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ALBERT ELKINS Obituary
Albert Franklin Elkins
Born on October 18, 1943 and passed away on February 1, 2021. He is survived by his wife, Georgine, son, Tom, daughter, Anna, brother, Tom (Martha) Elkins, nephews, Clayton and Weston Elkins, cousin, Joann Fritz, and beloved nephew, Brian Fritz. Al was a graduate of Holy Name High School (Cleveland, Ohio) and Kent State University (Kent, Ohio). He worked as a Design Professional at the National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institute from 1971 until his retirement in 2014.A Virtual Celebration of Al's life is being organized by his dear friends in the Sligo Creek Tennis Group. Contact [email protected] for details.
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Memories and Condolences
for ALBERT ELKINS
Burr Anderson
June 2, 2025
I think of Al regularly. Difficult to sum up a guy who had so many dimensions, all of them wonderful. Gentle yet rough and tumble with gusto, devilish wit, generous, a boundless imagination, renderer of beauty, devoted to it in his art. Whitman must have been thinking of Al when he said: ...what I assume you shall assume, for every atom of me as good belongs to you. Too rare are those who live this universality of man, and Elkins lived it in spades. Blessings to Georgine and the young uns.
Pat Lynagh
January 30, 2023
Al could always make me laugh. He was a bright light at the Gallery. I was sad to hear of his passing.
Roger Himmel
February 22, 2021
Al Elkins was a kind, gentle, and loving man. If I close my eyes I can still hear his voice and see him clearly on that October day in 1969 when he joined The Monday Sneaker as Art Director. The Sneaker was Kent State University's first student run satire publication. It was distributed around campus every Monday using the the wooden boxes provided for The Daily Kent Stater, which was never published or distributed on Monday.
The Monday Sneaker was totally silly, since nothing ever happened at Kent State, at least up until May of 1970. Although it began as an underground rag, it soon was recognized as an officially sanctioned student organization when we obtained the university's Psychology Department as our sponsor. Because of Al's artwork, the Sneaker was able to sponsor a sensitivity training session that a couple of hundred students and faculty attended. Al did the poster. It was a time of protests against the war in Vietnam, and love, and kindness, and always, Al and Georgine. Peace be with you my friend.
michael mccafferty
February 21, 2021
Over 50 years years of friendship. As housemates on “the farm” outside Kent, eating French pastries until we had bellyaches in the old quarters of Nice, long distance calls and texts checking in on families and health and similar museum careers, a reunion in Chicago, Veterans Day visits in DC, and always with wit and love.
Sherri Weil
February 12, 2021
Al was a kind, sensitive soul who loved his family deeply. I got to know him better after we both no longer worked at the NPG.
Joel Lemp
February 8, 2021
Al was my point of contact for the interior plants on display at the National Portrait Gallery. He was a nice man to work with. May he Rest In Peace. God bless his family.
Pat Lynagh, Former Librarian, AA/PG Library
February 7, 2021
I was saddened to learn of the death of Al Elkins. Beyond his many professional skills as a designer, Al was a bright light and good friend at the National Portrait Gallery. His good nature was contagious, and it was hard to have a bad day around Al. He will be missed very much.
Pie Friendly
February 7, 2021
He was a splendid man, & designer ...always greeting everyone at the National Portrait Gallery with a smile, a tall tale & a bit of advice...My sympathy to his family, and to all those who knew him at NPG.
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