Ward Curtis Worthington Jr. (1925-)
By Jenny Stone, 1995 | Pastel on paper, 30 x 26 ½
W. Curtis Worthington was born August 8, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia and was raised in Beaufort and on St. Helena’s Island, South Carolina. He graduated from The Citadel and earned his M.D. from the Medical College of South Carolina in 1952.
After a brief stint in Boston and Chicago, he returned to the Medical College’s Department of Anatomy in 1957 where he rose from assistant professor to chair of the department. He served as Assistant Dean for Curriculum (1966-69) and later Associate Dean, College of Medicine (1970-77). From 1975 to 1982, Dr. Worthington was Vice President for Academic Affairs for the university.
In 1982, he was named the Director of the Waring Historical Library from which he retired in 2014. Dr. Worthington was instrumental in the restoration of St. Luke’s Chapel, after its destruction by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Conservation Needs:
Proposed treatment includes archival rematting and reframing with UV-protectant glass.
Donate to preserve the Ward Curtis Worthington Jr. portrait »
Goal
The goal for the project is $150,000 which will pay for all the work to conserve these visual treasures. The cost for each portrait’s conservation ranges from $1,200 to $15,000.
This cost includes the conservation/ treatment report, conservation of the canvas and frame, and any costs associated with the treatment such as curatorial research and documentation, photography, transportation, and insurance.
Donor Recognition
Donors who adopt a portrait will receive named recognition during the portraits absence in the form of a sign reading, “Portrait being conserved through the generous support of [your name].”
When the portrait is returned a celebratory reception will be held at which the donor will be honored for his or her support of the project. Finally, the finished portrait will be reinstalled in the Waring with a permanent sign reading, “This portrait was conserved in [year] by the generous support of [your name].”
As a thank you gift, donors will be offered a reproduction of their “adopted” portrait, printed on canvas and suitable for framing.
Project Kick-Off
In order to kick-start the project, the WLS sent the portrait of Alexander Baron off for conservation.
Dr. Baron was selected for two reasons: first, the sitter, Dr. Baron, was a founding member of the Medical Society of South Carolina, whose generous support of the Waring has enabled us to conserve and digitize numerous items from the collection.
Second, the artist of the portrait was Samuel B. Morse, whose portraiture career in Charleston included painting the city’s leaders.