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In his lifetime, Rockwell drew and painted well over two hundred portraits. He painted portraits of friends, fellow illustrators, business acquaintances, and family members. Their uses varied from book jacket covers to boardroom wall hangings to family heirlooms. In addition, he was commissioned to do portraits of noted celebrities and politicians for magazine covers, including TV Guide and The Saturday Evening Post. He once said "“It is not in the mainstream of my work, but under certain requirements and circumstances I enjoy painting them.”
Donald W. Frease, depicted in this painting, was CEO of Cyclops Steel and was a benefactor of the Ohio communities of Dover/New Philadelphia and Mansfield. Along with his spouse, Evelyn Frease, he created a charitable trust that after their deaths initiated the funding of the Tuscarawas County Community Foundation. Frease was a capable and highly respected executive in the steel industry.