Our Founder

Remembering the Life and Legacy of George M. Irwin

May 2, 1921  —  Nov. 24, 2020
By Laura Sievert, Executive Director
From January 2021

How can you possibly begin to write a tribute to a man so accomplished as George Irwin? You can certainly start with lists; he founded a great many organizations including the Quincy Society of Fine Arts: America’s First Arts Council, the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Americans for the Arts and more.

You could enumerate his awards; he received recognition from local, state and national leaders, from institutions of higher learning and from civic organizations far and wide. He was a board member, trustee, committee member or chairmen of more organizations than you could count, and his expertise in arts and culture was valued in the US and across the world.  

Maybe he’d best be remembered for his work in preservation; he fundraised for and helped save so many architectural gems around our area that you’d need a whole other magazine to fit them all. He also helped restore cultural institutions like the Quincy Community Little Theatre after they were shuttered in World War II.

Another fine list would be his storied collection of art and list of commissioned music pieces. These pieces were not just a personal joy, but also were part of his core belief that artists should be able to earn a living through their work.

When I sat down to write this tribute though, I started to notice a through-line in George’s story. To me, George Irwin was, above all, an organizer on behalf of the creative sector. Maybe “organizer” doesn’t seem like the most prestigious of his many titles, but it may be the most significant.

There’s a quote attributed to anthropologist Margaret Mead that reads, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

All throughout his life, George organized those small groups of creative people to change the world. He was a catalyst for cultural change and appreciation. He worked to get the right people in the right rooms to create lasting cultural institutions with structure, governance and resources to stand the test of time.

I had the privilege of interviewing George in 2018, and asked how he managed to make so much impact over so many areas in the arts. He answered that he was always interested and curious.

“If you’re curious you can be creative,” he said, “and if you’re creative, you can do just about anything.”

So if you’re looking to pay tribute to the legacy of George Irwin, I think the very best thing you can do is to be invested in your community. Be interested.  Be curious. Be creative. And then take that investment and volunteer your time, energy and talent in a cultural space you love. 

I last saw George in person this May at his home when I had the privilege of delivering news of the $1.5 million grant we are receiving for improvements to the Quincy History Museum, which is a building that he worked very hard to preserve and save. It tells you everything about George to know that upon hearing the news, a big smile spread across his face and he wanted to hear all about the project, offer his ideas, and consider what we might attempt next.

George Irwin’s legacy, and indeed his charge to us, is to collaborate and listen to one another and imagine what we might attempt next! We can continue his work in organizing, building and sustaining a cultural sector that lasts and serves the needs of this community. Throughout his 99 years with us, George Irwin’s drive and imagination were absolutely limitless and it is our honor at the Quincy Society of Fine Arts, and at all of the area’s arts institutions, to carry that torch toward a creative future in our community and beyond.

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Obituary reprinted with permission from The Herald-Whig.

George ‘s creativity and vision for a flourishing arts community in Quincy has left a lasting impact that has spanned generations. Locally he founded many organizations including the Quincy Chamber Music Ensemble, Quincy Choral Society, Quincy Society of Fine Arts, (America’s first community arts council, now Arts Quincy), Quincy Civic Band, Quincy Symphony Orchestra of which he was the conductor for many years and Sunday Music Club, now the Civic Music Association. He chaired the reorganization effort for the Quincy Community Little Theatre and the Quincy Conservatory of Music and served on the boards of Culver-Stockton College, Blessing Hospital, the Quincy Art Center and the First Union Congregational Church.

George was also dedicated to architectural preservation. His passion for history and architectural preservation led to his involvement in the complete restoration of the Dr. Richard Eells House (1835 Underground Railroad site), the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County Restoration Committee, the Charles Henry Bull House and its Carriage House, the Richard Newcomb House, William S. Warfield House, State Savings Loan and Trust Company (Granite Bank), Ernest Wood Office and Studio, the former Free Public Library at 4th and Maine St., placing several of them on the National Register of Historic Places and the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.

Geroge’s passion for the arts was not contained solely to the Quincy area. Statewide, he was the organizer and first chairman of the Illinois Arts Council, board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ravinia Festival, Illinois State Museum, MacMurray College, and governing life member of the Art Institute of Chicago. His visionary leadership and experience founding and supporting organizations that enhanced life and promoted the arts in Quincy and Illinois led him to the national stage.

Nationally, George was a founder of the Americans for the Arts and Business Committee for the Arts and served on the boards of the Council on Foundations, American Federation for the Arts, American Bicentennial Commission, American Symphony Orchestra League, and was an advisor and arts and culture consultant to UNESCO, National Endowment for the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Peace Corps.

His survivors include his half-sister, Suzanne Irwin-Wells of Quincy and three nieces, Pamela Wells Irwin Suran of Jerusalem, Israel, Victoria Irwin Campbell and Ashley Irwin Buehler, of the Quincy area. He was preceded in death by his father Macaulay (Mac) Irwin, his mother Mrs. Ethel Smith Irwin Gerdes, his stepfather Mr. William F. Gerdes, Jr., his brother Bruce Irwin, half-brother Steven D. Irwin, and his grandparents Leaton Irwin and Lois Wells Irwin and Rolla A. and Clara Smith and a nephew, Bruce R. Irwin.

George was buried in a private ceremony in the Irwin plot in Woodland Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Arts Quincy, the Irwin Fund at the Community Foundation, Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association for George M. Irwin Conductor’s Fund or the Friends of the Dr. Richard Eells House.