Wilson Duprey leaves $370,000 to VWCF

Independent staff and submitted information

The Van Wert County Foundation announced on Friday the establishment of the Wilson G. Duprey Fund — a new unrestricted endowment fund that will support purposeful organizations and projects in the community for generations to come. 

Upon his death in August 2020, Mr. Duprey established the Wilson G. Duprey Fund with a gift of more than $370,000 to The Van Wert County Foundation. The fund was established to provide unrestricted support for The Foundation’s general charitable purposes. The Foundation will make general-purpose competitive grants to county non-profit organizations from the income generated by Mr. Duprey’s generosity.

Mr. Duprey was born June 21, 1924, in Van Wert, the son of Rei Duprey and Berneace Gilliland Duprey. He had an older brother, Richard Eugene Duprey. Mr. Duprey graduated from Van Wert High School in 1942. After spending two years at The Ohio State University in Columbus, he transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1946. Two years later, he graduated from the Columbia University School of Library Service with a Master of Science degree.

Mr. Duprey worked at the Library of Congress from 1944-1948. From 1949-1953, he was on the library staff of Stanford University as an assistant in the Rare Book Room. From 1953-1966, he was an assistant in the Prints Division of the New York Public Library, where he worked with original prints, rare books, and manuscripts of the Spencer Collection. From 1966-1974, he was the curator of the Map and Print Room of the New York Historical Society in New York City.

In 1974, he returned to Van Wert to retire, but in 1976 he was named the director of the Brumback Library and remained there until his retirement in 1985. 

Mr. Duprey crisscrossed the United States many times, starting in 1932, when he and his brother drove to California with their parents. The trip was the start of his addiction to travel, which he termed “travelitis.” Over the years, he made 14 trips to Europe, where he indulged his personal and professional interests in the fine arts and libraries. 

Following his return to Van Wert, he had been a member of the Men’s Garden Club and Van Wert County Historical Society. He was also a member of the Toledo Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, The Wine Label Circle, and the Wayward Tendrils.

The Van Wert County Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving Van Wert County and surrounding areas by inspiring philanthropy and mobilizing resources to create a well-resourced and thriving quality of life within the community. 

More information can be found at www.vanwertcountyfoundation.org.