In Memoriam: Gerret Copeland

For 14 years, students in one University of Delaware classroom learned about wine from a man who had made it one of his great passions. Gerret Copeland - accomplished business executive, acclaimed vintner and one of Delaware's most generous philanthropists - returned to campus year after year not to be honored, but to teach. He died May 28, 2026. He was 87.

A devoted supporter of the University and a lover of wine who, with his wife, Tatiana, founded the Napa Valley winery Bouchaine Vineyards, Copeland's bond with UD ran deep and personal. He was invited by then-Dean Robin Morgan to serve as a guest lecturer in "The Science of Wine," a course in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and he returned to that classroom across those years. He shared his expertise and enthusiasm with generations of students as a rare kind of benefactor who gave not only resources but his time and presence.

That generosity extended across the University. Copeland was a supporter of the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and its hospitality and business management programs, including the Vita Nova Wine Cellar, and he regularly shared his wines to support the Taste of Newark, a community celebration of the partnership between UD and the City of Newark. The Copeland family's ties to the University reach back generations: his father, Lammot Copeland, Sr., received a UD honorary degree in 1961.

In 2022, the University recognized Copeland's contributions with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He had attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University before a career in finance, becoming owner of Laird, Bissell, and Meads - later merged with Dean Witter & Company - and serving as owner and president of Rokeby Realty Company.

Beyond UD, Copeland left a lasting mark on Delaware. A passionate conservationist, he helped establish the Brandywine Conservancy with his cousin, the late George "Frolic" Weymouth, and the organization has since safeguarded close to 65,000 acres from development across Delaware and Pennsylvania. He grew up on the property now known as the Mt. Cuba Center and remained close to the horticultural center throughout his life, and he served on the Board of Trustees of Longwood Gardens.

He was also a champion of Delaware's cultural life. A dedicated supporter of the Delaware Art Museum, he served as chair of its Board of Trustees, and together with Tatiana he supported the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, The Grand Opera House, OperaDelaware and The Playhouse on Rodney Square. Devoted animal lovers, the couple also opened the Copeland Center for Animal Welfare in partnership with the Brandywine Valley SPCA in 2022.

For their decades of service, the Copelands received the Order of the First State, Delaware's highest honor; the 2019 Delaware History Makers Award; and the 2020 Josiah Marvel Cup Award.

Through his teaching, his generosity and his enduring belief in the institutions that shape a community, Gerret Copeland was, in every sense, a friend to the University of Delaware - one who will be deeply missed.