An effort is underway to preserve the history and works of artist and writer William Wharton, also known as Albert du Aime, a 1943 graduate of Upper Darby High School, writes J.F. Pirro for Main Line Today.

Du Aime died in 2008 at age 82.

He left behind 3,000 late-impressionist oil paintings and, as author William Wharton, wrote 20 books, three of which became films.

His family had hoped to keep 100 pieces of his artwork and sell the rest, but the caretaker of the collection, youngest son Will, is at odds with his siblings and the art remains in a vault in Burgundy, France.

“We’re still exploring just how to market and sell the paintings—or even get at them,” said daughter Camille.

In 1978, du Aime, as Wharton, published his first novel Birdy at age 53. It made him a Pulitzer Prize finalist, won him the National Book Award for First Novel and earned him $350,000 in movie rights.

The novel is set in the Stonehurst section of Upper Darby and references Springfield, Media, Lansdowne, Haverford, and Yeadon, along with the Tower Theater.

Read more about artist Albert du Aime, also known as author William Wharton, in Main Line Today.