From the Director: With Thanks
From the September/October George Eastman Museum bulletin
Kevin Gavagan has truly dedicated himself to the George Eastman Museum’s present and its future. From July 2017 to July 2022 — a time of progress, transformations, and unforeseeable challenges — he served as the chair of our Board of Trustees.
A lifelong film enthusiast, Kevin was introduced to the museum in 1995 at a lunch with Paolo Cherchi Usai, who was then senior curator of our Moving Image Department. This lunch piqued Kevin’s interest and sparked an association that has lasted more than 25 years.
Kevin joined the museum’s board in 2006 and has been highly engaged as a trustee. Before becoming board chair, he had served as the chair of the Finance Committee and treasurer, chair of the Committee on Trustees, and chair of the Moving Image Collections Committee.
The trustees of the Eastman Museum all contribute to our annual fund, and Kevin and his wife, Nancy, have been among our leading donors before and throughout Kevin’s tenure as chair. Understanding the crucial roles that trustees can play in donor development, he has also been an active fundraiser for the museum. Kevin has been particularly successful in attracting key trustees and in effectively enlisting fellow trustees to take on important initiatives. As a result, our Board of Trustees has been strengthened, with more active participation and more diverse membership.
Under Kevin’s leadership, our institution executed several major capital projects. We completed a series of imperative preservation projects on George Eastman’s mansion and gardens, including the restoration and renovation of the Bruce B. Bates Colonnade. The environments in the storage vaults for our photography and technology collections have been upgraded, greatly enhancing the preservation of the collection objects. Our visitors’ experience has been transformed by the Thomas Tischer Visitor Center.
Kevin’s wife, Nancy, shares his love of the Eastman Museum. She is well versed in the history of George Eastman and his magnificent estate. Starting in 2003, she volunteered as a docent, providing tours of the mansion and gardens for hundreds of visitors over the years.
Kevin and Nancy Gavagan are profoundly committed to community service and philanthropy. In 2021, they received the Burton S. August Sr. Award for Community Leadership from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter. Earlier this year, they were recognized by SUNY Geneseo as Donors of Distinction. Kevin was a member of the Geneseo Foundation board of directors for 21 years, serving for many years as its treasurer and as its chair during his final term. In 2017, he was named as a director emeritus. Kevin is a member of the Rochester Institute of Technology President’s Roundtable.
Kevin and Nancy’s greatest joy is their family, including two daughters and four grandchildren. Kevin recently retired from his longtime positions as a portfolio manager and executive at QCI Asset Management — Wealth Enhancement Group, and he is making good use of his retirement for family time, public service, and recreation. He is an avid golfer and a member of Oak Hill Country Club. The Gavagan family frequently devotes their spare time to cheering on their beloved Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
I am deeply grateful to Kevin for his support and guidance as my partner in leading an institution we revere and cherish. His term as a trustee will continue until July 2024, so we will have the benefit of his knowledge and historical perspective during this time. As we thank Kevin Gavagan for his years of service as trustee and board chair, the George Eastman Museum welcomes a new chair, Nannette Nocon.
Bruce Barnes, Ph.D.
Ron and Donna Fielding Director
May/June 2022 Bulletin
