Children’s Artwork from a Former Merchant Seaman

Galveston and Texas History Center (GTHC) recently acquired and processed a collection of children's paintings by Admiral Perry Duane Ellis, as well as correspondence from pediatric hospitals and dignitaries from all over the world thanking him for sending them samples of his work. Admiral Ellis completed the paintings free of charge and sent them to hospitals such as University of Texas Medical Branch, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The dignitaries who received his artwork include current and former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden; vice presidents Kamala Harris and Al Gore; first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush; former Texas governor Ann Richards and former Mexico president Enrique Peña Nieto; the Vatican and Buckingham Palace; and scientists Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking.

Painting featuring Doctors Without Borders ship. Perry Ellis papers, MS2022-0015, OS Box, File 1. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

The collection also contains Admiral Ellis’s personal narratives and historical writings documenting his 44 years of service in the United States Merchant Marine and the United States Navy, as well as the history of the U.S. Merchant Marine. Ellis also writes about his struggles growing up with severe dyslexia and how it affected his education and upbringing. Despite saying in one letter that he has to dictate all his correspondence to someone else, Carl Sagan’s letter, dated May 3, 1996, credits Ellis’s writing, saying he never would have guessed that Ellis had the condition.

Researchers can find this and many other collections at GTHC by searching on our Archives Catalog. For more information, please call 409-763-8854 Ext. 126 or e-mail at gthc@rosenberg-library.org.

Source:
Perry Ellis papers, MS2022-0015. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.