Diane Wilson Jacobs ’75

A serious artist until the end of her life, Diane died April 13, 2021, in Jackson, Miss. 

A native of Cleveland, Miss., she was student council president at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis before coming to Princeton, where she earned her A.B. degree in art and archaeology. After living in New York City for several years, she returned home and earned an MFA from the University of Mississippi. She taught art at Millsaps College for several years before dedicating herself full time to painting.

Princeton friends remember “Di” for her ethereal grace, wit, charm, giant smile, and distinctive Mississippi drawl. She was one of the pioneering participants in the Visual Arts Program and spent most of her time at 185 Nassau Street, making art. While at Princeton she worked with a number of major artists, but most closely with Jeremy Gilbert-Roth; it was for his painting course that she had a highly successful senior show.

Her paintings, which used a variety of materials, especially spray paint, have been described as “imaginative, playful, and often irreverent.” 

Diane is survived by her mother, three sisters, a brother, and numerous other relatives and friends.