The Meadows Museum, its Custard Institute, and the Meadows Museum Advisory Council are mourning the loss of a cherished advocate and friend, Mrs. Linda Pitts Custard, who passed away on January 22. Linda’s uncommon blend of warmth and pragmatism extended to all aspects of the museum and was an inspiration; we will feel her absence keenly.

As chair of the Meadows Museum Advisory Council (MMAC), a post she held for ten years, Linda was a steady champion of the museum’s mission and instrumental in its realization. She was as engaged in the most ambitious research projects as she was while interacting with students. With an unparalleled generosity of spirit and unwavering commitment to the museum, she helped guide and shape its strategic growth for more than twenty-five years. Linda was so often “in the room where it happened,” such as when a winning bid was placed on a Baroque painting at auction, or a long-lost inscription was revealed on a rare Goya portrait, the acquisition of which she went on to generously support. The theatrical quality of these occasions was certainly not lost on Linda, and she enjoyed remembering her amusing encounters with kings and dukes, museum directors and art dealers. Through it all, she wholeheartedly embraced the art of Spain just as Algur and Virginia Meadows had some six decades earlier. Indeed, her promotion of Spanish art and culture was recognized by King Felipe VI of Spain, who presented her with the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica in 2016, some 15 years after she had so graciously hosted his parents at SMU.

Linda P. and William A. Custard’s transformative gifts to the Meadows Museum have and will in perpetuity expand the institution’s impact and scope. Their support, in all senses of the word, was instrumental in the opening of the new museum building on Bishop Boulevard in 2001, the establishment of the museum’s first endowed directorship, and numerous crucial acquisitions of Spanish art. Most recently, in concert with The Meadows Foundation, the Custards created the research institute that bears their name. All these contributions are a testament to a profound belief in the power of art, culture, and open inquiry to elevate and connect us all.

For us, “LPC” (the shorthand we used to refer to our admired friend) leaves a legacy that cannot be summed up in philanthropic terms alone. She bestowed upon the museum not just a culture of generosity, but one defined by humility, joy, and resilience in the pursuit of excellence. From protocol to punctuation, she will forever remain a guiding light.

We extend our deepest sympathy to Linda’s family and many loved ones, who may rest assured that her legacy will live brilliantly on at the Meadows Museum.

Read the university’s tribute.

With gratitude, love, and abiding remembrance,
The Meadows Museum at SMU, its Custard Institute for Spanish Art & Culture, and the Meadows Museum Advisory Council