Late Alum’s Comic Book Creations on Display for Thursday’s Great Lives Lecture

When Stan Lee drew Spider-Man, he gave his signature superhero the ability to shoot webs from a device attached to his wrist.

Influenced by Lee’s work, Mary Washington alumnus Duke Stableford ’81 used cloth, a needle, and colored thread to create his own interpretations of the celebrated writer and artist’s classic comic book covers.

An exhibit featuring 30 needlepoint pieces by Stableford, who passed away in January, will be on view in George Washington Hall on Thursday, Feb. 22, when the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series presents Stan Lee: Spider-Man and Marvel Comics in the University of Mary Washington’s Dodd Auditorium on the Fredericksburg campus at 7:30 p.m. Presented by cultural historian Bob Batchelor, the lecture will be free and open to the public and is sponsored by Yuh Prosthodontics.

Lee, a larger-than-life personality who would have been 101 tomorrow, made an indelible impact on popular culture, from his trailblazing comic book series to film cameos to a blockbuster movie franchise. For Marvel Comics, he created iconic characters with superhuman strengths and incredibly human flaws – such as the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four – who continue to entertain and inspire generations of superhero fans today.

In his lecture, Batchelor will draw from his book, Stan Lee: A Life, covering important milestones experienced by this American cultural visionary, who died in 2018, interwoven with the events that changed our nation during Lee’s lifetime.

A self-taught artist, Stableford began drawing and embroidering as a teenager. He kept up his craft most of his life, including intermittently at Mary Washington, where he majored in American studies and philosophy and played basketball, chess, and disc golf. He became a history and government teacher at Chancellor High School in nearby Spotsylvania and coached the school’s chess team to a state championship.

In retirement, Stableford merged his childhood interest in comic books with his passion for needlepoint. He began reproducing a series from Marvel Comics, which make up the core of this exhibit, until health issues began to limit his ability to embroider. He passed away peacefully on Jan. 11, 2024, surrounded by family and friends.

“Duke was an easygoing person with diverse interests whom it was a pleasure to know, even casually,” said Executive Director of UMW Museums Scott Harris ’83, who was recently named co-director of Great Lives. “It’s no surprise that he became an inspiring and beloved educator. I’m glad that we could associate his very personal tribute to Stan Lee’s legacy with this Great Lives lecture.”

A complete lineup of Great Lives lectures, including dates, speakers, and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives.

Duke Stableford, fourth from the right, with the Mary Washington basketball team in 1978.

Duke Stableford playing frisbee at Mary Washington in 1980.

Duke Stableford, an American studies and philosophy major, studying at Mary Washington in 1980.

Duke Stableford, who had Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History Bill Crawley as a professor, went on to teach history and government at Chancellor High School, where he often taught students using mock trials.

Duke Stableford, seen here in 2007, sponsored Chancellor High School’s chess team, which went to the state championships.

Duke Stableford, seen here in 2002, was a popular history and government teacher at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04