Nov. 11, 2003
 John
Paul Reardon, associate professor emeritus of visual arts
at Holy Cross, died Nov. 11 at his home in Worcester, at
89.
A longtime member of the Holy Cross faculty, Mr. Reardon
joined the College in 1954 as a co-founder of the department
of fine arts. During his 30-year tenure, the department staff
expanded from two part-time instructors to eight full-time
professors, offering majors in both art history and studio
art. He served as the department chair from 1971 through
1975.
A World War II veteran, Mr. Reardon had been a member of
the Army Signal Corps. In the 1940s and 1950s, he taught
art at the former Classical High School in Worcester.
Mr. Reardon was the author of Drawing and Painting and the
Fine Arts at Holy Cross, 1950–80. In 1985, he established
the annual John Paul Reardon Medal and Award, presented to
a Holy Cross fourth-year student for excellence in studio
art.
During his career, he exhibited his work in many galleries,
including the Worcester Art Museum, the Copley Society of
Boston, the North Shore Arts Association, and the Rockport
and Cape Cod, Mass., and Ogunquit, Maine, associations, as
well as in France and Mexico; his work is included in many
private and institutional collections, including the Ford
Collection of American Art. The recipient of several awards
for his work, Mr. Reardon had been a member of many professional
and cultural organizations, including the Cultural Assembly
of Worcester.
He began his formal studies at the Worcester Art Museum,
concentrating in sculpture and painting, from 1933-35. After
studying graphic design for two years at the Pratt Institute
in New York City, he attended Clark University, receiving
his undergraduate degree in 1941 and a master’s degree
in 1945. Earning a master of fine arts degree from the University
of Guanajuato in Mexico in 1967, Mr. Reardon studied advanced
painting at Boston University and landscape painting at the
Institute for American Universities in France.
He is survived by his wife, M. Gladys; a brother; a nephew
and a niece; and his caretaker, Marie Leonard.
|
