Posing for my portrait by Cedric Egeli with his wife, Joanette, controlling the proper lighting.

Upon my arrival at Gallaudet in 2010, I was approached by Sam Sonnenstrahl, executive director for Gallaudet alumni affairs and the Gallaudet University Alumni Association (GUAA), to arrange for a presidential portrait. Sam explained that, as tradition dictated, GUAA would cover the expenses. After searching for a portrait artist, Vicki discovered Cedric Egeli, whose father, Bjorn Egeli did the portrait of Gallaudet President Leonard M. Elstad. Cedric is one of the nation’s foremost portrait painters and a member of one of the nation’s preeminent families of artists. His father was also the founder of the Maryland Society of Portrait Painters. Sam and his committee invited Cedric and his wife, Joanette, to Gallaudet to discuss the portrait project. When he was brought to the Gallaudet Museum to view the presidential portraits and learned that his father had painted President Elstad’s portrait, he was thrilled because he had never known about it. He agreed to do the work on my portrait. Vicki and I met with him in his studio in Edgewater, Maryland, where I posed for him six times over a six-month period. Vicki and Joanette often wrote notes with each other while Cedric worked on my portrait. The Egelis also entertained a class of student portrait painters during the sessions with me as the subject. I learned that Cedric was a teacher at heart, loving to show students things about portrait art. He shared one of his professional articles about light and explained that timing was critical for the best light to create a painting. I understood then why he always asked us to come to his studio in the mornings between 9 and 11; it was because the natural light from outside was directed into the studio through large windows. After each painting session, Joanette invited us to their house next door for tea and pastries. Both Cedric and Joanette participated at the unveiling of the portrait in October 2016 during Gallaudet’s Homecoming weekend.