Isabel Jean Leason ^{1 2}

From a correspondence with Ernest Towers on November 6, 1999: "Jeane Isabelle LEASON was born on October 18 1918 in Sydney, Australia. She emigrated to the United States in 1937. Jeane was an Art Curator for the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences for ten years. She moved to Cape Cod in 1973 with her husband. Since living on the Cape she has been an oil painting instructor, portrait artist, and art restorer. She is the daughter of Percival Leason, Austrailian portrait painter, teacher and illustrator for Australian papers and magazines, as well as the Saturday Evening Post in the United States."

Hitch, Jean Leason, 96, of Yarmouthport, passed away on Thursday, January 15 surrounded by her loving family.

Jean began her artistic career in Melbourne, Australia, under the tutelage of her father, Percy Leason, a professional painter, a well-known cartoonist, and illustrator. After coming to the United States in 1943 she was appointed Curator of Art at the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, New York. While at the museum she also began her restoration career and restored paintings from the museum's collection and other notable historic collections.

Jean had been an active member in the Allied Artists of America, American Artist Professional League, Hudson Valley Art Association, served as vice president for the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York, and in 1953 was listed in "Who's Who in American Art". Her work merited numerous awards; including the Kathleen Grumbacher Award, Council of American Artists Society Award, Anna Hyatt Huntington Bronze Trophy Award, Margaret Dole Portrait Award, as well as many local honors.

In 1973, Jean moved with her artist husband, Robert A. Hitch, from Staten Island to Yarmouthport, MA and with her husband, was co-owner of the Dennis Common Fine Art Gallery. An active member of the Cape Cod artistic community, she served on the Board of Directors of the Cape Cod Art Association, and continued throughout her life to restore art, paint, and teach
both privately and at the Yarmouth Senior Center, and was an avid gardener.
Many of her still life studies, portraits, and primitive studies are found in both public and private collections throughout the country.

Isabel married Robert Anderson Hitch, son of Robert Scrymser Hitch and Catherine Voorhis Anderson, on 06 May 1950 in Staten Island, NY.¹ (Robert Anderson Hitch was born on 12 May 1920 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., NY,^{1 3} died on 28 Sep 1993 in Yarmouth Port, Barnstable Co., MA ⁴ and was buried about 01 Oct 1993 in Ancient Cemetery, Yarmouth Port, Barnstable Co., MA ².)