NEWS FROM O’FALLON CITY HALL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tribute to Illustrator Bernie Fuchs March 18
O’Fallon, Illinois – February 12, 2010--Mayor Gary L. Graham is pleased to announce that a Tribute to Illustrator Bernie Fuchs will be held at O’Fallon City Hall in Council Chambers on Thursday, March 18, from 5 – 8 p.m. Mr. Fuchs’ artwork will be on display during the event and refreshments will be served.
Residents who own artwork by Mr. Fuchs are encouraged to participate in the event by contacting Pam Funk at pfunk@ofallon.org or 624-4500, ext. 9-1112. Our hope is to fill Council Chambers with a wide variety of his works.
“Bernie Fuchs was a wonderful man and an important part of O’Fallon’s history,” said Mayor Graham. “He was known worldwide for his talent and success as an illustrator, but never forgot his hometown.”
Mr. Fuchs was born on October 29, 1932, at his home in O’Fallon. He graduated from OTHS in 1950. Bernie was an aspiring jazz trumpet player who played in the OTHS band, but fate changed his career path when he lost three fingers while working on a stamping machine in 1950.
With $2,000 for the loss of his fingers, Fuchs looked to a career in art, using the money to get into the Washington University School of Art. During his time at the art school, he worked tirelessly at drawing and painting in the basement of his grandparents’ house in O’Fallon. He graduated from Washington University in 1954.
Fuchs’ career was meteoric. He was voted “Artist of the Year” at age 30 and was the youngest artist ever to be inducted into the Illustrators Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement.
During his 20 years in the commercial illustration industry, he worked for such noted companies as Coca-Cola and Seagrams; created art for TV Guide, Good Housekeeping, and Sports Illustrated, among other publications; and painted famous people including John F. Kenedy, Jackie Robinson, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope. He also created six postage stamps. In 2004, Fuchs made his debut as an author with the self-illustrated story “Ride Like the Wind: A Tale of the Pony Express.”
Mr. Fuchs returned to the area in November 2003 when the Schmidt Art Center at Southwestern Illinois College hosted a display of his works. He also produced an illustration in 2004 for O’Fallon’s Sesquicentennial Celebration that features the faces of O’Fallon’s founder, John O’Fallon; past Mayor Henry Hesse (Mr. Fuchs’ father-in-law); and current Mayor Gary Graham.
Sadly, Mr. Fuchs passed away on September 17, 2009, in Connecticut.
Please join us on March 18 as we pay tribute to a wonderful and very talented native son.
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Additional Information Contact:
Pamala L. Funk
Asst. City Administrator
624-4500, ext. 9-1112
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