Joan Kent Dillon

NORTH CHATHAM — Joan Kent Dillon, of North Chatham and Kansas City, Mo., died peacefully in her sleep at her Cape Cod home on Jan. 18, 2009, at the age of 83.

Joan was born in 1925 in Lafayette, Ind., to Gladys and Richard Kent, of Tuxedo Park, N.Y. Joan attended the Mary Wheeler School in Providence, R.I., and graduated from the Mary Institute in St Louis, in 1943. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1947 and her Master of Science in medieval history from the University of Missouri in 1969.

Joan grew up in St. Louis, and also spent many happy times at her parents' summer home, Whalewalk Farm, in Orleans. She often rode horses, and played in the streams, marshes and ocean nearby. She and her family returned to Cape Cod every year, and with her husband in 1976, bought a home in Chatham where they lived full-time for the last 10 years of her life.

In 1974, she helped begin the national theater preservation movement by organizing the purchase and renovation of the Folly Theater, a vintage 19th-century burlesque theater in downtown Kansas City. From 1974-87, she spearheaded fundraising efforts that raised more than $5 million to restore the Folly, which then became a center for cultural events (http://www.follytheater.com/history_restoration.html). Joan further contributed to a revival of the downtown area of the city through ownership of the property on Prospect Hill, which she refused to sell until she could find a developer who agreed to create residential and commercial use of it.

Joan's education and interest in historic preservation and architecture was further applied for more than two decades when she was an active member of both the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the League of Historic American Theaters, attending many meetings in Washington D.C. and networking tirelessly for such initiatives. She was a lifelong supporter of the arts and historic preservation. During her lifetime, she acquired an eclectic art collection, especially art nouveau and Asian art.

Joan also had a passion for Japanese gardens and amassed a collection of more than 100 small and large Asian scholar rocks. When she walked the beaches on Cape Cod, she had an eagle eye for spotting unusual rocks, and the agates were polished for display throughout her home.

She loved to play tennis and sail in her 14-foot Cape Dory boat called Hecate on Pleasant Bay in Chatham. During a storm many years ago, Hecate broke away from her mooring and was carried by the tides 30 miles out to sea. It was found by a New Bedford fishing boat. After its break to freedom, Joan said the sailboat seemed to have a mind of its own. Joan was also an avid lifelong reader. She loved to draw and paint, taking many classes in new techniques, and she also wove Nantucket baskets.

Joan wrote and published two books, American Theaters: Performance Halls of the Nineteenth Century, with David Naylor. 1997, 1st printing by John Wiley & Sons; 2nd printing by Schiffer Publishing. The second book, Barns of Cape Cod, was written with her son Kent Dillon and Blandon Blushin. 2007, Schiffer Publishing.

A strong believer in contributing to community affairs and supporting the arts, Joan was active in both local and national volunteer activities during her entire life. Her volunteer activities in Chatham included the following:

Cape Cod Museum of Art, Acquisitions, 2007-2009; Chatham Cultural Council; Creative Arts Center, 2003-2006; Monomoy Theater, Friends; Preservation Mass, 2007-2009;

Joan's national volunteering activities included several board positions with the following organizations:

Founder, Historic Kansas City Foundation, 1974-2000; Founder and President, Kansas City Arts Council, 1979-1982; American Bank Board, 1975-1982; Centerre Bank Board, 1982-1987; Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, 1981-1987; National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1980-1990; League of Historic American Theaters, 1978-1981 and 1992-1998; U.S. Joint Commission on Dance/Theater, 1978-1982; U.S. Joint Commission on Schools of Art Accreditation, 1981-1993; President Reagan's Committee on Arts/Humanities, 1982-1990; Archives of American Art, 1984-1988; Partners for Liveable Communities, 1987-1995; The Acting Company, 1988-1991; American Arts Alliance 1988-1992; Smithsonian National Board, 1989-1995 and 1996-; Nantucket Preservation Institute, 1982-2001; Smith College Board of Trustees, 1994-1999; Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Commissioner, 2000-2009.

Joan is survived by her husband of 60 years, George Chaffee Dillon. George is the retired chairman of Butler Manufacturing Co. in Kansas City, Mo., and the Manville Corp. in Denver, Colo. She is also survived by two daughters, Courtney Dillon Pedersen of Kastrup, Copenhagen, and Emily Dillon Berry of Brewster; a son, Kent Chaffee Dillon of Chatham; and three grandchildren, Chelsea, Patrick and Christian.

A memorial service is to be held in the spring. Donations may be made in Joan's memory to the Cape Cod Museum of Art, P.O. Box 2034, Route 6A, Dennis, MA 02638; or 508-385-4477 (www.ccmoa.org).