Remembering Roberta Emerson

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The late Roberta S. Emerson is remembered for her key role
 in building the Huntington Galleries into the bigger,
 better Huntington Museum of Art.

File photo | The Herald-Dispatch

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In her 16 years as director, Roberta S. Emerson (1922-1998) was
 instrumentalin transforming the Huntington Galleries into the
 Huntington Museum of Art, a transition that
 meant far more than a change in name.

Under her leadership, the museum grew from a staff of five and an
 annual budget of $125,000 to a staff of 30 and a budget of $1.25
 million. She first became involved with the museum as a
 trustee, was named director in 1972 and held
 that post until her retirement in 1988.

As a girl, she lived in a number of towns, as her father was an
 industrial engineer who had long assignments with different
 companies. By her own account, she attended six
 different grade schools. She studied art history
 at Northwestern University and the University
 of Chicago but left one semester shy of
 graduating to marry Robert K.
 Emerson in 1943.

While he was serving in the Navy overseas, she lived with
 her parents in Huntington, where her father was on
 assignment to the International Nickel Co. In
 Huntington, she was active in civic affairs
 and took classes at Marshall University,
 finally finishing her degree. On her retirement
 from the museum, Marshall awarded
 her an honorary degree.

Her long-time work in promoting the arts was recognized
 when she was added to the Huntington Wall of Fame,
 named by The Herald-Dispatch as a “Citizen of the
Year,” and chosen by the Charleston Gazette-Mail
 as its “West Virginian of the Year” in 1987.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on March 11, 2025.

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