PRINCESS ANNE, Md. ― The legacy of former University of Maryland Eastern Shore President William P. Hytche Sr. was saluted by hundreds of his admirers and university supporters who gathered to honor one of the longest-serving chief executives in the university’s history.
A highlight of the Saturday, Sept. 10 occasion was the unveiling of a life-sized, bronze statue of Hytche, sculpted by Ernest Satchell, retired UMES interim chairman of the Department of Fine Arts. Satchell also sculpted a life-sized likeness of former UMES President John T. Williams, the seventh and second longest-serving chief executive.
UMES President Juliette Bell and Hytche’s widow, Deloris, were among special guests at the ceremony that also dedicated the William P. Hytche Legacy Museum. Also, rededicated was a portrait of Hytche by Simmie Knox, the first African-American to paint an official U.S. presidential portrait, having rendered the service for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton in the early 2000s.
The Hytche portrait, statue and museum are at the Hytche Athletic Center on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus.
Also in attendance were Hytche’s children, son William Jr., and daughters Pamelia and Jaqueta, who attended public schools in Somerset County; Princess Anne Town Commission President and UMES alumnus Garland Hayward; and Earl Richardson, a Somerset County native and president emeritus at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Hytche, the 10th and third longest-serving UMES chief executive, retired in 1997 after almost 22 years in office. Recognized among his many achievements was his successful effort to solidify a future for the 130-year-old historically Black university that today enrolls more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
During his tenure as president, enrollment tripled, the campus expanded by more than 300 acres and more than 20 graduate or undergraduate programs were added, according to UMES.
Hytche, a native of Oklahoma, lived in Princess Anne until his death in 2007.
