Glenn Hild, the former interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities who died of cancer on April 8, is being remembered through an undergraduate student art gallery located in the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Chris Kahler, the chair of the art department, knew Hild for 28 years, first as his student, then as his colleague.

“(Hild) was very passionate about helping students. He was very passionate about being supportive of their needs in terms of program planning (and) curriculum,” Kahler said. “He loved to pay attention to details. That’s what we all know him for — he was very detail-oriented, and he really did an amazing job helping advising students, running the department (and) guiding us through difficult times.”

Kahler said a gallery was decided on to memorialize Hild because they wanted something that would have a positive effect on a lot of students.

“The reason that we did that is because we felt like just creating an endowment that was for a scholarship, that would only help one or two students. We wanted a really lasting impact that would be something that could help all students, something that wasn’t just for a select few, something that would really help our whole department,” Kahler said. “We approached Glenn with this idea while he was still doing fairly well in terms of his health, and … he was very humbled and very thankful that we would consider this.”

Anita Shelton, the current interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said a gallery is the perfect way to remember Hild.

“This student art gallery, it’s something that I think is exactly the right way to honor Glenn Hild’s legacy because Glenn, in his quiet, behind-the-scenes way, was all about the students and the student experience,” Shelton said. “(Hild) was famous for checking and double-checking all the advising that was done for students in art … and that’s not glamorous work, but it’s really important, it’s necessary, it’s invisible and unsung, but it demonstrated the depth of his dedication to students.”

Shelton said Hild was heavily involved in the creation of Doudna, and that many of the details of the building are the result of Hild.

The student gallery is in room 1910 of Doudna and is currently referred to as Gallery 1910.

The endowment, which has an initial goal of $50,000, would go toward renovating the current space and making it a professional gallery with the chance to hire a permanent, paid student employee.

Hild’s memorial service will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 29 in the Tarble Arts Center. Kahler will be the master of ceremonies.

Donations to the endowment can be made online at EIU Foundations or in person at the Neal Welcome Center.

Shelton said Hild left a lasting legacy on Eastern’s campus and that he embodied Eastern’s mission throughout his life.

“Before EIU launched this ‘All In’ campaign, Glenn personified all that, and he did it quietly, and he did it without fanfare,” Shelton said.

Brooke Schwartz can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].