Beverly Hopkins

Beverly Hopkins, 81, died peacefully in her home on August 2, 2007, after a nine-year struggle with cancer. Born in 1926 in Eugene, Oregon, Beverly lived the life of an uncompromising artist, replete with fulfillment, accomplishment and many dear friends. Beverly graduated with a BA in painting and drawing from the University of Oregon in 1947, and in 1950 earned a MA from Mills College in Oakland, California. After working as a docent at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Beverly toured Europe. Ever the free spirit, Beverly explored Europe, some by bicycle, touring its artistic heritage from France to England, then on to Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden, sketching and gaining inspiration for future paintings. Beverly returned to America in 1953, and became a librarian at the Springfield Art Museum and later taught art at Drury College. In 1963 she designed and built her beautiful, unique home which was equal parts living space, museum and magnificent painting loft. In 1969, Beverly earned a MFA from the University of Oregon and returned to Springfield, Missouri, in 1970 where she was hired to teach art at Southwest Missouri State University. She retired as professor emeritus in 1988. Beverly exhibited across the country and received numerous awards and recognition for her work. In February, 2004, Beverly's paintings were exhibited at the Springfield Art Museum. Beverly loved animals, and especially her cats, Ruffy and Smoke, neither of whom seemed to appreciate the beautiful art, sculpture, rugs, and architecture that surrounded them, being preoccupied with their scratching posts and doing their best to sit or lie down on anything claiming Beverly's attention, including computer printouts, newspapers, or books. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed science fiction. Beverly was a movie buff, and enjoyed action films immensely. Her beautiful yard and garden were as unique as her home, incorporating antique engraved bricks, fountains, gargoyles, and even tombstone artifacts from a local cemetery. She was a sports fan, enjoying baseball, but was an avid football fan, even watching NFL Europe when the regular football season was over. Her favorite baseball team was the Cardinals, for football she rooted for the Rams. In general, Beverly favored teams named after animals. Regarding animals and the environment, the theme of many of Beverly's paintings was her concern for our ecosystem and the damage being caused by mankind's irresponsible use of resources. Beverly was fearless in her choice of artistic themes, also incorporating strong political and religious messages in her work. Beverly was preceded in death by her brother, Richard Paynter Hopkins, and is survived by her sister in law, Ilse Hopkins-Cassidy; niece, Teri Lee of Reston, Virginia; Teri's three children; and her nephew, Greg Hopkins of Redwood City, California. Donations may be made to the Beverly Hopkins Memorial Fund for the Springfield Art Museum, or to a charity of your choice. Please join us for a celebration of Beverly's life at the Springfield Art Museum, Tuesday, August 7 at 5:30 p.m.