Raymond Gene Wilkins

Raymond Gene Wilkins, 73, of Williamsburg, Virginia and East Sandwich, Massachusetts passed away peacefully in the presence of his family on May 20, 2011. A native of Lewistown, Pennsylvania and a United States Army veteran, he earned a BA from Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania and a MFA from George Washington University in Washington, DC. In 1983, he was awarded a PhD from Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. The title of dissertation was The Contemporaneousness of the Past: Historical Reflections on Artistic Giftedness and contrasts the lives and educations of painters Benjamin West and Thomas Eakins.
A noted painter and educator, Dr. Wilkins taught in northern Virginia at Oakton High School, Marshall High School and South Lakes High School, and was named the Agnes Meyer/Washington Post Teacher of the Year for Fairfax County in 1987. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation, in the fall of 1987 he was sent to Japan with nine other educators to observe and advise on the Japanese education system. During his tenure at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia, Dr. Wilkins piloted advanced placement art history and studio art programs, which spread throughout Fairfax County. He also collaborated with GRACE (Greater Reston Arts Center) to obtain a grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation to fund an artist in residence program, producing a sculpture which still stands in front of South Lakes today.
In concurrence with his career in Fairfax County Public Schools, Dr. Wilkins taught for years in the Northern Virginia Community College system. He also chaired the visual arts department of the Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan for several summers. In addition, he taught painting at the first Governor's School for the Gifted in the Arts at Mary Washington in the early 1970's.
More recently, Dr. Wilkins' career included a position as an Arts Assessment Specialist at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey, working on advanced placement art history/studio art programs for several states in the U.S. and also U.S. Department of Defense schools in Italy and Germany. After leaving ETS, Dr. Wilkins founded his own educational consulting firm R.G. Wilkins and Associates, working with several state departments of education, most notably with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on an arts and sciences integration project. He retired from the workforce in 2002.
A noted artist himself, Dr. Wilkins' works are represented in several museums and private collections, including the National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years Patricia, also of Williamsburg and East Sandwich. Additionally he is survived by a son, Mark Wilkins of Centerville, Massachusetts and two daughters and spouses, Hilary Wilkins Hatch and Michael Hatch of Weaverville, North Carolina and Elizabeth Wilkins Sykes and William Sykes of Williamsburg, as well as four grandchildren, Bella and Hannah Hatch, and Maggie and Teddy Sykes. He is also survived by two sisters and a brother.
The family would like to thank his caregiver Thomas Reynolds of Portsmouth, Virginia and the staff at the Hospice House of Williamsburg for their caring and dedication. A memorial service is planned for July 11, 2011 at 11 a.m. at St. Martins Episcopal Church on Jamestown Road. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Apple Federal Credit Union Education Foundation Scholarship Fund, http://www.afcufoundation.org/.