Tracy W. McGregor [Plaster]
Dublin Core
Title
Tracy W. McGregor [Plaster]
Subject
Figure sculpture, American--20th century
Description
TRACY W. MCGREGOR, 1955
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.104
Tracy W. McGregor (1869-1936) was a civic leader, educator, and philanthropist with a particular interest in community health and the plight of the indigent. He was instrumental in establishing the Committee on Health Activities which developed into the McGregor Health Foundation and the McGregor Center in Detroit, Michigan. He contributed to the founding of the Wayne County Training School, and was the first president of the Merrill-Palmer School, both in Detroit, Michigan.
This relief was commissioned by the McGregor Fund, the philanthropic organization founded by Tracy and Katherine McGregor. There is a cast of just the head at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University. This bronze relief can be found at the Tracy W. McGregor Elementary School, located on Edmore Street at Cordell, Detroit, MI. Being a collector of rare books, Mr. McGregor's collection was donated to the Alderman Library of American History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. A bronze cast can also be found there.
Plaster original
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.104
Tracy W. McGregor (1869-1936) was a civic leader, educator, and philanthropist with a particular interest in community health and the plight of the indigent. He was instrumental in establishing the Committee on Health Activities which developed into the McGregor Health Foundation and the McGregor Center in Detroit, Michigan. He contributed to the founding of the Wayne County Training School, and was the first president of the Merrill-Palmer School, both in Detroit, Michigan.
This relief was commissioned by the McGregor Fund, the philanthropic organization founded by Tracy and Katherine McGregor. There is a cast of just the head at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University. This bronze relief can be found at the Tracy W. McGregor Elementary School, located on Edmore Street at Cordell, Detroit, MI. Being a collector of rare books, Mr. McGregor's collection was donated to the Alderman Library of American History, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. A bronze cast can also be found there.
Creator
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
Date
1955
Rights
Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum
Type
Sculpture
Coverage
University Center (Mich.)
Sculpture Item Type Metadata
Physical Dimensions
36.5" x 31.5"
Materials
Plaster
Catalog Number
1991.104
Object Location
Main Exhibit Gallery
Provenance
1989 March, 22 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control
Notes
From Michael Panhorst (Director)
June 7, 1991
"RE: Tracy W. McGregor Portrait Relief
Earlier this week in conversations with Marshall Fredericks, possibly on Monday when the docents were in Birmingham, Fredericks mentioned that McGregor had given a lot of money to a lot of libraries around the United States. He also indicated that casts of Fredericks' Portrait Relief had been distributed or installed in those various libraries around the country. Our records at this point in time only indicate that there are bronze replicas at the McGregor Library at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a copy at McGregor High School in Detroit. We currently do not know the material of either cast."
Mcgregorfund.org website:
Tracy McGregor was born in Berlin Heights, Ohio, in 1869. Following his father's death in 1891, he left college and came to Detroit to take over operation of a mission for homeless men founded by his father. What came to be known as the McGregor Institute was located in several buildings along Brush Street. An estimated 700,000 men were housed or fed in the Institute, which closed in 1934 when the federal government took over care of the indigent as a result of the Great Depression. Katherine Whitney was born in 1873 into a wealthy Detroit family. Her father, David Whitney, made his business in lumbering and real estate. Not content to spend her time pursuing the usual social pleasures of her class, Katherine was directly involved in helping persons who were less fortunate. For instance, when she inherited a large house in Highland Park, she set it up as a haven for homeless children who had been kept in various institutions. When the children grew up and left the home, she deeded the property to the City of Highland Park for use as a library. The city later constructed a new McGregor Library which still stands on this site on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park.
Katherine Whitney met Tracy McGregor while she was a volunteer for the Infant's Ward Association of the Children's Free Hospital. The two married in November, 1901. Tracy McGregor became one of Detroit's influential citizens. Along with a group of business associates, he formed the Provident Loan Society to make loans at reasonable rates. He helped organize the Thursday Group, a number of civic leaders who met weekly to discuss community problems, tackling such issues as justice in police courts, inhumane prisons, and care for people with epilepsy. He was a supporter and trustee of the Merrill Palmer Institute as well as several universities.
In 1925, Tracy and Katherine began the McGregor Fund with a contribution of $5,000. The Fund made its first grants in 1931, supporting care of the indigent, relief for the sick, and higher education. Katherine also made several large gifts to the Fund. The total of the McGregors' contributions to the Fund amounted to approximately $10 million. A collector of rare books in his later years, Tracy McGregor's collection of Americana was donated to the Alderman Library at the University of Virginia following his death in 1936. Katherine died in 1954.
June 7, 1991
"RE: Tracy W. McGregor Portrait Relief
Earlier this week in conversations with Marshall Fredericks, possibly on Monday when the docents were in Birmingham, Fredericks mentioned that McGregor had given a lot of money to a lot of libraries around the United States. He also indicated that casts of Fredericks' Portrait Relief had been distributed or installed in those various libraries around the country. Our records at this point in time only indicate that there are bronze replicas at the McGregor Library at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a copy at McGregor High School in Detroit. We currently do not know the material of either cast."
Mcgregorfund.org website:
Tracy McGregor was born in Berlin Heights, Ohio, in 1869. Following his father's death in 1891, he left college and came to Detroit to take over operation of a mission for homeless men founded by his father. What came to be known as the McGregor Institute was located in several buildings along Brush Street. An estimated 700,000 men were housed or fed in the Institute, which closed in 1934 when the federal government took over care of the indigent as a result of the Great Depression. Katherine Whitney was born in 1873 into a wealthy Detroit family. Her father, David Whitney, made his business in lumbering and real estate. Not content to spend her time pursuing the usual social pleasures of her class, Katherine was directly involved in helping persons who were less fortunate. For instance, when she inherited a large house in Highland Park, she set it up as a haven for homeless children who had been kept in various institutions. When the children grew up and left the home, she deeded the property to the City of Highland Park for use as a library. The city later constructed a new McGregor Library which still stands on this site on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park.
Katherine Whitney met Tracy McGregor while she was a volunteer for the Infant's Ward Association of the Children's Free Hospital. The two married in November, 1901. Tracy McGregor became one of Detroit's influential citizens. Along with a group of business associates, he formed the Provident Loan Society to make loans at reasonable rates. He helped organize the Thursday Group, a number of civic leaders who met weekly to discuss community problems, tackling such issues as justice in police courts, inhumane prisons, and care for people with epilepsy. He was a supporter and trustee of the Merrill Palmer Institute as well as several universities.
In 1925, Tracy and Katherine began the McGregor Fund with a contribution of $5,000. The Fund made its first grants in 1931, supporting care of the indigent, relief for the sick, and higher education. Katherine also made several large gifts to the Fund. The total of the McGregors' contributions to the Fund amounted to approximately $10 million. A collector of rare books in his later years, Tracy McGregor's collection of Americana was donated to the Alderman Library at the University of Virginia following his death in 1936. Katherine died in 1954.
Files
Citation
Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Tracy W. McGregor [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed April 27, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5146.