Dear Arts Community,
It is with great sadness that I share the news of longtime arts advocate and champion, Rowland Rebele and his death on Saturday, November 25. Rowland’s incredible generosity reached far and wide within our campus community and beyond. Rowland’s wife, Pat, was a former trustee who earned her degree in Art History as a returning student. Together, Pat and Rowland were staunch and enthusiastic supporters of the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division, particularly the Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery, various music programs including the opera, and the Institute of the Arts and Sciences to which they gave $1 million towards achieving the dream of creating a state-of-the-art gallery, which is now a vital cultural hub in our region.
In 2016, the couple established the Patricia and Rowland Rebele Endowed Chair in History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC), currently held by Professor T. J. Demos who shared with me how Rowland was a long-standing supporter of HAVC students, and how the department remains ever grateful for the years of funding for undergraduate research projects, materials, and travel. That support has opened up worlds for students in long-lasting ways, significantly enriching students’ educational experiences in the Arts Division at UCSC.
The Rebele’s compassion and philanthropy have transformed lives and embrace various causes from impactful arts programs to our local homeless center. We will always be extremely grateful for Rowland’s generous spirit that will impact our students for generations to come. Pat and Rowland both welcomed me as Arts Dean in my first month at Santa Cruz with their encouragement and warmth.
Our hearts go out to Pat, their children Marianne, Andrew, and Chris, and Rowland’s many colleagues and friends. We will remember your generosity and Banana Slugs will benefit from it for many generations.
With gratitude,
Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu