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THOMAS ARNDT Obituary
Thomas Carl Arndt
Feb. 6, 1945-Aug. 17, 2012
Born in Portland, Oregon and a graduate of Portland State University, Tom taught animation and visual effects at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Tom is a Vietnam War veteran. A kind, gentle, talented man, he gave much to many. He will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his partner, Eleanor Landi, of Oakland, CA., his sisters, Donna Oliver and Judy Wise, his brother, Jim, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is the son of Otto and Mary Arndt, who predeceased him.
A celebration of Tom's life and work will be held at the Academy of Art University. Date and time TBA.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for THOMAS ARNDT
Eleanor Landi
August 22, 2024
It has been 12 years that have gone so fast. This year, on August 17, I threw flowers into the ocean on the Oregon coast in his memory..
Antar Irvin
August 20, 2024
Wow l, It's been 12 yesterday since Mr. Arndt passed. Well, I have 2 kids and I coach basketball, and I teach an Art class in LA county. I don't ever go into Adobe Animate (it was called Flash at the time) and not think of him. That us the influence of an inspirational teacher.
Thanks for teaching and instructing me.
Eleanor Landi
August 19, 2023
Tom would have been 78 this past February. I brought flowers to his grave in Rose City Cemetery. It was a dreary day. Life goes by so very quickly. Tom was a quietly.remarksble person.
Eleanor Landi
Dan Fiebiger
August 19, 2023
I was Tom's college buddy for four yers, his roommate for 4 more years, and his friend for life. I still think of him often. He had a gentle quiet nature about him that I admired and tried to emulate. He was a teacher, but if a unique style. On an opportunistic occasion, he'd say a few words hinting at a great truth but was so subtle about it that you didn't know you being taught or instructed. Then when, cuz of his guidance, you made and voiced a realization, he'd say "You figured it out" in a way that merely hinted that he knew this all along and had been trying to convince you of it all along, and he was right, cuz he had been doing that all along. Thus no egos were bruised, but his knowledge and wisdom has been conveyed and done their work, and he had accomplished his goal. Such was one of the many facets of his genius. I very much miss hearing that phrase from him from time to time, as I still do miss him in general. I still have every e-mail I ever got from him, plus all else I once have of him is still with Me. The world is a tiny-bit less wondrous because of his absence. He is missed, but always remembered.
Dan Fiebiger
Portland, Oregon
Eleanor
August 19, 2021
It's been 9 years since you died unexpectingly that day. You are missed. May you rest in peace.
Dan Fiebiger
August 19, 2021
Everything I said below is still true. I can't help but still have fond memories of everything I did with Tom when he lived in Portland. He'd include hiring Me for any paying projects he got long after we stopped being roommates. It's hard to keep saying good tings about Tom cuz I've said them so many times before. Tom's soft-spoken wisdom educated Me in ways no other person could have done. Meeting Tom's gentle dad, Otto, and his mom showed Me where Tom got his gentleness. Father and son were true Gentlemen in the highest sense of that word. A class-act all the way. I missed him when he moved out of Portland and I miss him still. Always a better part of My life for having met and known him. A dear friend always!
Dan` Fiebiger
August 19, 2020
A roommate for three years. A friend for life. A gentle soul. A wise soul who hinted at his wisdom, and then let you figure it out, then let you know when you did. His passing too young was the world's loss. I think of him fondly often.
The corrected marker
Eleanor Landi
September 1, 2013
A year ago, Tom's memorial was held in Hillsboro, OR. His friend, Dan, had invited Tom's animator friends from the Portland area and Dan had put together a "showcase" of Tom's early work. I am grateful to Dan for his efforts. Tom's friend, Mel, performed the broken wand ceremony which is done when a magician dies. I am grateful to Mel, too. Tom was a member of the Society of American Magicians for more than 50 years and had renewed his yearly membership a few weeks before he died. I just got back from Portland. I had to have Tom's marker corrected. I was so out of it that I had the wrong birth date put on his marker. I brought roses to place next to his marker and the marker of his parents who are in the same vertical row as Tom at Rose City Cemetery.
August 20, 2013
I finally figured out how to get my photos of Tom Arndt into a form that I can submit to this memorial site. They should be appearing near this porting. These 10 photos (the site's limit for a single posting) will give Tom's San Francisco friends an idea of just some of the amazing things Tom and I and his other Portland animator special-effects friends got into and did when Tom lived in Portland Oregon. I am archiving, restoring, and preserving as much of Tom's Portland-area work, effects, artwork, films, and equipment as I can. Tom will never be forgotten, and we will always love his gentle creativity and soft-spoken genius!
Dan Fiebiger
Portland, Oregon
August, 2013.
Tom Arndt and his GRAPHOONS animation associates, Portland, Oregon late 1970s.
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt and crew finish building the miniature roller coaster for Michael Jackson's MOONWALKER movie, 1987.
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt animates the Elephant Man "skeleton" for Michael Jackson's MOONWALKER movie, 1987.
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt and crew pose with a monster prop made for FLESH GORDON II, 1989.
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt working on the armature for a stop-motion character in FLESH GORDON II, 1989.
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt with his 16mm Mitchell camera, Portland, Oregon, 1975.
August 20, 2013
Tom with his Kodak Cine-Special Camera used to shoot EON, 1975
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt and Dan Fiebiger shoot a low angle shot for EON, 1975
August 20, 2013
Tom Arndt draws up plans for the EON shoot, 1975
August 20, 2013
T om Arndt and Dan Fiebiger work on EON, 1975
August 20, 2013
Sherrie H Sinclair
August 19, 2013
Eleanor and Tom--you've both been in my heart and mind this past month and weekend.
Tom's picture is at my office door, so I am greeted by his kind face whenever I enter. I can look up from my desk to see him smile at me--a reminder to approach each day with patience!
: )
Tom and El painting
Eleanor Landi
August 18, 2013
Aug 17 was a sad first anniversary of missing Tom. I'm trying to remember the good times, times that made us happy.
Here's a photo of Tom and me in Forest Grove when we were retouching a painting Tom had done years before when he was at PSU. We were visiting his cousins, Bonnie and David Weiss.
Eleanor Landi
August 17, 2013
Today is the first anniversary of Tom's death. To honor him in some way, I went to the Lake Merritt garden where he and I would walk. There's a bonsai garden, a traditional Japanese garden and a garden of palm trees there. Tom liked going there. How I miss him. Life without him is strange and deeply lonely. May he be at peace.
August 7, 2013
Yes, his patience was infinite. Thank you, Anne, for understanding him and appreciating him. Thank you for missing him.
Thanks, Dana, for posting the photo of you and Tom. I didn't know him then. Six years was too short a time. We thought we had more years ahead to share.
Dana Arndt
August 7, 2013
Tom: Thanks for the inspiration. Thanks for the memories. In retrospect, we hardly knew you. It took awhile, but we've learned the lessons you taught. Rest easy. Pleasant journey.
Anne C.
August 5, 2013
My 2nd entry. I once tool all my Directed Study with him. His patience was infinite helping to learn the animation craft. I'll miss him seeing him over at AAU. He was always a reassuring presence that a student could rely on to go to for questions. He will always be very much missed.
Tom's marker at Rose City Cemetery
Eleanor Landi
August 3, 2013
It is almost a year since Tom's death. How I miss him and how I mourn him. He will always be with me. I am grateful to all of you who have written of him in this guestbook.
Pt Reyes Station memorial
Eleanor Landi
December 21, 2012
It's been a little more than 4 months since Tom's death. I miss him terribly. I know others miss him, his thoughtful gentleness and deep knowledge of his art, I took this photo at an artist's studio in Pt Reyes Station. A memorial was held there for loved ones who had passed away. May he be at peace.
Grace Wood
November 9, 2012
These comments are really beautiful. I worked with Tom in a couple of his classes, so wasn't a close personal friend, but I really was struck by the quiet confidence so many have described here. He had a steady presence. Quietly powerful gentleness. The world needs more of that and he was an inspiration in that way. I appreciate being reminded of those qualities in these comments.
Antar Irvin
November 8, 2012
The guest below me used the words "subtle but lively," when mentioning Tom's animations. I felt like that was the kind of man he was also. I too, took his Flash class and his input was very valuable and I learned a tremendous amount.
He had the quiet confidence that only a man that lived life full could have, and I will deeply miss him.
pat lake
October 31, 2012
Tom was a cool guy. I took his flash animation class several years ago. He took extra time outside of class to share one of his personal animated films with me (a wordless short of a fantasy landscape with strange plants growing out of it, ending in a point about civilization). It was subtle but lively and showed his thoughtful way of communicating. His class helped me make effort to do a film on my own to learn Flash better. Now I'm doing my best to teach that same class and pass on Tom's influence to students.
Tom Building the Skeleton of the Elephant Man
Eleanor Landi
October 29, 2012
Tom Arndt was a modest man who never blew his own horn. I knew that Tom had animated the skeleton of the Elephant Man that Michael Jackson dances to in the music video "Leave Me Alone." I only recently discovered that this video won a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Short Form Music Video. The sequence of the Elephant Man dancing with Michael Jackson that Tom animated is also featured in "Moonwalker." This is a photo of Tom building the skeleton man puppet.
Yu-heng(Yoyo) Chen
October 25, 2012
Thank you for your patient when I bothered you.
You brought me into joyful traditional animation world.
You taught me a lot of things and the most important one is “have fun”.
You didn't care how terrible my drawing was.
You just encouraged me to draw animation and gave me advice.
I felt free when I did traditional animation assignment every time.
I'll keep going to have fun with drawing traditional animation.
I'll never forget your words.
I miss you.
R.I.P Tom
Eleanor Landi
October 20, 2012
Here's another painting by Tom.
Eleanor Landi
October 20, 2012
Tom had a BA in painting and drawing from Portland State University. The theory taught there was fauvism. The paintings on the slideshow show Tom's early work and his interpretation of fauvism.
October 19, 2012
Tom taught me Character Animation at AAU, during 2010. I will always remember him as a wonderfully patient and supportive teacher, who inspired and encouraged the whole class. Rest in peace Tom.
Anonymous
October 19, 2012
The Academy of Art University will be honoring Tom's memory on Wednesday, October 24th, 2012, at 7:00 pm in the 79 New Montgomery Theater.
Tannie Duong
October 10, 2012
Tom was a really great teacher, and truly understanding and supportive. A true loss. He will be missed.
October 3, 2012
I was Tom's roommate in Portland Oregon in the 70s. I taught animation with him at Portland State University back then. Tom was a dear friend all my life, and I kept in touch with him all those years. I've put together a photo memorial and history of Tom that I can send to anyone who knew Tom and who has posted anything on this site. Contact me directly at [email protected] and I'll send you the two memorial e-mails I sent out to all his animator friends right after I found out about his passing. Tom was a genius, in addition to being a truly wonderful guy. I'll miss him severely. Contact me for more photos of Tom which I'm technically unable to post on this site.
Dan Fiebiger
Portland, Oregon
[email protected]
Tom at Roading Camp, Felton, CA
Eleanor Landi
September 30, 2012
Tom loved trains. He was a member of the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club in Portland, OR. This photo is of Tom at Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton, CA. We rode a train with a steam engine through the redwoods on April 30, 2011.
Tom at Drakes Beach 2007
Eleanor Landi
September 27, 2012
A celebration of Tom's life and work will be held at the Academy of Art University, 79 N Montgomery St, San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 pm.
Katerina Panzari
September 17, 2012
RIP Tom Arndt! You will always be my favorite and most inspiring teacher! Thank you!
Tom and His Dad
Eleanor Landi
September 13, 2012
Tom was my beloved partner of 6 years. We met at the Academy of Art when I worked there. He was a shy, gentle man who gave of himself quietly, patiently and without asking anything in return. A rare soul... I miss him, I mourn him, and I celebrate who he was. The photo is of Tom and his dad.
Yuin Pang
September 8, 2012
He was the sweetest and most understanding instructor in AAU. He was very kind, and always give positive feedbacks that encouraged us to do better. I enjoyed his classes. He shall be missed dearly. God bless him.
Liz Johns
September 8, 2012
I had Tom for an animation class at the Academy of Art University. He was always so kind and patient with everyone. You could tell how passionate he was and how much he loved what he taught. I learned so much from him that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. A wonderful man who will be deeply missed.
September 7, 2012
I was assigned to be an ESL support instructor in Tom's Traditional Animation class at AAU, so I had the opportunity to see him in action as a teacher in my role of being in his class to help the international students keep up. I loved working with him and supported his class a few times. I was always struck by the kind, gentle, consistent, and constructive way he interacted with his students. He was infinitely patient with each one of them. He was such a talented guy and a gifted teacher. What an incredible loss.
Kyleigh Jones
September 6, 2012
I was in one of Tom's animation classes just a year ago. He was definitely one of my favorite teachers at AAU. I couldn't believe his patience and overall positive and encouraging attitude. I enjoyed chatting with him after class, even though I had another class to run to. I would have loved to stay in touch with him through my years at AAU and beyond. It's heartbreaking to know that won't happen. My condolences to his family and everyone who knew him. We'll all miss him horribly.
Xiaoxiao Zhong
September 5, 2012
He was a kind and great teacher. He taught me a lot.He always gave us confidence to do better work. I'll miss him so much.
David and Bonnie Weiss
September 1, 2012
We will always remember Tom as not only a favorite cousin, but also a true friend. We enjoyed when he and Eleanor would come to Oregon to visit and will miss him very much.
Sherrie H. Sinclair
August 28, 2012
Tom was a valued and valuable member of the Traditional Animation Department at Academy of Art University for over 11 years. He contributed to classes in Traditional Animation, Storyboarding, Flash Animation, and Animation History both on the grad and undergrad levels. A quiet, constant force in the department, he will be deeply missed. Sherrie H. Sinclair, Director, School of Animation and Visual Effects, AAU
Justin Pixler
August 27, 2012
My first animation teacher, Tom always gave honest and constructive feedback to the talented and struggling alike. A shame to lose such a man, there are too few in this world.
Anne C.
August 26, 2012
He was my Directed Study teacher. He had a simple way of making things make sense. Such calm patient encouragement in teaching to all in his demeanor. He always put one at ease. I am honored and priveleged to have known him. He will be missed. My deepest condolences.
August 26, 2012
I worked with Tom at The Carnival Restaurant for a number of years and spent a good amount of time with him socially as well. I think we enjoyed each others jokes and wit while working together on the grill. There were also some very memorable film nights. I especially remember one on Halloween. We were showing some of Tom's more outrageous films on a sheet across the front window of our home....The street filled with people watching from the outside, it was a silent movie. I think of him as a good friend that, I'm sorry to say, have not kept up with. I will always remember him fondly. Ralph Inman
yann lee
August 26, 2012
Tom was my summer animation teach. He taught me the basics of traditional animation. He will be missed
1979 .
Richard Lynn
August 26, 2012
He was always inspiring! One of the great icons of my life.
Renee Calvert
August 26, 2012
Tom was one of my first teachers at AAU - his patience and passion for animation were hugely influential and I'm saddened to hear he is not longer with us - he will be missed by so many. My condolences to his family.
Bob Eaton
August 26, 2012
I was in the Portland Society of Magicians with Tom.
A kind and gentle man indeed!
Safe journey Tom.
Bob Eaton
Tae hyung Cha
August 25, 2012
I remember he was a great teacher. Rest in peace..
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