In Memoriam

       The Appleton Museum of Art lost a beloved champion of education and culture on Jan. 15 with the passing of the museum’s founder, Arthur Ivar Appleton. He was 92.

     An iconic, larger-than-life figure, he leaves a legacy as a brilliant businessman and inventor, maverick of the thoroughbred horse industry, and as a passionate art collector and generous philanthropist who – along with his wife, the late Martha O’Driscoll Appleton, and his sister, the late Edith-Marie Appleton – gave North Central Florida the gift of a world-class museum.

      During a memorial held in celebration of Mr. Appleton’s extraordinary life and contributions, he was remembered as a “true Renaissance man” and “genius … with an unparalleled reputation for integrity.”

        A tall, robust figure, Mr. Appleton was also a loving father who’d cook for his family and accompany his grandchildren through Disney World dressed in suit, tie and hat. 

        Linda Appleton Potter said her father was “passionate about work, travel, collecting, horses and his family. He was passionate about Ocala and Ocala returned his embrace.”

Proclamation

     WHEREAS for 20 years the Appleton Museum of Art has provided for the cultural enrichment of North Central Florida, and

     WHEREAS, from the dresses of Princess Diana to the tapestries of Picasso, Calder and Matisse, to the masterworks of some of the greatest artists of the 20th Century the Appleton has housed world-class exhibitions for the enjoyment of visitors far and wide, and

     WHEREAS in addition to these special exhibits, the Appleton Museum houses its own outstanding collection that any art museum would be proud to have as its own, and

     WHEREAS none of this would have been possible without the generosity of Arthur I. Appleton, who donated the museum to this community along with more than 5,000 works of art,

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, Randall Ewers, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Ocala, Florida, do hereby proclaim Dec. 13, 2007 as

Arthur I. Appleton Day