Roger Williams University Brings Century-Old Portrait Back to Bristol

One of Bristol's most widely-known matriarchs returned home this Mother's Day weekend. On Thursday, May 5, hosted the revealing of a full-length portrait of the late Edith Howe, daughter of Dr. Herbert Marshall Howe. The portrait was painted in 1910 by Russian-American artist Lazar Raditz and has been in possession of Howe's grandchildren for past decades. The portrait of Howe will now reside in the university's Mary Tefft Center next to a self-portrait painted by her father, Dr. Howe.

The revealing also consisted of a slide show highlighting the ways in which Dr. Howe's Ferrycliffe Farm has been transformed into what is now the Roger Williams University campus. President Champagne resides in what was once the Howe family summer homestead.

“Very few colleges can claim to have a campus as beautiful as ours,” President Champagne remarked. “Especially this time of year.”

The slide show photos offered attendees a stunning look into Bristol Point's pastoral past. Before the architectural achievements of RWU's Global Heritage Hall and other buildings, Ferrycliffe Farm consisted of barns and thatch-roofed huts. Dr. Howe's beloved, prize-winning Jersey cows roamed the surrounding fields.

Dating back to 1875, the Howe family had a strong commitment to preserving the 130 acre farm and the tranquility of its rural nature. Edith Howe even went so far as to oppose construction of the Mt. Hope Bridge. Howe's grandchildren spoke at the revealing of her intellectually curious nature and how fitting her new home at Mary Tefft Center will be due to the room's continual hosting of lecturers and guest speakers.

“A generous spirit pervades this institution,” President Champagne said.

Also on display was a painting of Dr. Howe's prized bull Gilderoy, who also appeared in many of the slide show photographs. As records indicate, Dr. Howe allowed Gilderoy to “serve a limited number of approved cows at $100 each.” A woman in attendance gained considerable laughs when she joked that Gilderoy should become Roger Williams University's new mascot.

The event was an informative and entertaining celebration of the Howe family and RWU's mutual love and preservation of a truly spectacular landscape. As President Champagne also pointed out in his speech, it is important for any institution to not only recognize its past in moving forward but to somehow incorporate those roots in its progression. He spoke of Ferrycliffe Farm's rich productive history and how the University will literally and metaphorically continue with that legacy by planting seeds of knowledge in young minds for generations to come.

Dr. Howe and his daughter Edith will be right there with them in the Mary Tefft Center as the land they once tilled and harvested blossoms into a place of education.