Angelo Charles Garzio

Garzio, Angelo Charles, master potter and KSU Distinguished Graduate Professor of Art, died Sunday, January 20, at the Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community. A resident of Manhattan for more than 50 years, he was 85. Ange was born July 22, 1922, in a small village in Italy. His father immigrated to Syracuse, New York, and worked to earn enough money to allow Ange and his mother to join him in 1929. After being educated in the Syracuse public school system, Ange enlisted in the New York National Guard in 1939 and the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942. He flew in B-26 bombers in WW II's Pacific Theater and was honorably discharged in 1945. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1956, one of his proudest moments. Using the G.I. Bill, Ange earned degrees in Library Science and in Music, Art, and Literature. In 1950 Ange returned to Italy to study art history at the University of Florence, receiving the Diploma di Proffito. Back in the U.S. he studied art history at the University of Chicago and later transferred to the University of Iowa where he received a Master of Arts degree in 1954. It was at the University of Iowa that Ange took a course in ceramics from Professor Glen Nelson, one of the leaders in reviving pottery as an art form in America. Ange fell in love with pottery and at the end of the semester took first prize in the Iowa Arts and Crafts Show. He completed his MFA in ceramics at the University of Iowa in 1955. Before coming to Kansas State University in 1957, Ange was a Guest Potter at the famous Arabia Potteries in Helsinki, Finland, marking the beginning of his international reputation as a Master Potter. His pottery has been exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally. The stark beauty of the Flint Hills resonated deeply within Ange. He spent long hours on his farm near Riley where tree farming and land preservation became his passions. He also had a passion for teaching and he remained in the classroom until the age of 70. He maintained close relationships with many of his former students through the years, and would speak of them with great pride and fondness. Ange is survived by his former wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Garzio, Manhattan; his son, Eric Garzio, Manhattan, daughter, Judith Nole, and her two children, Will and Ellen Nole, all of Tulsa, OK, along with her partner, Trinna Burrows and her daughters Elyse and Jordan Burrows of Tulsa, Meagen Burrows of Seattle, WA, and Danielle Hovenga and her husband and daughter Ryan and Aubrey Hovenga of Oolagah, OK. He also is survived by his former wife, Patricia O'Brien, Manhattan, and by numerous family members in Italy. A private family gathering will be held this weekend, with a community remembrance to be held Saturday, March 1st at 2pm in All Faiths Chapel on the Kansas State University campus. Those wishing to make gifts in Prof. Garzio's memory may contribute to the Angelo C. Garzio Fund for Studio Pottery with the Kansas State University Foundation, or the organization of their choosing.