Melinda Farris Wortz Ph.D.

Wortz, Melinda Farris Ph.D., wife and mother, art historian, critic, and teacher, died on February 6, 2002, after a lengthy struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 61.
She was born April 30, 1940 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Dr. Jack Farris and Roberta Smith Farris. She was also deeply attached to her step-mother, Elizabeth Farris. She attended Polytechnic School in Pasadena and graduated from Ethel Walker. She then attended Stanford University and received her bachelor's degree in art history from Radcliffe College. She received her M.A. in art history from UCLA and her Ph.D. in Theology and the Arts from the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. She served on the board of the Pasadena Art Museum and on the vestry of All Saints Episcopal Church. She taught art history at UC Irvine, where she was Chair of Studio Art and Director of the UCI Art Gallery. She was a prolific writer whose specialization was the work of California ``Light and Space" artists. The collection of her papers is maintained by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Melinda lived a full and marvelous life. She had a loving and generous nature. The breadth of her generosity extended from the art world, where she supported and promoted many young artists, to cooking and entertaining friends from all walks of life; from established artists such as Irwin, Lichtenstein, and Rauschenberg, to the Dalai Lama, and to the homeless. She as a delightful and spontaneous person, with a keen intellect, bright wit, and a deep kindness for others. She will be dearly missed. She is survived by her husband, Edward Wortz; daughters, Lisa Terbell LaHorgue, Alison Terbell Nikitopolous, Jennifer Terbell Wisdom (her children with Thomas G. Terbell, Jr.), Kathryn Wortz, and Margaret Wortz; brother and sister-in-law, Nick and Mary Alexander; sister and brother-in-law, Mary Farris Anderson and Jack W. Anderson; aunt, Mary Donnelly Robb; ten grandchildren, one niece, and two nephews. Memorial service will be Saturday, February 9, at 4:00pm at All Saints Episcopal Church, 132 N. Euclid, Pasadena, the Rev. Margaret Cunningham, officiating. For those wishing to make a donation in lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to: Alzheimer's Association, 5900 Wilshire, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90036, or Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, CA 91108.