The Incredible Siddy Wilson

In Hollins magazine, the 1991 "One Hundred Fifty Years" edition, Siddy Wilson wrote: "Thanks to Hollins for preparing me for this journey. It has not been dull." As a Hollins student, Siddy Wilson had a reputation for doing everything and doing everything well. Although she started out as a chemistry major, a fact of which she was proud, she ended up a Tony-nominated actress and an accomplished modern artist. She toured with the USO during World War II and rubbed elbows with celebrities such as Tallulah Bankhead and Edward R. Murrow. Above all, she loved Hollins and sustained a dream that her alma mater should have a museum-quality art gallery. Her gift of $6.5 million, in addition to the $2.9 million she had already given to name the Richard Wetherill Visual Arts Center in memory of her grandfather, ensured the fulfillment of her dream.