In Memoriam: Pamela Hemenway Simpson (1946-2011)

Pamela Hemenway Simpson, who served on the faculty at Washington and Lee University for 38 years, died at her home in Lexington, Virginia. She was 65 years old.

Professor Simpson, an art historian, was the first woman to hold a tenure-track faculty position at Washington and Lee. In 1993, she was the first woman to be named to endowed chair at the university.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Simpson graduated from Gettysburg College. She earned a master’s degree at University of Missouri and a Ph.D. in art history at the University of Delaware.

Professor Simpson joined the faculty at Washington and Lee in 1973. She was promoted to full professor in 1985. In 1993 she was named the inaugural Ernest Williams II Professor of Art History. Over the years she served as chair of the department of art and art history and as assistant and associate dean of the college.

Dr. Simpson was the author of three books including Cheap, Quick, and Easy: Imitative Architectural Materials, 1870-1930. Her most recent work, Icons of Abundance: The History of Corn Palaces and Butter Sculpture, will soon be published by the University of Minnesota Press.