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PRESS CONTACT:
Jeremy Allen Thompson
(802) 656-0094
jeremy.thompson@uvm.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2002

Vermont Champion of the Arts, Edward J. Feidner, Honored

When Edward J. Feidner arrived at The University of Vermont in 1958, no one imagined the impact he would soon have on the campus, the community, and the state. Over the next thirty-six years, Feidner founded and led the Champlain Shakespeare Festival, helped to establish the Vermont Arts Council, created UVM's Institute of Elizabethan Arts and Letters, and nurtured the Department of Theatre into a program with a faculty of twelve that educates hundreds and entertains thousands each year.

On May 19, 2002, Feidner's accomplishments were singled out amidst the excitement of commencement. Professor William Schenk, Chair of Theatre, announced the endowment of the Edward J. Feidner Award, a $25,000 fund that will recognize annually one exceptional theatre student following in the path envisioned by Professor Feidner. Schenk said, "from 1958 until his retirement in 1994, Ed worked tirelessly to create an atmosphere that demanded excellence in both the academics and the art of theatreÉ It is this legacy of leadership and enthusiasm that we honor here today."

President Edwin I. Colodny also conferred a Doctorate of Letters, Honoris Causa, on Professor Feidner in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the Vermont arts community.

Following his retirement in 1994, Feidner relocated to North Bennington, Vermont where he still resides today.

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