President Newell (l.) and Librarian/Historian Rice with Valerie Lloyd
On Thursday, April 20, the Society met to celebrate the life and work of Past President and noted sculptor, painter, muralist and architectural designer, David Cunningham Lithgow. The evening began with a slide presentation developed by Randy Patten and Robert Mulligan on Lithgow’s corpus of artistic works represented in the Capital District. Lithgow’s works are found in numerous homes and public buildings throughout the area. The home of the Society, a brown-stone building called “The Rooms” on Washington Avenue, was built in 1892 and purchased in 1928 by the Society. It was remodeled according to Lithgow’s design to fit the needs of the Society. A virtual tour of The Rooms may be found on this website by accessing Who We Are on the menu. Lithgow served the Society as its President from 1933-1935.
Mr. Patten, a retired New York State Trooper and photographer, and Mr. Mulligan, retired from the New York State Museum where he was the military curator, have researched and compiled a photographic catalogue of Lithgow’s works for several years.
At the conclusion of the presentation Valerie Lloyd, great-granddaughter of David Lithgow presented to the Society a seascape painted by the artist. Lloyd’s father was a member of the Society. The Society’s President Bruce Newell and Librarian/Historian Norman Rice accepted the gift with appreciation on behalf of the membership.
A reception for members and guests closed the evening.