.
The information I have seen about Andrews
makes no mention of a portrait of Stonewall Jackson, but if it
was painted in 1891 as your story says, he would have been at
the Corcoran Gallery in Washington at that time.
Alan Hall '76
Steubenville, Ohio
Football
Fans Abroad
I'm a former WVU student, now living in London.While watching
one of the national television channels (ITV), there was a commercial
on for their new sports services. They were stopping people in
the streets of London and asking them what their favorite football
team was. One man they stopped proudly said "West Virginia"
as he pointed to the blue and gold windbreaker he was wearing.
Granted, being in England they were asking Americans who didn't
realize they meant soccer, but still.
Amy Poling
London, England