Presbyterian College Honors Mary Bailey Vance Suitt with Portrait by Rossin. Read more about the unveiling.
Alumni, students, and friends of the College gathered on April 3 to honor the late Mary Bailey Vance Suitt. The evening included an unveiling of a commissioned portrait of Mary Bailey in Neville Hall and a tribute concert in Edmunds Hall.
“The Bailey, Vance, and Suitt families are honored to have the opportunity to see that Mary Bailey’s memory still serves her PC and Clinton community, proving a rich legacy for those after her to follow,” said Fleming Patterson, Mary Bailey’s son.
Mary Bailey served on the PC Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2012. She was recognized as the Distinguished Member of the William Plumer Jacobs Society in 2013. Mary Bailey supported PC throughout the years, including donating to the arts program, the construction of Bailey Memorial Stadium, and the renovation of Neville Hall.
“Our family is so grateful that we were able to work with P.C. to honor my mother’s wishes while meeting the current needs of the college,” said Mary Ellen Barnwell, Suitt’s daughter.
The Mary Bailey Vance Suitt Rotunda in Neville Hall features Mary Bailey’s and Bailey family members’ artwork. The portrait was commissioned by Mary Bailey’s family and completed by artist Ross Rossin. Rossin’s portraits of Hank Aaron, Maya Angelou, and Morgan Freeman appear in the Smithsonian.
A tribute concert in memory of Mary Bailey took place in Edmunds Hall after the portrait unveiling in Neville Hall. Concert pianists Antoinette Van Zabner and Elisabeth Aigner-Monarth performed piano four hands, meaning they played the piano simultaneously side by side. The duo covered works of Mozart, Bach, and others. Zabner and Aigner-Monarth are from Vienna, Austria and have performed all over the world.