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In Memoriam
When the world lost Bill Simpson, they lost one of the
“great ones.”
Bill was a founding member of LUMA’s board of advisors in
2005 and for years provided the museumwith wise counsel.
Bill was a poet, statesman, businessman, philanthropist,
and generous donor to Loyola University Chicago and
especially to LUMA.
Bill and his late wife, Marilyn, were world travelers who
loved all of the arts. When LUMA first opened, he stepped
up right away to fund our William and Marilyn Simpson
Lecture Hall that has become a central meeting point for
many museum visitors.
The long list of his philanthropic contributions to health
organizations, cultural institutions, and universities
represents his commitment to Chicago and the state of
Illinois. An outstanding man, reminiscent of Gary Cooper,
he was a 1946 West Point Graduate and served in the U.S.
Army. He went on to serve in both the Kennedy and Regan
administrations.
WhenMarilyn passed away, Bill honored her memory with a
series of cultural commissions including a symphony,
My Sky
at Twilight
by Augusta ReadThomas that was recorded and
premiered in 2002 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Their names proudly appears on the museum’s William and
Marilyn Simpson Lecture Hall. We fondly remember him
at LUMA for his wry sense of humor, generosity of spirit,
deep spirituality, and poetry - the words of which echo his
talent and faith.
Death has no dominion where memory rules,
Since those we have loved truly never die.
Every sea of death has another happier shore,
So rejoice in their newly found happiness.
For grief should be the precursor of hope,
Reminder of the shortness of human life,
God’s nearness, the purpose of creation,
The promise of eternal union with God.
– W.G. Simpson,
The Art of Grieving
, 2007
William G. Simpson
In the early 1200s Francis of Assisi made a pilgrimage to
the Holy Lands. His visit to Bethlehem so moved him that
he conceived of a live presentation for his congregation
depicting Jesus’ birth. He hoped the experience would remind
locals that Christ was born into humble circumstances such
as theirs. Pope Honorius III granted permission to Francis’
petition and the crèche was included in a Christmas mass.
As seems fitting with St. Francis’ great love of nature, the first
crèche scene was staged outside in a woodland at night, lit
by torches. Although no verifiable proof exists, the writings
of Tommaso da Celano, a brother in St. Francis’ order who
knew him, tells the story of the first celebration with a crèche
in 1223. It is likely that this nativity play had no human
actors at all, but may well have been as simple as a manger
filled with hay. The fact that highly populated and elaborate
scenes we see today are called crèches, meaning “crib” or
“manger”, make sense when we consider the display began
with only the food trough of domesticated barnyard animals.
Tommaso’s writings tell us that Francis prepared the
Eucharist and celebrated mass over the manger, speaking
sweetly about Simplicity, Poverty, Humility and most of all
Christ’s birth in Bethlehem.
The history of the crèche, the spread of its tradition, and
examples of how artists around the world have interpreted
it will be the subjects of LUMA’s holiday show on December
13 in Simpson Hall. This slide presentation and lecture
coincides with LUMA’s much anticipated annual crèche
exhibition. Visit LUMA from December 6, 2016 through
January 8, 2017 to see this year’s newest crèches from the
generous donation of James and Emilia Govan, as well as
perennial favorites from around the world.
– Chris Benoodt
Lecture: History of the Crèche
A Celebration of One Night in Bethlehem