Arnold Jerome Leondar

Arnold Jerome Leondar, 93, artist – art educator, passed away Wednesday, June 20, 2018 in Fort Worth.  Memorial Service and Guest Reception: Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Biggers Funeral Home Chapel.

Arnold was born July 15, 1924 in New York City (Manhattan).  His parents were the late, Rose (Leondar) and Maurice Klein.  Arnold entered military service on January 6, 1943 at Camp Upton Long Island, NY where he accepted his oath of allegiance to the United States Constitution. He served as a soldier in World War II for 37 months from 1943 to 1946. Arnold’s Army career was in England, France and Okinawa; retiring as Staff Sargent. He proudly brought honor to the United States and enriched its beauty with his Professional Fine Art career.

Arnold studied with the following important American artists and professors of Art privately or at major Universities: Paul Honore, Peppino Mangravite, Oronzio Maldarelli, George Picken, Randall Davey, John Heliker, Kenneth Adams Dong Kingman, Raymond Jonson, Meyer Shapiro. He received a Bachelor of Science in Painting from Columbia University in 1951 and a Master of Arts in Painting in 1955 from University of New Mexico.  Arnold Leondar is represented in the following institutions by his artwork: Roswell Museum, Roswell, NM; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, Hurst, TX; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont, TX; Houston Museum of Art, Houston, TX; Museum of the Southwest, Midland TX; Huston-Tillotson College Library, Austin TX; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX. and numerous private collections.

Arnold founded and directed the Midland Institute of Art from 1955 to 1965 in Midland, TX.  From 1968 to 1998, a professor of Art, he was Art Department chairman for Tarrant County College and contributed to the design and building of the Northeast Campus Art Department.

Arnold married June Marie Carthel in 1955 in Taos New Mexico. They had two sons; Brandt, a former Assistant Director of Bands at Grapevine High School, Grapevine TX and Morris, a Driver l Engineer l Public Educator for Grapevine Fire Department, Grapevine TX.  Since 1955, June and Arnold lived in Texas until his death, just three weeks shy of his 94th birthday. Arnold was preceded in death by his son, Brandt.

Arnold is survived by his wife of 63 years, June; son, Morris and wife, Kimberly; daughter-in-law, LuAnne; grandsons, Aaron and wife, Brooke, Andrew Leondar; granddaughter, Marissa Sauble and husband, Brent; great-grandsons, Halston and Kinsler.