Tenth Letter of the Alphabet: Cooper Union

Showing posts with label Cooper Union. Show all posts

Monday, August 6, 2018

Creator: Victor Moscoso, 1950s Student, Artist and Athlete

“It was the neighborhood of the junior high school I went to—Kane Street, Thompson turf. It’s now called Cobble Hill.” —Victor Moscoso, in the Paris Review, on his Brooklyn neighborhood. There is a street named Tompkins Place that intersects with Kane Street.

Victor Moscoso was a high school student at the School of Industrial Art and graduated in 1954 (above).

Brooklyn Heights Press
(New York)
October 1, 1953
Block Party Saturday To Be Treat For Everyone
“Don’t look for a baby-sitter this Saturday take the whole family to the Willow Place Block Party instead!”

That’s the advice from the Willow Town Association, which says special care has been taken to provide fun for children as well as adults.

This biggest best Block Party yet (the Association has run two others) will run from 7 to 11 P.M. on Willow Place, just below Hicks, between Joralemon and State Streets.

Rides on a real, live pony and in a Pony Cart will highlight the lists of juvenile attractions this Saturday. The ponies will be installed in the vacant lot which will become a new playlot for older boys through the proceeds of the Block Party. There’ll also be a Whip Ride for children….

…Headed by Mrs. Robert Burtch, Chairman of the Block Party, the Committees include (in addition to those published last week):

Finance Committee—Mrs. Edward Evangelista, Chrmn., 30 Joralemon; Mrs. Robert Burtch, 24 Willow Pl.; Richard Lazarus, 59 Joralemon;

Entertainment—Mr. & Mrs. Spencer Ivey, 18 Willow Place; Michael Howard, 68 Montague;

Publicity—Victor Moscoso, 52 State St.; Miss Dolores Carluccio, 30 Joralemon; Richard Mendes, 62 Joralemon; Mrs. James Wishart, 63 Joralemon.

Brooklyn Eagle
(New York)
November 15, 1953
Morris High Dominates City P.S.A.L. Run
Morris High of the Bronx, the favorite to win the 48th running of the Public School Athletic League city-wide cross-country championship, came through as expected yesterday morning at Van Cortlandt Park. The Bronx school took both the individual and team titles for its first team championship in nine years….

[P. S. A. L. varsity athletes’ names, schools and times were listed for the top ten finishers. Coming in seventeenth place was Victor Moscoso of Industrial Art. There were fifty runners.]

* * * * *

Moscoso continued his education at Cooper Union from 1954 to 1957.

Long Island Star-Journal
(Long Island City, New York)
April 21, 1956
Fordham University has been installed a strong favorite to capture team honors in the annual Long Island City Athletics’ six-mile handicap road race which will be conducted through the streets of Astoria, Woodside and jackson heights tomorrow afternoon.

…The Pioneer Club and the New York A. C. figure to give O’Connor’s crew a good battle for the team title….

The handicaps:
Victor Moscoso, N. Y, Pioneers — 5-30 [minutes and seconds handicap]

* * * * *

Moscoso was a student at Yale University from 1957 to 1959.

Daily News
(Tarrytwon, New York)
May 9, 1958
Long-Winded Aces Set for Yonkers Run
Fory-two of the leading distance runners in the east have entered the Metropolitan AAU Charles Bisbines Memorial 10-Mile Run to be contested in Yonkers on Sunday.

Sy Barker is chairman of the event, which is being ran under the auspices of the Pacoy Club in conjunction with the Yonkers Recreation Commission.

The race at War Memorial Park starts at 2 p.m. David D. Levy, chairman of the Metropolitan long distance committee, is director of the ran and John J. Flaherty Jr., president of the Met AAU, is honorary referee. James Bisbines is starter, Irving M. Schoolman chairman, of the registration committee.

Bulk of the entry represents the St. Anthony’s B. C., Millrose A. A. and New York Pioneer Club….

…The Pioneers have 16 entries. They are John Conway, Gus Likos, Jerry Bitotta, Jim Borden, Nat Cirulnick, Ted Corbitt, John Sterner, Rod McNichols, Charles Robbins, Rudy Mendez, Jose Donez, Bob Heller, Gorden McKenzie, Tom O’Brien, Charles Polley and Victor Moscoso….

Herald News
(Yonkers, New York)
May 9, 1958
They’ll Run the Met 10-Miler No Matter What
42 Entrants to Compete Through Streets If Necessary
Come rain or shine, the Metrpolitan AAU Charles Bisbines Memorial 10-Mile run will be run off as scheduled Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Meet Director Sy Barker announced this morning, that in the event of continued precipitation, which would inundate War Memorial Field’s track, the event, sponsored by the Yonkers Recreation Commission, would be run off on the city streets.

…David D. Levy, chairman of the Metropolitan long distance committee, is director of the ran and John J. Flaherty Jr., president of the Met AAU, is honorary referee. James Bisbines is starter, Irving M. Schoolman chairman, of the registration committee.

Bulk of the entry represents the St. Anthony’s B. C., Millrose A. A. and New York Pioneer Club….

…The Pioneers have 16 entries. They are John Conway, Gus Likos, Jerry Bitotta, Jim Borden, Nat Cirulnick, Ted Corbitt, John Sterner, Rod McNichols, Charles Robbins, Rudy Mendez, Jose Donez, Bob Heller, Gorden McKenzie, Tom O’Brien, Charles Polley and Victor Moscoso….

* * * * *

In 1959 Moscoso moved to California.

Further Reading
2018 AIGA Medal
Grafik
Grand Comics Database
Marin Independent Journal
The Paris Review
Victor Moscoso

(Next post on Monday: 1926 Tyee Yearbook)

Monday, January 29, 2018

School Days: Herb Lubalin

Herbert Fredrick “Herb” Lubalin was born on March 17, 1918, in Manhattan, New York, New York, according to the New York, New York Birth Index at Ancestry.com. Lubalin’s Social Security application, transcribed at Ancestry.com, said his parents were Joseph Lubalin and Rose Jospe.

In the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Joseph resided in Manhattan at 58 East 98th Street. The head of the household was his brother-in-law, Aaron Siegel, who was married to Yetta, and had three children. Joseph was a freelance musician and Russian emigrant who came to American in 1904. Rose was a native New Yorker who lived with her parents, and was the fourth of five siblings. Rose was a bookkeeper at a printing company. The family lived at 19 East 108 Street.

The New York, New York Marriage index, at Ancestry.com, said Joseph and Rose married on June 9, 1914 in Manhattan.

Joseph signed his World War I draft card on June 5, 1917. His address was 25 West 110th Street in Manhattan. Joseph was a musician at the Rialto Theater, at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 30, 1919

News of Lubalin’s birth was published in the New York Tribune, March 19, 1918: “Lubalin—Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lubalin (nee Rose Jospe), 132 West 121st st., announce the birth of twin sons on March 17th.”

The 1920 census recorded the Lubalin family in the Bronx at 1135 Forest Avenue. Also in the household was Rose’s older sister, Emilie Jospe.

The Lubalins and Emilie were counted at 307 [Beach] 47th Street in Arverne, Queens County, New York in the 1930 census.

Excerpts from Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer and Typographer (1985).

...Lubalin…was…the younger of fraternal twin boys…

…His early interest in art was encouraged, although he was colorblind, as was his twin. Figures he drew with crayon had startling purple hair.

…Herbert was a good art student in high school, despite his inability to draw recognizable images. His teacher encouraged his feelings for design and lettering, knowing one can develop as an artist without relying on drawing accurately.

Further schooling in art was accidental. To have an art career wasn’t in Herb’s original plan, although, typically, he expressed no thought for a future….But Herb’s high school academic standing was so low he wasn’t accepted by the tuition-free College of the City of New York, where his twin was enrolled.

The Wave (Rockaway Beach, New York), June 27, 1935, published the names of the Far Rockaway High School graduates which included Herb and Irwin Lubalin.

Excerpts from Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer and Typographer (1985).

What happens when a poor kid with bad grades can’t afford to go to a regular college? He applies to a free art school.

In 1935, Herb passed the entrance exam (“mostly in the form of an intelligence test“) to the prestigious Cooper Union. “I was 64th out of 64 applicants.”

…“For the first two years, I was the worst student in the school. In the last two years, I was about the best.”

The turning point was a class in calligraphy. The angle of the flat pen point used in calligraphy prescribes that the art be done with the right hand. Herb drew with his left hand. The instructor told Herb he’d have to learn to use his right hand on the assignment.

“I didn’t tell her I wrote with my right hand. Since calligraphy really is handwriting, it was easy for me. I got the highest mark in the class, not because I was the best, but because the teacher felt I’d overcome a great handicap.

“I guess this gave me confidence, because from that time on, I did very well.”

The Wave, November 24, 1938, reported this item:

Miss Isabel Bisgyer of Ocean Crest Boulevard will celebrate her birthday on Sunday. Tomorrow friends will take her to see “Hamlet,” and later will treat her to dinner In the Hotel Pennsylvania. In the party are Miss Rues Diamond, Morton Friedlieb, Eugene Hammer, Herbert Lubalin and others.

Lubalin attended Cooper Union and graduated in 1939. The Long Island Daily Press (Jamaica, New York), June 6, 1939, said he received an Advertising Design Certificate.

Also in the Class of 1939 were designer Lou Dorfsman and cartoonist Mel Tapley. Pictured in the 1939 yearbook were calligrapher and illustrator Jeanyee Wong, Class of 1941, and illustrator Roy Krenkel.

Sylvia Kushner

Sylvia Kushner, of the surprised look and unique coiffeur, is a shining example of industriousness and a gal with with a delightful sense of humor. A four year honor student, her real forte is dress designing and draping, in which her originality and creativeness have been successful in acquiring satisfied customers. Besides her work, Sylvia has had one other factor on her mind these past four years…but why tell tales outside of class?

Herbert Lubalin

Herbert Lubalin is another shining light of the class of ’39. His wit and “creativeness” are, unfortunately, often censored. Baseball, ping pong, basketball, and penny-ante have been Herb’s extra-curricular activities at Cooper, not to mention his greatest talent, “tall stories.” In 1937 Herb received the medal given for general excellence in all subjects and hasn’t let up the least bit in upholding this distinction. Last summer Herbie ran a day camp for children in his native Far Rockaway. He has an especial affinity for kids, kittens, ketchup, other such sentimentalizes beginning with “K.”

Louis Dorfsman

Louis Dorfsman left Day School in the middle of his third year to go to work in the commercial art field. Starting at the Trans-Lux Theatres, he is now designing exhibition booths and window displays for the Display Guild. A tall guy with one of those grins that the gals eat up (a brunette anyway?). “Shlep,” as he is quaintly called by his chums, is an ace drummer and managed to keep busy between club dates and just dates.

Louis Dorfsman

Sylvia Kushner and Herbert Lubalin

Lubalin’s father passed away July 1939 and was laid to rest at Montefiore Cemetery.

Advertising Age, June 1, 1981, said, “Mr. Lubalin’s first graphic design job following college was with the New York World’s Fair at $8 per week. Upon requesting a pay hike of of $2, he was fired. He free lanced for a year and then worked for a number of small advertising agencies and Fairchild Publications.”

According to the 1940 census, Lubalin, his mother and brother were residents of Woodmere in Hempstead Township, Nassau County, New York. The trio lived on Woodmere Boulevard in Apartment 5J. Lubalin was a self-employed commercial artist.

Excerpts from Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer and Typographer (1985).

…He had entered Cooper Union unaware of two impending romances that would change his life. One lasted three decades, the other, until his death.

The first big excitement was to meet a classmate, the petite and beautiful Sylvia Kushner. Four years later, the two artists were married, after they had been graduated, Herbert with the Student’s Medal for General Excellence….

…Herb and Sylvia had three sons and 32 years together….

The New York, New York, Marriage License Index said Lubalin and Sylvia Kushner obtained a marriage license on October 2, 1940 in Brooklyn.

Excerpt from Herb Lubalin: Art Director, Graphic Designer and Typographer (1985).

…In 1945, Lubalin became art director at Sudler & Hennessey, a studio specializing in pharmaceutical ads and promotions. He worked with a bullpen of 20 illustrators, photographers, comp people, letterers and retouchers who followed through from Lubalin tissues—tissues on which the Lubalin legend began….