Virginia Hite memorial painting

This painting, installed above our new books in mid-2022, is a tribute to Virginia (Lee Wilson) Hite, the "Spirited Soul" depicted.

• Artist: Don Dahlke. Born 1950 in San Francisco, California; raised in Sherwood, Oregon.
• Title: In Memory of a Spirited Soul
• Created: 2021
• Medium: oil paint on gessoed linen canvas
• Collection of the City of Sherwood
• Commissioned and donated by Friends of Sherwood Public Library

Virginia was born September 20, 1921, and was a strong supporter, donor, and advocate for library services in Sherwood. She was a long-time volunteer, fundraiser, donor of the land the previous Sherwood Public Library was built upon, and recipient of the Oregon Library Association Volunteer of the Year award in 1998.

Virginia Hite was married to Don Hite and together they had two children, Suzie and Randy. She was also part of the founding board of the Robin Hood Festival Association and worked for nearly 30 years at Sherwood Medical Clinic. Virginia Hite passed away at age 95 on February 28, 2017, and saw her dream of not one, but two beautiful library buildings built in Sherwood.

A list of the imagery and symbolism representing Virginia's life and the City of Sherwood in the mid-to-late 20th Century in the painting is linked below.