David Mackinnon Ebitz, age 63, died in State College, PA, on December 21, 2010. David was born as David M. Creeley in Hyannis, MA, on October 5, 1947, to Robert Creeley and Ann Mackinnon Creeley (later Ann Creeley Ebitz Kucera). David married Mary Ann Stankiewicz on January 1, 1983.
David graduated from Williams College in 1969, Summa Cum Laude. He received his A.M. in 1973 and his PhD in 1979, both in Fine Arts from Harvard University, with a specialization in Medieval Art. As an Assistant and then Associate Professor of Art at the University of Maine in Orono, David started the Art History major. He served as Director of the University of Maine Art Collection from 1986-87. From 1987-1992, he was Head of the Department of Education and Academic Affairs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA. As Director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL, 1992-2000, he oversaw a $15-million restoration of the museum's historic mansion and supervised a complete reinstallation of the museum's galleries. In 2000, David accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Art within the School of Visual Arts at Penn State University where his broad background in museums and cultural institutions helped build programs around museum education and technology-related research and educational development. David received the Award for Excellence in Practice from the American Association of Museums' Standing Professional Committee on Education (EdCom) in May 2010.
David was an avid gardener whose collections of hostas and day lilies in State College and Bayside (Northport), ME, will continue to gladden the lives of those who live with them. He is survived by his wife and their children; Beckett Ebitz of Durham, NC, and Cecilia Ebitz of State College. He is also survived by his brother, Thomas J. Creeley (Regina) of Hudson, ME, and sister, Charlotte Creeley of Brockton, MA; half-sister, Sarah Creeley of Hercules, CA; step-mother, Penelope Creeley of Providence, RI; half-brother, William Creeley (Sarafina) and half-sister, Hannah Creeley both of Brooklyn, NY; and nephews, Tristan Creeley of Los Angeles, CA, and Thomas Creeley, Jr., of South China, Maine.
A Memorial Service to celebrate David's life will be held on Sunday, January 16, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State's University Park campus. Donations in David's memory can be made to the Museum Education Roundtable, P.O. Box 15727, Washington, DC 20003, and should be designated for the David Ebitz quasi-endowment for Museum Education.