Verle MICKISH

1928 - 2016

MICKISH, Verle Verle Mickish was born in 1928 in Greeley, Colorado where he realized every young man's dream by growing up in a sorority house operated by his parents Leonard and Edith Mickish. Verle excelled in drawing and painting as a child and took his first college art class at the age of fifteen. He received his BA degree in Art Education from Colorado State College of Education (CSCE) where he was editor of the 1950 Cache La Poudre annual. That summer, he went to Los Angeles as a singer and drew one minute caricatures of house guests on KTTV. Due to the Korean Conflict, he returned to Greeley to finish his senior year. During his draft interview, he decided to join the Marine Corps and was assigned to the General's Headquarters Squadron as a USMC artist. Verle received his MA from CSCE while teaching on a fellowship at College High and at CSCE during summer sessions. In 1955, he married a coed at CSCE, Ginny Johnson. After leaving CSCE, Verle attended Art Center School in Los Angeles and taught art in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Boulder Valley Schools where he became Art Coordinator in 1959. In 1970, Verle received his Doctorate in Art Education from Arizona State University and joined the art faculty at Georgia State University (GSU) as Dr. Mickish in 1971. During the 25 years that he served as a professor and administrator at GSU, he was a highly respected and nationally known art educator, active artist, published illustrator and cartoonist, workshop presenter, and book author. He was awarded the Distinguished Georgia Educator from the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and Distinguished Fellow and NAEA Art Educator of the Year in 1983. He was also honored by President Carter in a White House Ceremony for Cultural Arts work in Brazil. Verle retired from GSU in 1996 as a professor emeritus and continued to create professionally published cartoons and art. He is survived by his wife Ginny, daughter Val, grandchildren Cynnie and Zeke Paull, and great-grandchild Freya Graves. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, July 20th, at 1:00, preceded by a visitation at 12:00 and followed by a reception at 2:00 at Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 5801 Hugh Howell Rd, Stone Mountain, GA. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Eastminster Presbyterian Church. A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home.