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Remember and keep going
Remember and keep going
by Chester (Yixiao) Yuan
by Chester (Yixiao) Yuan
“Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration,” said Jeffrey Zeldman, a well-respected web designer. It makes sense for the ornate buildings with glass facades and advanced studio spaces located on the North Campus of the University of Michigan that are home to Stamps School of Arts and Design. Like the buildings, the philanthropic namesake of this successful school, Penny Stamps, is a standout in her own right.
"A former teacher and businessowner, Penny’s life was characterized by a deeply-rooted passion for education" ("Penny Stamps: Founder InMemorium"). Penny came to Michigan for college, earning a degree in design as well as a teaching certificate. "She enjoyed a distinguished career at Herman Miller and Kaplan & Fox Inc. before heading her own residential design firm in the Boston area for 18 years" ("Philanthropist, Arts Advocate Penny W. Stamps Dies at 74").
She and her husband Dr. E. Roe Stamps wanted to give back to the schools that gave them their start. “Having achieved our personal goals of pursuing careers, raising children, and providing for our family’s future, we made a conscious decision to take our surplus resources and use them for the betterment of our community and the world,” Penny said when they established the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, which first launched scholarship programs at their alma maters Georgia Tech and the University of Michigan. The program has since "funded multi-year scholarships for more than 1800 students at 44 colleges and universities nationwide," according to the scholarship program website at Elizabethtown College.
Penny Steamps and Dr. E. Roe Stamps. Photo source
Penny also gave back to UM in other ways. Penny gave back with her time, co-leading several national fundraising campaigns for the university and serving on the "President’s Advisory Group and advisory councils to the deans of the Stamps School and the School of Education. U-M recognized her in 2005 with the David B. Hermelin Award for Volunteer Leadership" ("Philanthropist, Arts Advocate Penny W. Stamps Dies at 74"). Dedicating herself to elevating opportunities for the culture-makers of tomorrow, she launched the Roman J. Witt Visiting Professor Program in honor of her father. Later, she established the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Lectures Series. She also supported the establishment of the Stamps Gallery, which is a dynamic center for contemporary art and design. The Stamps' family foundations also granted a $32.5 million charitable donation, which is the most generous gift in the history of UM's School of Art and Design. That donation led to the Board of Regents naming the school, gallery, and Creative Work Awards in her honor in 2012.
Penny, as a word, is the smallesy unit of money in the United States. However, Penny and Roe are more like their last name Stamps, which means a piece of paper with a picture or pattern on it: small but matters a lot. Their passion for education has influenced millions. Being a namesake is not only a charitable donation for her. She devoted herself to promoting educational development during her whole life and spared no effort nurturing artists and designers and imparting her artistic philosophy. “Penny Stamps didn't take the responsibility of her namesake lightly: the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design mattered to her. She was ever attentive, never prescriptive in the nurturing of the next generation of artists and designers,” said Stamps Dean Gunalan Nadarajan.
Though Penny passed in 2018, her spirit would be remembered and handed down to generations to come. Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Lectures Series holds monthly lectures providing opportunities for students to contact various cultures while the Stamps Gallery develops exhibitions. Students are still inspired by her, applying their art skills and discussing concerns of our time at the gallery, just like what she said in her commencement speech: “Now go out there and break the rules. Make the world a better place for your being here.”
Many great philanthropists also devote themselves to education development and inspire students in this way. Naming those buildings after those philanthropists or pioneers in academic areas is a method to remember them. Moreover, it not only honors their achievements but also motivates current students with passion and philosophy. And what is most important is that all those tireless efforts and enthusiasm for education and academics will be passed on from generation to generation through this method, making the world better and better.
Work Cited
Don Jordan, “Philanthropist, Arts Advocate Penny W. Stamps Dies at 74”, The University Record, DECEMBER 13, 2018
https://stamps.umich.edu/news/penny-stamps-1944-2018
“About Penny and E. Roe Stamps”, University of Miami Stamps Scholars Program About Us.
https://stamps.frost.miami.edu/about/about-penny-and-e-roe-stamps/index.html
“Honoring Penny W. Stamps”, Stamps School of Art & Design About the Gallery.
https://stamps.umich.edu/stamps-gallery/about-the-gallery
“Story, Word, Sound, Sway”, Stamps School of Art & Desig, events
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