Born in 1940 in Manhattan, Purcell spent her summers in Greene County, New York where her love for the Hudson Valley and its rich history of art grew. Her family moved to the California Bay Area where she graduated from Acalanes High School in Lafayette. She attended Vassar College and continued her studies at UC Berkeley, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Art History.
Purcell paved the road for women in the then predominantly male industry of finance. Throughout her career she quickly advanced with promotions from department manager to Vice President (First Boston Corp) and named as partner (Baird Patrick & Co). Purcell worked for over 20 years at First Boston on the convertible arbitrage desk where she was one of the top salespeople. She left with two colleagues to start their own successful and long-running operation.
Purcell and her beloved husband of 45 years, basketball legend (most notably for the New York Knicks - center position), James Palmer, traveled regularly back and forth from Chicago and New York and also were enthusiastic world travelers. Together, they created the James and Purcell Scheu Palmer Foundation, supporting Jim’s alma mater University of Dayton Flyers basketball team and Catwalk Institute.
Purcell was a dedicated Vassar alumna, serving in a number of volunteer roles for the College including the Alumnae/i Association Board of Directors and Chair of the Friends of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.
Supporter of the arts for most of her life, she also served as a board member of The Thomas Cole House in Catskill, NY, Close Encounters With Music in Great Barrington, MA and was a founding member of the Scholars Ball at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, NY. She served on the Advisory Board of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago where she also was a docent, as well as serving on the board of the Chicago Architecture Foundation.
Founders of the Catwalk Institute, Purcell and Jim opened the artists’ residency program at their estate in Catskill, New York in 2004. Catwalk has served as a pastoral retreat for over 700 painters, sculptors, poets, writers, musicians and filmmakers.
Purcell’s brilliance, analytical prowess, and innovative thinking were matched only by her elegant appearance, design sensibility and terrific taste: she was an inspiration to all who knew her.
She will be deeply missed. Purcell’s legacy and generosity will be preserved in enriching the lives of many artists and scholars through their time in residence at Catwalk––a program which will continue in her honor as she and Jim had requested. A private memorial service will be held in early June.
