Located on the second floor of Roosevelt Elementary School is a mural that greets students and visitors at the top of the staircase. This mural is the oldest I've come across as evidenced by the artist couple, Gordon and Barbara Kensler, who painted it in 1954. The mural has stood the test of time very well over the decades and still displays a colorful and playful quality, although probably a bit darkened from age.
I was a student at this school and remember fondly of looking at the characters shown in the mural. I wasn't much of a reader growing up but I can decipher some of these characters today. The mural is a small snapshot of the wealth of children's books, nursery rhymes and even the Bible that open the minds to the 'Kingdom' of literature. Some of the characters I can decipher but others I can't. They are: Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Daniel Boone, Winnie the Pooh, Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, Bambi, Hanzel and Gretal, The Pied Piper, Pinnochio, Robin Hood, Little Women and Joseph and Mary. There are other characters that I couldn't decipher.
I tried to do a little online research for the artist couple and located two pages. One is a blog website that contains an article highlighting the local Klamath Art Association (KAA) and its beginnings. There is a photograph of Gordon Kensler and mentions him as a local high school art teacher. The other page is an obituary of Gordon Kensler from the Eugene Register Guard from July 28, 1999 and highlights his very productive life. It reads:
A celebration of life will be held July 30 for Gordon Lane Kensler of Eugene, who died July 24 of Alzheimer's disease. He was 75.
Kensler was born Feb. 14, 1924, in Lakeland, FL., to Thomas and Clara Smith Kensler.
From 1943 to 1946, Kensler served in Europe in the Army Signal Corps. He was recalled to active duty in 1951 to help organize the Army Psychological Warfare Group.
Kensler married Barbara Sampson in Park Ridge, Ill., on May 19, 1951.
A 1951 graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, Kensler was art supervisor of the Klamath Falls School District from 1953 to 1961. In 1963, he earned a doctor of education degree at Stanford University. He taught at Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., from 1963 to 1966, then taught art education at the University of Oregon unitl retiring in 1981. He was head of the UO art education department for three years and was director of the Institute for Community Art Studies.
In 1982, Kensler received the Oregon Art Educator of the Year award from the National Art Education Association.
His interests included music, painting and gardening, and he enjoyed spending time with his students and family. Kensler's paintings have been included in exhibits and private collections throughout the Northwest.
In addition to the National Art Education Association, he belonged to Phi Delta Kappa, the American Association of University Professors and the Oregon Art Education Association. He served on the board of Friends of the Museum and Maude Kerns Art Center. Kensler was a member of the First United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife; three sons, David of San Diego, and Jeffrey and Peter, both of Eugene; a daughter, Susan Pepper of Edina, Minn.; a brother, John of Saint Clair, Mich.; and two grandchildren.
Friday's celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. Musgrove Family Mortuary in Eugene is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association., Cascade Coast Chapter, or the University of Oregon Museum of Art.
This mural has survived at this school untouched for 60 years. I wonder if it will survive another 60?