On December 22, 2016 gift funds from the Estate of Jeannette Ferris Nassour established the Jeanette and Ferris Nassour Graduate Fellowship in Art History and the Jeanette and Ferris Nassour Faculty Fellowship in Art History to benefit the College of Fine Arts.

Jeanette F. Nassour enjoyed being known as the “The Cadeau Lady”. The Cadeau, French for “the gift”,  was what she named her gift shops—landmarks in Austin for over 50 years. It proved to be the perfect nickname, for she always gave so generously to the cultural life of central Texas.

Jeanette was passionately and actively committed to the arts. The Austin Opera, the Performing Arts Center, the Blanton Museum of Art, Laguna Gloria and the Austin Museum of Art benefited from her uniquely energetic and creative volunteer service.

She and Ferris, her husband of 55 years, were ardent travelers. The faculty fellowship supports travel and research, in recognition of how one can profoundly benefit the other.

Jeanette has provided a priceless opportunity for generations of talented graduate students and faculty, who will in their turn contribute to the reputation of the department and to deeper appreciation of art in our lives. The legacy of the Nassour family—devoted to Austin, UT, the arts, and art education–is thus assured.

Revised on March 7, 2018