by Payton Miller--The historic portrait of Lillian Dimmitt went missing late on October 28 but was recently found by residence life staff.
The oldest residence building on campus was named after Dimmitt. Established as an all-women’s hall, Dimmitt was charged with running it. She spent 26 years as Dean of Women on campus. In honor of the dedication and time she spent at Morningside, a portrait was placed in the formal lounge of Dimmitt Residence Hall and has been there ever since.
On October 28 the portrait was removed from the wall after the annual hanging of the greens ceremony. The following morning the search for the portrait began.
Professional staff member Max Hardyk released an email to all Dimmitt Hall residents stating, “The Portrait of Lillian Dimmitt has been stolen and we would like to have the painting returned by Monday at noon. This will be assessed as part of Dimmitt Damages. We are still assessing how much Lillian’s portrait will be worth,” Hardyk said.
That night, before midnight, the portrait was placed in the hallway and was later found by residence life staff.
The portrait has yet to be returned to its rightful spot on the wall and will not be returned until it can be permanently hung on the wall.
A follow-up email was sent out to Dimmitt residents confirming the location of the portrait and assuring residents that the portrait of Lady Dimmitt will no longer be assessed on the list of damage accumulated throughout the year.
“At first we were sad to see the portrait of Lady Dimmitt ripped away from her pedestal in the formal, but we’re ecstatic to see that she came back unharmed. We are hopeful that Lady Dimmitt will not be taken again due to the measures we will be taking in the future,” Hardyk stated about the theft of the portrait.
Leave a Reply