W. Dexter Whitehead prints

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

This collection contains some in-copyright material. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16431, W. Dexter Whitehead prints, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.04 Cubic Feet 1 legal folder
Creator:
Whitehead, Walter Dexter, 1922-2008
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16431, W. Dexter Whitehead prints, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains fifteen prints of drawings created by Dr. W. Dexter Whitehead, a professor of physics at the University of Virginia from 1956-1992. The drawings depict the following views and locations around Grounds, and are titled accordingly: Lawn Room, Steps at Pavilion IX, Pavilion IX Entrance Detail, Dome Room - The Rotunda, Levering Hall, Steps Behind Pavilion VIII, West Rotunda Arch, Pavilion III, Arcade Fan Windows, East Rotunda Arch, Pavilion VI, Pavilion IX - Entrance, Rotunda Fan Window, Dome Room - The Rotunda, and Fan Windows. Each print is signed by Whitehead in the bottom right corner.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Walter Dexter Whitehead (1922-2008) was a professor of physics at the University of Virginia from 1956 to 1992. Walter Dexter Whitehead was born in San Diego, California in 1922. Whitehead grew up in Richmond and Old Church, Va., and attended the McGuire's University School. He was enrolled in the University of Virginia and was awarded a B.S. in chemistry (1944), M.S. in physics (1946), and Ph.D. in physics (1949) and was a member of ATO, the Raven Society, the Jefferson Society, Sigma Xi and several physics and University organizations. In 1956 he joined the physics faculty at the University of Virginia. He became a professor of physics in 1962 and chairman of the department in 1968. In 1965 he was appointed director of the Center for Advanced Studies and in 1969 became dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; both positions he held until 1989. He retired as Alumni Professor of Physics Emeritus in 1992.Dexter was also an artist and many of his paintings reflect his love for both the University and Maine. He died at the age of 85 on May 27, 2008.

Sources Bromley, Anne E. "In Memoriam: Dexter Whitehead," UVA Today, University Of Virginia, May 28,2008, https://news.virginia.edu/content/memoriam-dexter-whitehead.

Carlson, E. Mary. "U.Va. Profiles: W. Dexter Whitehead: Physicist, Administrator and Painter," UVA Today, University Of Virginia, November 26,2007, https://news.virginia.edu/content/uva-profiles-w-dexter-whitehead-physicist-administrator-and-painter.

Acquisition information:
This collection was transferred by Meg Kennedy to the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on June 1, 2021.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard