$10 Million Gift Supports the Colby College Museum of Art
Dorothy and Bruce Maston were longtime champions of the arts
Colby has received a $10 million bequest from longtime champions of the Colby College Museum of Art to support general museum operations and related artistic endeavors.
Dorothy Weathers Maston ’64 and Dr. Bruce Maston created the Dorothy Weathers Maston ’64 Museum Endowment as a planned gift to provide resources to support the museum’s most pressing mission-based initiatives, including exhibitions, educational programs, collection care, academic partnerships, and other key activities.
‘We’re incredibly grateful to Dorothy and Bruce Maston for their vision, generosity, and trust. They’ve been dedicated supporters of the museum for many years, and their bequest will benefit our students and our visitors for generations to come.’
Jacqueline Terrassa, Carolyn Muzzy Director of the Colby College Museum of Art
“It is impossible to overstate the impact Colby had on Dorothy’s life,” said Sarah Maston, her stepdaughter of 38 years. “Colby was profoundly important to her, and Dorothy often spoke of her wish to give back. Rooted in a family of educators, she carried forward a lifelong devotion to learning.”
Dorothy Weathers majored in French at Colby and earned her master’s from New York University. She taught French and Spanish on Long Island at Herricks High School for 23 years. Dr. Bruce Maston was a doctor and a lawyer, specializing in medical malpractice.
Sarah Maston knew her stepmother before her father did, and she played a key role in bringing them together. “Dorothy was my French teacher in ninth grade, and she met my father at a parent-teacher night,” she explained.
Mutual love of the arts
Maston’s father and stepmother were drawn together by a mutual love of the arts—Dorothy Maston loved the visual arts and fashion, while Bruce Maston favored music, theater, and opera. “She brought the visual arts to him, and he brought the performing arts to her. They built their life around artistic events and experiences,” Sarah Maston said.
Many years ago, the couple chose to include Colby in their estate planning. Following Dorothy Maston’s passing in April, her husband made an additional gift to the College. With help from daughter Sarah and daughter-in-law Teresa, he envisioned a garden at the museum’s entrance to honor his wife’s memory. The garden will be installed this spring, welcoming visitors as a living tribute.
Dorothy Maston was an award‑winning gardener, and Sarah Maston recalled her father describing the garden as “a ribbon atop the gift to the museum.” In keeping with the couple’s long tradition of supporting the museum, Dorothy Maston’s obituary invited readers to contribute to the Colby College Museum of Art. Bruce Maston passed away in July.
Jacqueline Terrassa, the Carolyn Muzzy Director of the Colby College Museum of Art, said the bequest significantly strengthens the museum’s ability to plan for the future and invest thoughtfully in programming, exhibitions, the long-term care of the collection, and its staff.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Dorothy and Bruce Maston for their vision, generosity, and trust. They’ve been dedicated supporters of the museum for many years, and their bequest will benefit our students and our visitors for generations to come,” Terrassa said. “We’re honored that their legacy takes the form of an unrestricted gift, which will give the museum flexibility as it enacts its mission, opening access to art and artists and creating opportunities for learning, inspiration, and enjoyment, including its support of a nascent art-on-campus program.”
‘She talked about Colby all the time’
Colby was central in her stepmother’s universe, Sarah Maston said.
“She talked fondly about Colby all the time. All the things you hope will happen at college happened for her there. She formed lasting relationships and stayed in touch with her friends throughout her life,” she said. “Colby was an overarching presence in her life. Her heart never left, carrying her memories with her as she went on to grad school at NYU to become a teacher. All of that starts with the community she found at Colby.”
She continued, “My family has a long tradition of philanthropy and support for the arts. On behalf of my family, I am proud of my dad and Dorothy’s decision to make such a meaningful gift, and proud that their legacy endures in such a profound and positive way. I am inspired by their example: they worked tirelessly and chose to do something that ensures a college student they will never meet has the chance to experience the arts.”
