Portraits recognize University leadership

Oil portraits of G. Robert Witmer Jr., and Robert Goergen were added to the Great Hall of Rush Rhees Library in May to honor their service as chairmen of the University’s Board of Trustees. The portraits hang among those of other prominent leaders throughout the University’s history. Daniel Greene and Gilbert “Chic” Early were the artists for the Goergen and Witmer portraits respectively.

Witmer, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rochester in 1959, has served as president of the Eastman Dental Center Board of Directors, chair of the Trustees’ Council of the College, and chair of the University Alumni Council. He has been a member of the University Board of Trustees since 1979. The president’s residence is called the Witmer House in recognition of Witmer and his family.

Goergen, who graduated from Rochester in 1960, has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1982 and was chairman of the board for 12 years. He has been a key volunteer and a major benefactor of the University for several decades. The Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center and the Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics are both named in recognition of his support.