Philadelphia-area couple makes Legacy gift to support Royal Oak Lectures.
Wistar and Martha Morris (left) with Executive Director Sean Sawyer, 2012 Timeless Design Honoree Julian Fellowes and Lady Kitchener-Fellowes.
Martha Hamilton and I. Wistar Morris III of Villanova, Pennsylvania have been Royal Oak members for 30 years and enthusiastic supporters of our Drue Heinz Lectures in Philadelphia for over a decade, regularly providing “adoption” support to enable us to expand our roster there. Now, they also are among the early leaders in our Fleming Legacy Challenge to create an endowment for the Lectures and enthusiastic founding members of Royal Oak’s Legacy Circle.
“The Drue Heinz Lectures bring so many brilliant and engaging speakers to Philadelphia and other cities across the U.S. year after year,” says Martha, “and we are very pleased to have this opportunity to build an endowment for them and to have our gift enhanced by Ron Fleming’s generous challenge fund.”
A research librarian with a Master’s Degree in medieval English history from the University of Virgina, Martha has built a substantial collection of books and printed materials on English and American country houses and the decorative arts. She has donated some of the most significant to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Library, where she has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1985 and Chair of the Library Committee since 1997. Martha is also a Fellow for Life of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Martha has chaired the Library Advisory Board at Duke University, her alma mater, and is a Board Member Emerita of The Library Company of Philadelphia. To this slate of philanthropic endeavors, she has added membership on Royal Oak’s Board of Directors, which she joined this past June. Also, from 1997 to 2001, Martha worked with Philip Lader, United States Ambassador to the Court of Saint James’s, on special projects for Winfield House, the Ambassador’s official residence in London’s Regent’s Park.
Royal Oak thanks the Morrises for their longstanding support and for embracing the opportunity presented by the Fleming Legacy Challenge.
Learn more about how to make a legacy gift here: Learn more
