Introduction:
The broad subjects mentioned in the title of this post will not be covered since I already have too much information for the body of it. In short, I will briefly note that universities are under attack, underfunded (in Ontario) and the humanities are both under attack and underrated. As well, good news is in short supply, so I will offer some.
I learned recently that a very generous donor had given $10 million to support the humanities at the University of North Carolina. He did so, because the humanities changed his life and a literature professor impressed him, even though he was a business major. Because I have to move on, you will find details about this Tar Heel donation at the tail end of what follows.
When I read about the UNC donation, I was reminded that Western University here in London also had received $10 million which is to be used to support students in the Humanities. I had forgotten the details so I have gathered them here since it is highly likely you may have missed this significant announcement. The donor in this case is William Hodgins who grew up in London, went to Central and then through UWO. I am not sure whether Mr. Hodgins was impressed by a specific professor or Western generally, but he surely must have been impressed since he moved from London and Western many years ago and still left behind a large amount of money. He certainly deserves to be remembered, so perhaps this reminder will help.
A Homage to Bill Hodgins (1932- 2019)
Local Sources:
In the Fall of 2022 there were two articles published about Hodgin's major gift to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Western University, and, it should be noted, it was not his first donation to the University.
1. “English Grad Bequeaths $10 M in Scholarships, Largest Gift Ever to Faculty of Arts and Humanities: Bill Hodgins, BA’54, remembered as a man ‘big in stature, with a heart to match’", By Keri Ferguson, Western News, September 28, 2022. A large portion of it is provided here:
"A Western English graduate who went on to become a preeminent figure in interior design has left $10 million to support students in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
William (Bill) Hodgins, BA’54, died in 2019, bestowing the faculty with its largest gift to date. His donation will fund more than 16 scholarships each year, in perpetuity.
The bequest extends the legacy of Hodgins’ contributions to his alma mater, honouring his mother Neen, who was unable to pursue her dream of studying English at Western because she couldn’t afford to do so. She worked hard to ensure it was a viable option for her son.
The first in his family to attend university, Hodgins embraced his Western experience as an English major, a cheerleader and member of the Purple Spur Spirit Club. As a donor, he wanted to give to others who otherwise couldn’t afford the same opportunity.
Through his first gift more than 15 years ago, Hodgins touched the lives of more than 90 students studying English at Western. Now his generosity will extend to students across all arts and humanities programs through additional merit and needs-based scholarships.
Hodgins’ bequest will generate $560,000 every year to support scholarships across the spectrum, helping high-achieving, first-generation, Indigenous and international students with financial need through entrance, continuing and graduate awards.
“Support for the arts and humanities has never been more vital,” said Western president Alan Shepard. “In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, humanities graduates bring empathy, imagination, perspective, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table. Bill’s generosity will open doors for students with diverse interests and backgrounds to pursue their passion and create positive change in the world. We are incredibly grateful to him for entrusting Western with this transformative gift.”
Hodgins found his English degree provided a strong footing for his career in residential design. He earned a reputation for creating thoughtful, comfortable and elegant interiors by working closely with his clients to understand their tastes and needs.
He shared his design approach with Stephen M. Salny, author of William Hodgins Interiors, noting, “My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences. I do it for them, not for me.”
Hodgins is representative of what Michael Milde, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities sees in many alumni, who go on to careers in a vast variety of fields.
“We train the mind to face the world, with critical and creative thinking tied to communication skills that span the range of human expression,” Milde said. “This gives our students the ability to work and relate well with others, to put themselves imaginatively into another’s shoes and work toward solutions.”
Drawn to design
After graduating from Western, Hodgins went to England, where he worked for a British ambassador. He spent time in France before returning to Canada to work for the Hudson Bay Company in a management training program, and then in Montreal, designing brochures for Avon cosmetics.
At 30, he pursued his lifelong dream and applied to the Parsons School of Design in New York.
After graduating with honours in 1963, he worked as an assistant to design legends Sister Parish and Albert Hadley. He then moved to Boston, where, by his late 30s, he became president and owner of William Hodgins Inc., an interior design firm focused exclusively on residential design.
Long before the existence of the internet and online shopping, Hodgins travelled the world searching for the right pieces to suit the homes owned by a loyal list of clients, including American ambassadors and a Saudi prince.
Recognized as one of the “deans of American interior decoration,” and “the last of the great old-guard decorators,” Hodgins was inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame in 1987 and was recognized as a designer of distinction by the American Society of Interior Designers for “his outstanding contributions toward achieving design excellence and advancing the profession of interior design.”
His residential commissions have been celebrated in the pages of Architectural Digest, House & Garden and House Beautiful, highlighting his signature pallets of whites, creams and jewel-toned lush furnishings. It is an aesthetic that stands the test of time, with his work appearing on countless Pinterest sites today.
Upon his passing, industry insiders lamented the loss of a design giant, but his colleagues commented most on the care Hodgins took with his clients, and how he expected those he mentored to take the same approach.
In addition to learning “the importance of antique furnishings coming up for auction, or quirky pieces that would be ‘just right’ for ‘Madame X,’” one wrote, “I learned (from him), importantly, of listening carefully to a client, what they were communicating and how they live, hope and dream.”
Another colleague observed how the six-foot-four Hodgins “gave generously to what he thought was right, with his time, consideration and financial resources. He expected the best from you for his clients. He was a big man in stature, with a heart to match.”
Jeff O’Hagan, vice-president (university advancement) agrees.
“What I remember most is Bill’s desire to help and make a difference. He was a fascinating, wonderful person and truly engaged with Western. We are fortunate to count him among our most generous, thoughtful alumni and grateful for the continued impact he will have on the lives of our students.”
Western will mark this donation with a celebration of the arts and humanities. The university will also name an outdoor study space in front of University College as a lasting memorial to Hodgins’ generous gift."
[ A list of scholarships funded by the estate of Willam Hodgins is included.]
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
2. “Celebrated Alumnus Leaves Western University Landmark $10 Million Gift,” Jane Sims, The London Free Press, Sept. 29, 2022.
"Thursday, the university announced that Hodgins, who died in Boston at age 86 in 2019, left the largest gift ever to its Faculty of Arts and Humanities – $10-million that will fund 16 scholarships annually in perpetuity. The university said the bequest is so generous that it will generate $560,000 a year for scholarships.
They will be named after Hodgins’ mother, Neen Hodgins, who had a dream of studying English at Western, but couldn’t afford it.
His first financial gift to Western was 15 years ago and the university said that money has helped more than 90 English majors. His latest, final gift is so generous that Western is planning a celebration and to name an outdoor study space in front of University College in his honour.
Hodgins’ work has been celebrated in Architectural Digest, House and Garden and House Beautiful. He was inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of fame in 1987. The American Society of Interior Designers recognized him as a designer of distinction.
He was called one of the “deans of American interior decoration” and known for working closely with his clients, travelling the world to find the right pieces. He was known for working in classic white and cream pallets, complemented by bright furniture.
“My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences,” he told the author of William Hodgins Interiors. “I do it for them, not for me.”
That sentiment reflects his generosity to Western. Hodgins was born in Peru, where his father worked for Standard Oil. He was raised in London and became the first member of his family to attend Western University, where he graduated in 1954 with a degree in English.
At Western, he was a cheerleader and a member of the Purple Spur Spirit Club.
After graduation, he moved to England where he worked for a British ambassador, then spent time in France before returning to Canada to enter a management training program with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He landed in Montreal where he designed Avon cosmetics brochures.
His dream was interior design and, at age 30, he applied to the Parsons School of Design in New York. He graduated with honours in 1963 and worked as an assistant to Sister Parish and Albert Hadley before opening up his own design firm when he was in his late 30s.
The scholarships will support “high achieving, first-generation, Indigenous and international students with financial need through entrance, continuing and graduate awards.”
Western’s president, Alan Shepard, said in a statement: “Support for the arts and humanities has never been more vital. In these uncertain and rapidly changing times, humanities graduates bring empathy, imagination, perspective, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table. Bill’s generosity will open doors for students with diverse interests and backgrounds to pursue their passion and create positive change in the world.”
Added Shepard: “We are incredibly grateful to him for entrusting Western with this transformative gift.” "
-------------------------------
Obituaries:
1. “William Hodgins, AD100 Decorator and Champion of Pastels, Has Died,” Madeleine Luckel, Architectural Digest, Sept. 26, 2019.
2. “Hall of Fame Member William Lewis Hodgins Dies at 86,” Interior Design, Sept. 30, 2019.
"William Lewis Hodgins, who established his interior design firm in 1968 in Boston and earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading residential designers, died on September 24 at his home in Massachusetts. He was 86.
"William Lewis Hodgins, who established his interior design firm in 1968 in Boston and earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading residential designers, died on September 24 at his home in Massachusetts. He was 86.
Hodgins, a native of Canada, attended Western University in London, Ontario, and later Parsons School of Design in New York. Upon graduation, he went to work as an assistant to “Sister” Parish and Albert Hadley at Parish-Hadley Associates, before moving to Boston and founding William Hodgins Incorporated.
Inducted into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame in 1987, Hodgins was known for crafting classic, elegant interiors for a roster of clients, including Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn, Linda and Robert Taubman, and the three sisters of Annette de la Renta. The 2013 monogram,William Hodgins Interiors, featured nearly 40 of his residential commissions.
Hodgins’s celebrated style—a mostly white and cream palette paired with plush furnishings—exemplified old-guard glamour and in 2001 he was named a Designer of Distinction by the American Society of Interior Designers, one of its most prestigious awards celebrating individuals who have achieved design excellence and advanced the profession. Hodgins was also inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in 2007.
A funeral mass will be held on Friday, Oct. 11 at 11:00am in the Bigelow Chapel of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge."
3. “William Hodgins Obituary” Legacy, Published in the Boston Globe, Sept.28-30, 2019
"HODGINS, William L. One of the country's leading interior decorators, died peacefully at home September 24 at the age of 86. Born in Peru, where his father worked for Standard Oil, and raised in London, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Hodgins attended Western University in London, Ontario, and after some traveling went on to Parsons School of Design in NYC. Upon graduation, he worked as an assistant to Sister Parish and Albert Hadley at the Parish-Hadley firm prior to moving to Boston to establish his own firm, William Hodgins Incorporated. Mr. Hodgins was inducted into Interior Design magazine's Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2001, the American Society of Interior Designers named him the Designer of Distinction, one of ASID's most prestigious awards. The award recognizes an ASID professional interior designer who has made outstanding contributions toward achieving design excellence and advancing the profession of interior design. And in 2007, Hodgins was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame. He is survived by many friends, clients and several loyal and devoted associates who have worked with him for many years. Predeceased by his brother, Alec T. Hodgins from Lake Tahoe, and survived by his nephew Daniel Hodgins & wife Sara (Working) and their two children, Reno, NV. Funeral Mass will be held Friday, October 11 at 11:00 am in the Bigelow Chapel of Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge.
--------------------------
The book shown above is an essential source and the photographs of Hodgins were taken from it. A copy is available in the Weldon Library at Western and it can be purchased from Amazon where this description is provided:
"A lavish look at the work, over nearly half a century, of one of the last of the great old-guard decorators.
One of the deans of American interior decoration, William Hodgins follows in the footsteps of the legendary Billy Baldwin and also Sister Parish and Albert Hadley, for whom he worked early in his career. Based in Boston since the late 1960s, Hodgins’s work encompasses residential commissions from New England to Florida, as far west as California, and overseas. His interiors have been celebrated in the pages of Architectural Digest, House & Garden, House Beautiful, and other magazines and books. This is the first publication entirely devoted to his oeuvre, which spans five decades.
Hodgins’s rooms are beautiful, thoughtful, and poetic; they are airy, light-filled spaces. They are also, in his words, as “extraordinarily luxurious as they can be in a quiet, understated way.” Handsome architectural detailing and a soothing palette work their magic and create visual flow; Hodgins is a master artist, his designs reminiscent of Merchant-Ivory films. A Hodgins interior is governed by white, and the decorator invokes the slightest of subtleties and different shades of white. For Hodgins, whites “reflect the quality of life and light in a room.” They “glow behind the art and furniture,” are restful, timeless, and age gracefully. Yet Hodgins is also noted for his judicious use of exquisitely clear and jewel-like colors: this skillful combination makes his interiors special, inviting, and comfortable.
Among the forty notable commissions covered in this generously illustrated book are the private quarters of the American ambassador’s residence in Paris (1997), a pied-a-terre in a 1920s Beaux-Arts apartment building on San Francisco’s Nob Hill, several prewar cooperative apartments in New York City, and a considerable number of houses and apartments in the Boston and Washington, DC, areas and in Palm Beach, Florida. The majority of his commissions have been carried out for repeat and loyal clients, many of whom have commissioned him to decorate multiple homes. This presentation of his work will be valued not only by professional decorators but also by everyone seeking the best in interior design."
1.“Editor’s Miscellany: William Hodgins Collected at Last,” by Kyle Hoepner New England Home, Oct. 24, 2013. A good review with excellent pictures. It begins this way:
"This past Sunday, a hefty portion of Boston’s design world and many past clients came together at the Taj Boston hotel to honor William Hodgins, without question the Éminence grise of New England interior designers."
2. “A New Book Spotlights the Interiors of William Hodgins: A New Monograph Explores the AD 100 Designer’s Great White Ways,” Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, Sept. 30, 2013.
2. “A New Book Spotlights the Interiors of William Hodgins: A New Monograph Explores the AD 100 Designer’s Great White Ways,” Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, Sept. 30, 2013.
"Bold hues are not often found in the rooms decorated by William Hodgins. Though the Boston-based designer peppers his interiors with robust wood and lacquer furnishings, it is his assured handling of neutrals throughout his half-century-long career that has made him an undisputed master of soulful elegance.
Thirty-four peaceful, uncluttered spaces he created from 1979 to 2010 are featured in William Hodgins Interiors (W. W. Norton, December), the first book devoted to his work, by writer Stephen M. Salny (who has penned volumes on architect David Adler and his decorator sister, Frances Elkins). The 320-page monograph is a paean to pallor—though, as the author points out, Hodgins “is also well-known for his understanding and judicious use of exquisitely clear and jewel-like colors,” which gently enliven his low-key schemes. Earthy textures, such as the worn paint of a Louis XVI fauteuil, say, or a wicker log basket, play an important role in the designer’s oeuvre, too, and subtle details, like baseboards as tall as ten inches, give his rooms a confident backdrop. “I never like just filling a room with furniture and accessories—I like to make the shell right first,” Hodgins says.
Born in Peru and raised in Canada, the designer opened his acclaimed firm in Boston in 1969, following stints selling ladies’ shoes at a department store, running errands for British MPs, producing brochures for Avon, and serving as an assistant at the storied decorating firm Parish-Hadley. Today, at 80, Hodgins is a discreet grandee in a world of superstar designers, with clients both blue-blooded (Annette de la Renta’s sisters Charlene Engelhard, Sophie Engelhard, and Sally Pingree) and boldface (financier Felix Rohatyn). Add a Saudi prince and a couple of Washington Post Grahams, and you’ve got a set of powerful patrons whose lives this courtly gentleman has significantly influenced—with curiously little fanfare.
Which is precisely how Hodgins likes it. “My clients are very involved in the work we do, so their houses reflect their preferences,” he says, adding, “I do it for them, not for me.”
Hodgins at UWO: Pictures from Occidentalia, 1953-1954:
The Tar Heel Donation (golf fans will appreciate this)
"$10 million gift seeks to ignite a ‘Humanities Renaissance’ at Carolina
Stephen H. Israel’s gift will provide full Honors Carolina scholarships for undergraduates majoring in the liberal arts," By University Development, Tuesday, March 19th, 2024
"A major gift from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumnus Stephen H. Israel ’66, Vice Chairman Emeritus of Korn Ferry, will provide full Honors Carolina scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a major in the humanities, whether they came in with this intent or were undecided as to their major and discovered the value of broadening their lives and opportunities by way of a liberal arts education....
Steve Israel established the scholarship in honor of the late Professor O.B. Hardison ’50, whose literature courses changed his life. Hardison was a Renaissance scholar in the department of English who later became director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
“I started as a business major, but unexpectedly during my junior year, I took Hardison’s courses on John Milton and the Renaissance in English Literature, and my world changed forever,” Israel said. “A well-rounded liberal arts education is so crucially important today. I see evidence of it all around in my work. Studying the humanities instills wisdom, discernment, strong communication skills and good character no matter the career choice. My liberal arts education at Carolina expanded my world and my life. All Carolina graduates should have that opportunity as well.”
