In the past, Gossips posts have answered a couple of intriguing questions that arose regarding the Hudson City Cemetery: Why are there visible skeletal remains in the Rossman mausoleum? and Who is buried in Fred W. Jones's tomb?
Recently another apparent cemetery mystery was brought to Gossips' attention: a brand-new tombstone in the Gifford family plot.
The plot was established in 1863, after the death of Edward Gifford, younger brother of Hudson River School painter Sanford Robinson Gifford. Edward Gifford, who served in the 128th New York Infantry Regiment, a volunteer regiment from Columbia and Dutchess counties during the Civil War, died of typhoid fever in New Orleans, after being captured during the Siege of Port Hudson and escaping by swimming across the Mississippi River. Edward was the first to be buried in the family plot--a site chosen by Sanford Gifford for its unusually beautiful view of the Berkshire Mountains. Sanford Gifford is himself buried in the family plot, along with his wife, Mary, as are his parents, Elihu and Eliza Gifford.
A few weeks ago, Gossips received word of the new tombstone. The information came from Peter Jung, who in 2010 spearheaded the repair and restoration of the Gifford family plot and has since acted as steward of the site.
In his capacity as self-appointed steward and guardian of the Gifford family plot, Jung visits the site often, and on a recent visit, he discovered a new stone, made of elegant white marble and meticulously carved to replicate the design of the original stones.
The artist Bill Sullivan resided in Hudson for the last eight years of his life, settling here in 2002. I did not know Sullivan personally, but I knew of him, and I recall knowing that he once told a friend of mine, with some pique, "Outside of Hudson, I'm famous."
During the time he lived in Hudson, Sullivan was represented by the Carrie Haddad Gallery, so in my quest to learn how his tombstone had come to be in the Gifford family plot, I contacted Haddad, who put me in touch with Sullivan's longtime partner, Jaime Manrique. Manrique was good enough to provide Gossips with this information:
Long before Bill Sullivan moved to Hudson, N.Y. (roughly the last 10 years of his life) he loved the work of Mr. Sanford Gifford. In fact, in a few of his late paintings Bill paid homage to the places that Mr. Gifford had painted in the 19th century. Whenever we drove by the Hudson cemetery, Bill would remark "Gifford is buried there."
After Bill died, I got the idea that he would be very happy to have his ashes lay near a painter he admired so much. I inquired with the Hudson City Cemetery and was told that no one in the Gifford family had been buried in the family plot for a very long time and that they thought perhaps there were no descendants of Sanford Gifford alive. So I asked if I could buy a plot to inter Bill Sullivan's ashes near his hero. The process of laying the tombstone took several years as we were told that the tombstone had to be in the style, and the same kind of marble, of the historical section of the cemetery.
Sullivan died in October 2010. In January and February 2011, the Albany Institute of History and Art honored his life and work with the exhibition Bill Sullivan: A Landscape Artist Remembered. In 2006, AIHA presented a major retrospective of his work, featuring fifty landscape paintings, which included iconic views of New York State as well as images of the mountains, volcanoes, and waterfalls of the equatorial Andes in South America. There are six paintings by Sullivan in AIHA's collection, among them Twilight at Olana and View from Olana.
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| Sullivan, Bill. Twilight at Olana. 1990. Albany Institute of History and Art. |
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| Sullivan, Bill. View from Olana. 1995. Albany Institute of History and Art. |
The problem here is precedent. As someone who raised $20K to put the Gifford family plot in good order, I'd also be honored to be memorialized near my hero Sanford Robinson Gifford. And I know at least 100 scholars, dealers, collectors and others in the art world who would appreciate the same opportunity. So how does the City deal with this issue going forward? Seems that a door has been opened that is certain to trigger controversy. How do we say 'NO' to the next applicant?
ReplyDeleteI first met Bill Sullivan in 1980. Reacquainted in Hudson 30 years later, we were frequent companions. I proudly display his paintings.
ReplyDeleteThat said, while it may not have been Bill's choice to be buried near the Giffords (not that he'd have minded), I agree emphatically with Peter.
However, there are precursors in Hudson. About 10 years ago a tree was dedicated along with a memorial plaque in the riverfront park. I don't recall if a fee was involved, but the family had simply asked permission of someone in City Hall and, c'est la! (This is NOT to disparage the memorialized individual or the family, not at all.)
When the Thomas Cole house sought permission from the City of Hudson to place what is essentially an advertisement in the Promenade Park (the sign has zero to do with the park itself), the Director of the Cole house simply asked the DPW's permission. Later, each accused the other of having decided the precise location.
Leaving aside that the permission granted went against the explicit wishes of the park's donors as recorded on the historic plaque, the park's true owner which is the Common Council was never informed of the decision! Moreover, the park is in a nationally recognized Historic District while the Cole house itself is a National Historic Site. So, not for the first or last time the DPW which has no actual authority over the Promenade park circumvented the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.
There you have it, Hudson in a nutshell, where the taxpayer is always wrong.
To anyone who knew Bill, it's perfect that he'll be mooching off the Giffords in perpetuity! I know he'd smile at the humor of it.
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