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A gift from the Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue Charitable Foundation of Lowell will create the Nancy Donahue Endowed Professorship in the Arts, the first professorship in the arts at UMass Lowell.
The professorship will strengthen the music, art and theater programs at the University by creating better connections with local music, arts and theater communities, nurturing artistic passion and talent in students and taking advantage of Lowell’s vast artistic resources.
“We make this commitment to UMass Lowell to further its excellence in education in the humanities and to enhance its strong bond with the vibrant arts community here in Lowell,” says Nancy Donahue.
Prof. Kay George Roberts will be the first recipient of the Donahue professorship, which will rotate among the music, arts and theater departments. Roberts is the founder of the UMass Lowell String Project, which provides string instrument lessons for local public schools students, music director of the New England Orchestra and principal conductor for Opera North Inc. in Philadelphia.
“I can not think of a better ambassador for this professorship,” said Nancy Donahue at the Sounds of Spring Concert on April 1. “Her passion for teaching, the city of Lowell and her music is well known and very much appreciated.”
“I am very honored to be the first recipient of the Nancy Donahue Professorship of the Arts. To make a difference in the lives of others and to bring music to the Lowell community has been a wonderful experience for me,” said Roberts.
The name Donahue is synonymous with the arts in Lowell. Nancy helped found the Merrimack Repertory Theater and is the former executive director of the University of Lowell Foundation. She is also a director of Whistler House, a trustee of Ayer Home Trust and a director of the New England Quilt Museum.
Richard has practiced law since 1951 at the firm founded by his father. He has been prominent in politics since he worked for John F. Kennedy’s presidential election and served as Kennedy’s special assistant and Congressional liaison from 1960 to 1963.
The Donahues are generous donors to the local arts and political worlds, and especially UMass Lowell, where students live in the Richard K. Donahue Hall on North Campus. They are also supporters of the Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp, the String Project and the Discovery Series at the UMass Lowell Center for the Arts.
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