Steven Anzovin

ANZOVIN, Steven Steven Anzovin, 51, of Farview Way, Amherst, MA. died on Sunday (December 25, 2005) at home, of colon cancer. Born Sept. 10, 1954, in Hartford, he was the son of Beverly (Gold) French, of Flat Rock, NC, and the late Russell Anzovin, also known as Russell Ames. He attended public schools in Wethersfield, studied at the University of Connecticut, and graduated in 1976 from Connecticut College with a B.A. degree in studio art. He received his M.F.A. in New Media in 1980 from Pratt Institute. He and his wife, Janet Podell, formed a freelance editorial business called Anzovin and Podell Writing and Editing, which they continued to run after they moved to Amherst in 1989. They collaborated on numerous historical reference books published by the H.W. Wilson Company, including Speeches of the American Presidents, Famous First Facts, and Famous First Facts About American Politics. From 1986 to 2000, they managed and edited the directory section for Art in America Magazine's Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists. Beginning in 1986, Anzovin wrote numerous features and reviews for computer magazines. He was East Coast editor and art editor for Computer Entertainment News, a columnist for CD-ROM Today, and senior contributing editor for MacAddict Magazine. He was the author of seven computer books, including The Green PC: Making Choices That Make a Difference, which was published in German, Chinese, and Japanese translations. His most recent book, published in 2005, was 3D Toons: Creative 3D Design for Cartoonists and Animators. In all, he was author or co-author of 21 books and more than 300 magazine pieces. In 2000, he and his son, Raf Anzovin, founded Anzovin Studio a computer animation production company located in Amherst. Under their leadership, the studio worked on a wide range of productions, including games, Halo 2, direct-to-DVD movies, Gl Joe: Valor vs. Venom, and made-for-TV movies the aerial battle sequence in Faith of Our Fathers. Anzovin Studio's latest piece of animation, the short film Duel, which Steve Anzovin produced, was shown last fall at the Northampton Film Festival, where it received a double ovation. He also produced the studio's previous shorts, Puppet and Java Noir, both of which won numerous awards. Anzovin managed the studio's publishing branch and its online store, which offers animation training videos and innovative software. He was well known to his customers for his generosity in sharing his technical knowledge and advice. He was an artist and sculptor, a renowned cook, an observant Jew, and a dedicated supporter of Israel. Besides his wife, son, and mother, he leaves two daughters, Miriam Anzovin, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, and Hannah Anzovin, with whom he shared his love of science as a homeschooling parent; and a brother, Marshall Ames, of Tampa, FL. Memorial gifts may be made to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (www.ccfa.org) or to Chabad House, 30 N. Hadley Rd., Amherst, MA.