Ellen “Puffin” D’Oench ’73, Curator Emerita of the Davison Art Center, Adjunct Professor of Art History Emerita, and former trustee of Wesleyan University, died last week at the age of 78.
After graduating from Wesleyan in 1973, she received a Ph.D. from Yale in 1979 and served as the Curator of the Davison Art Center from 1979 to 1998. According to the recent all-campus email:
At Wesleyan, she taught courses on museum studies, the history of prints, and the history of photographs, and advised many tutorials and student-organized exhibitions at the Davison Art Center. D’Oench was a gifted scholar, a generous colleague, and an inspired teacher who sparked in many a love of prints and photographs. With the aid of gifts and funds raised by the Friends of the Davison Art Center, she expanded the renowned collection of the Davison Art Center by more than 5,000 objects, including significant photographs and contemporary prints.
D’Oench is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service will take place on Sunday, May 31, at 1:00 pm at Wesleyan’s Memorial Chapel. More information at the Doolittle funeral home.