June 22, 2006

OBITUARIES

Michael Fajans

Michael Fajans, Seattle, was killed Monday, June 12, in a motorcycle accident onto the Alaskan Way Viaduct. He was 58.

Fajans was born in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1948. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Antioch College in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in art and dance. While a student he, along with a handful of other students , began investigating dance before it was part of the Antioch College curriculum. Their involvement convinced the college to create a faculty position in dance. Fajans was a dancer in New York until a knee injury caused him to turn to painting.

Two years after graduating, Fajans orchestrated his first mural project on the Antioch campus. The image, which was painted by 40 students and townies in two days, led to the first generation of murals painted in Yellow Springs.

Among his most successful projects is his massive set of murals in the U.S. Courthouse in Seattle, titled “Three Sets of Twelve,” a celebration of the jury system. In the late 80s and early 90s, Fajans did theatrical set designs for productions of the Otrabanda Company in New York, a collaborative project he especially enjoyed.

Besides painting, Fajans loved his son, Pepper, his life partner, Cathryn Vandenbrink, volleyball and his motorcycle.

A celebration of the life and work of artist Michael Fajans, class of ’70, will be held on Saturday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Antioch’s Herndon Gallery, during the Antioch Reunion.

Mary Anne Mahoney

Mary Anne Mahoney of Springfield died Friday, June 16, in Mercy Medical Center. She was 84.

She was born Sept. 6, 1921, in Yellow Springs, the daughter of Kenneth and Anna (Haas) Oster. She retired in 1992 from Springfield City Schools after 15 years of service. She was a member of St. Raphael Church and the Altar Rosary Sodality. She was also a member of the Clark County Democratic Central Committee and the Clark County Democratic Executive Committee and was inducted into the Clark County Democratic Hall of Fame in 1992.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John J. “Jack” in 1998; son, Philip in 1997; and two brothers, Robert and Paul Oster.

Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, June 20, in St. Raphael Church, Springfield, followed by burial in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St. Vincent DePaul.

Francis R. Grau

Francis Raymond Grau of Springfield passed away Friday, June 16, in Community Hospital. He was 81.

He was born in Bradford, Ohio, on Nov. 1, 1924, the son of Christian and Edith (Koontz) Grau. Francis retired from Morris Bean company but most recently had worked for Yamada in South Charleston as a deburrer. He attended Southgate Baptist Church. Francis loved eating ice cream and was raised at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in Xenia.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Christian Grau; sisters, Virginia Grau and Margaret Hayes.

He is survived by his wife, Lorraine J. (Kuhn) Grau, whom he married Aug. 25, 1946; one son and daughter-in-law, Michael R. and Diana Grau of Tampa, Fla.; two daughters and a son-in-law, Sharon Grau and Tina and Marvin Magoto Jr., all of Springfield; four grandchildren, Garrett, Jordan, Wyatt and Jason; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Francis’ life was held Tuesday, June 20, in the Richards, Raff & Dunbar Memorial Home, Springfield, with entombment in Rose Hill Mausoleum.

Dr. Leland C. Clark memorial

On Saturday, June 24, at 1:30 p.m., “Remembrances of Dr. Leland Clark” will be held at Antioch’s Science Building, room #121, as part of the Antioch Reunion.

Clark, a class of ’41 alumnus who began a distinguished career in science at the Fels Research Institute, died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005. He was 86.

After graduating from Antioch with a degree in chemistry in 1941, he received a doctorate in biochemistry and physiology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, N.Y., in 1944. He also taught at Antioch before moving on to numerous other universities or foundations. He held approximately 25 U.S. patents and numerous foreign equivalents. He completed more than 60 inventions, including the first successful heart lung machine in 1949.