Walter Kamys

1917 - 2013

SUNDERLAND, Walter Kamys died Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013, at the Elaine Center in Hadley, just months after celebrating his 96th birthday with family and friends at his home in Sunderland.

Walter was born June 8, 1917 in Chicago, Ill., a son of Ludwick and Nora Kamys, who emigrated from Poland in 1913.

He attended local schools, ultimately enrolling in The Art Institute of Chicago, where his education was interrupted by tuberculosis, a disease that would later kill his sister, Stephanie. He received his degree from the Art Institute in 1943 and traveled to Mexico on a James Nelson Raymond Traveling Fellowship. For the next year and a half he studied painting with the surrealist, Gordon Onslow-Ford.

Returning to the United States, he married Eleanor Hanson of Minneapolis, Minn., and the newlyweds moved to Vermont in 1945 where Walter accepted his first appointment as an art teacher at The Putney School. In 1946, Walter and Eleanor bought and renovated a colonial house in North Leverett, where they raised two sons. In 1947, Walter was offered a position on the teaching staff of the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum in Springfield. He left the museum in 1960 and accepted a temporary position with the Art Department at the University of Massachusetts in 1962, a position which quickly became permanent. Walter Kamys was awarded tenure and a full Professorship by the end of the decade. During his years at the University, Walter founded and directed the "Art Acquisition Program", which focused on works on paper, and grew to over 600 pieces before he retired in 1987. Walter's passion for painting and drawing informed his approach to art education. He not only taught art, he also did art, bringing the excitement he experienced in his studio with him into the classroom.

Walter Kamys lived a full and productive life on his own terms, touching the lives of thousands of students, friends and colleagues. He will be remembered and missed by many.

He leaves behind his brother, Chester, of Niles, Ill.; his two sons, Kristofer of Porter, Maine and Timothy of Whately; and his granddaughter, Meghan, also of Whately.

A private memorial will be held in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, those inclined are encouraged to contribute to VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson, 168 Industrial Dr., Northampton, MA, 01060, whose good work contributed significantly to the quality of Walter's last months.

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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