Image
On Momentous Day, Dean Phil Bourne Receives Unexpected Gift and Moment of Joy
This month’s grand opening of the new home for the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science was a triumphant moment for Phil Bourne, the School’s founding dean. It was the culmination of years of work by him and many others, and it was celebrated by dignitaries such as Gov. Glenn Youngkin and UVA President Jim Ryan.
But amid the pageantry, perhaps no moment was more meaningful for Bourne than an unexpected gift from a family member.
Molly Porter, Bourne’s daughter-in-law, is an accomplished model maker, with credits that include working with famed director Wes Anderson on his films “Isle of Dogs” and “Asteroid City.”
A plan was developed for Porter to build a model of the School’s state-of-the-art new building and present it to Bourne as a gift at the celebration marking its opening.
Porter collaborated with her husband, Scott Bourne; Arlyn Burgess, associate dean for administration at the School of Data Science; and Burgess’ husband, Matthew Burgess, who came up with the idea.
Arlyn Burgess, who led efforts related to the building’s design and construction from the beginning, connected Porter with Mike Taylor and Taylor Rogers of Hopkins Architects, the design architectural firm for the facility. After meetings with them in London, and following consultations with their machine shop, Porter began the meticulous job of replicating the many intricate features of the building into model form.
After many back-and-forth exchanges with Burgess, the final product was ready for the precarious trip from London’s Heathrow Airport to Charlottesville by way of an airplane overhead bin — which, fortunately, proceeded without incident — and was presented to Bourne at the building that inspired its creation.
The grand opening celebration was a singular milestone in Bourne’s career at UVA. But perhaps nothing can match the joy that a loving gesture from a family member can provide.
“That an extended family would do that explicitly for me as a surprise gift on a major day in my professional life is one of the nicest things to have happened in a long and rewarding career,” Bourne wrote.
And, it turns out, Porter, ever the perfectionist, may not be finished with the project quite yet. “Molly says she needs to change the carpet because the color is not quite right,” Bourne noted.
