St. Bonaventure University recognized the Leslie C. Quick III family with a campus reception on Friday for their “extraordinary commitment” to arts education through the establishment of the $2 million Thomas T. and Mary W. Clarkson Arts Education Endowment.
A reception was also held Friday afternoon at The Saturn Club in Buffalo for area arts educators to talk about the gift, and to promote the University’s new art history program, funded by a $600,000 grant from the Oishei Foundation of Buffalo.
The purpose of the Quicks’ endowment is to ensure that regional elementary, middle, and high school students and their teachers have access to the superb collections and facilities of The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The endowment will provide funding for support of exhibitions, performances, and arts education programming, as well as transportation for K-12 students to the center’s programs, and transportation of the center’s programs to students at their schools or other venues.
“My wife, Eileen, and I intend for this endowment to be the catalyst in stirring the imagination and curiosity of young audiences throughout the region,” said Leslie C. Quick III, class of 1975, a founding partner of Massey, Quick and Co. LLC, and a University trustee.
Named in honor of Regina A. Quick’s parents, the Thomas T. and Mary W. Clarkson Arts Education Endowment will provide for on- and off-campus programs designed to encourage students to immerse themselves in the Quick Center’s wide-ranging collection of fine and applied art and historical artifacts.
“Every gift from the Quick family is filled with heart and humanity, and none more so than this endowment that honors the beauty of art and its importance in the intellectual development of our area’s youth,” said Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., president of the University.
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts opened its doors January 1995 to house and showcase the University’s extraordinary art collection, while creating a regional outlet for culture and expression for Western New York. Since that time, the programs offered by The Quick Center have grown exponentially, offering a rich cache of resources for academic instruction in the visual and performing arts while also serving as a cultural hub for regional collaboration and thought.
“This endowment ensures the stability of the very program Regina Quick loved so much, which was principally the outreach to children in the region,” said Joseph LoSchiavo, executive director of The Quick Center for the Arts.
“The Quick Center is the sole museum and performing arts venue for school districts of six area counties in New York and Pennsylvania,” he said, adding that the endowment will maximize the center’s outreach to school populations.
The Quick family’s legacy of gratitude and giving spans several generations. Among other charities, Eileen Quick is a volunteer for Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity. Mr. Quick has served for nearly 20 years on St. Bonaventure University’s board of trustees, including six years as vice chair and two years as chair. In addition to his board service, Quick has given of his time to the University’s National Alumni Board, Annual Fund and its first capital campaign. He is presently co-chair of the 150th Anniversary Campaign, where more than $88 million has been raised toward the $90 million goal. He was an honorary degree recipient in May 2001 and was Alumnus of the Year in 1990.
Following the campus gathering, a reception was held at the Saturn Club in Buffalo to share with area educators news of the Quick family endowment and the University’s new Art History program, which was launched in 2007 with the help of a $600,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation in Buffalo. The foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corp. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for Buffalo-area residents by supporting education, healthcare, scientific research and the cultural, social, civic and other charitable needs of the community.