The Washington Post - USA (2022-03-06)

SUNDAY, MARCH 6 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ RE C9

Obituaries

FAMILY PHOTO

Leonard Kessler, a writer and illustrator who studied alongside Andy Warhol and Philip Pearlstein during college, created more than 200
books for children. Aside from his artistic flair, he brought to his work the rare ability to genuinely relate to children and their curiosities.

BY EMILY LANGER

Leonard Kessler, an author
and illustrator who created more
than 200 books for children,
including an enduring classic,
“Mr. Pine’s Purple House,” whose
simple words and pictures en-
couraged readers to show their
singular splashes of color in an
often conformist world, died Feb.
16 at his home in Sarasota, Fla.
He was 101.
His son, Paul Kessler, con-
firmed the death and said he did
not yet know the cause.
Mr. Kessler credited his long
and prolific career in part to his
grandmother, a painter who gift-
ed him a box of crayons when he
was 6, declaring that with them,
“you can paint your own world.”
As a college student in Pitts-
burgh, Mr. Kessler befriended
future pop artist Andy Warhol.
He later found his own calling in
children’s literature, that magical
genre offering young readers an
introduction to the written word,
an explanation of life around
them and a glimpse of the uni-
verse beyond it.
Mr. Kessler collaborated on
dozens of books with his wife,
Ethel Kessler, a social worker and
kindergarten teacher. Aside from
his artistic flair, he brought to his
work the ability, so rare among
adults, to genuinely relate to
children, their curiosities and
their concerns. Such was his
desire to understand their world
that he sometimes crouched
down to experience life from
their height.
Several of his books were
ranked by the New York Times
among the best releases of the
year for young readers. They
included “Heavy Is a Hippopota-
mus” (1954, written by Miriam
Schlein) and “Big Red Bus” (1957,
created with his wife). He created
a franchise of sorts with Mr. Pine,
a character who like Mr. Kessler
wore glasses, had a dog and a cat,
and favored hats.
In “Mr. Pine’s Purple House,”
first published in 1965, the titular
character laments the monotony
of his neighborhood. “A white
house is fine,” he says, “but there
are fifty white houses all in a line
on Vine Street. How can I tell
which one is mine?”
In his first effort to set his
house apart, Mr. Pine plants a
pine tree in his yard. His act of
individuality is undone when
neighbors follow suit. But when
Mr. Pine paints his house a shade
of plum, their own creativity is
unleashed, and the previously
monochromatic Vine Street is
transformed into a ribbon of
colors.
“It’s all right to be different in
this world,” Mr. Kessler told the
Sarasota Herald Tribune years
later. “You don’t have to be like
everybody else.”
Ta stes in children’s books
change as quickly as the young-
sters who read them, and “Mr.
Pine’s Purple House” fell out of
print by the 1970 s.
Two decades later, a mother
named Jill Morgan, who had
loved the book as a girl, looked in
vain for an affordable copy for
her children. Used copies were
available online, but with price
tags reaching into the hundreds
of dollars.
Through some sleuthing, Mor-

gan located Mr. Kessler in Flori-

da, nearly 80 at the time, and

asked if he might agree to a

reprinting.

“Certain angels come into our

lives at the right moment. She

gave me back my life again,” Mr.

Kessler told the Ta mpa Bay

Times in 2005. With its reissue in

2000, “Mr. Pine’s Purple House”

became the first book published

by Morgan’s Purple House Press,

which specializes in formerly

out-of-print children’s books.

Among the original fans of

“Mr. Pine’s Purple House” was

Jeff Bezos, the future founder of

the online retailer Amazon and

owner of The Washington Post.

According to an account pub-

lished in the Atlantic, his mother

discovered the reissued version

after its release in 2000 and

alerted Bezos, who promoted the

book in a weekly email to Ama-

zon customers, sending it to the

bestseller list on the site.

Bezos again championed the

book in 2014 with the rollout of

the Amazon Fire Phone, a failed

foray into the smartphone mar-

ket. In advance of its release,

technology journalists received a

package from the company with

a letter from Bezos that read,

“Enclosed is my favorite child-

hood book: Mr. Pine’s Purple

House. I think you’ll agree that

the world is a better place when

things are a little bit different.”

For anyone who wondered

about the existence of a real-life

Mr. Pine, the author told the

Ta mpa Bay Times, “I’ll tell you

this. I have a purple door. I have a

purple studio. I think purple is a

color that vibrates. I think it’s

me.”

Leonard Cecil Kessler was

born on Oct. 28, 1920, in Akron,

Ohio, and grew up in Pittsburgh.

His father worked as a plumber,

his mother as a nursing aide.

To help make ends meet, his

family took in boarders and man-

aged to provide art lessons for

their son. In a parallel with his

future picture book protagonist,

Mr. Kessler painted signs for a

supermarket during high school.

Installments in the Mr. Pine

series included “Mr. Pine’s

Mixed-Up Signs” (1961) and

“Paint Me a Picture, Mr. Pine”

(1972, with illustrations by John

Kuzich).

Mr. Kessler served in the Army

during World War II and was

stationed in Europe, where he

served as an infantry scout. Be-

cause of his talent for art, he was

charged with drawing maps and

sketching enemy positions. Years

later, he recalled his habit of

embellishing his military sketch-

es with drawings of animals and

flowers. “Kessler, I just want to

know the positions!” he recalled

a captain admonishing him. “I

don’t need the decoration!”

After the war, Mr. Kessler stud-

ied painting and design at what

is now Carnegie Mellon Univer-

sity in Pittsburgh, where he met

Warhol and the future painter

Philip Pearlstein. After their

graduation in 1949 , the trio

moved to New York City.

“I came with my wife and

worked at home as a freelance

writer and illustrator of books for

kids,” Mr. Kessler told the Saraso-

ta publication Attitudes Maga-

zine in 2006. “Phil wanted to be a

graphic artist. I wanted to be a

painter. And Andy didn’t know

what he wanted to be. He h ad one

white corduroy suit” and “the

biggest portfolio of the most

incredible drawings and paint-

ings.”

Mr. Kessler was set on his

course as a children’s author

when he and Pearlstein were

invited to host a children’s televi-

sion program about drawing.

The show fell through, but the

concept inspired Mr. Kessler to

create his first picture book,

“What’s In a Line: A First Book of

Graphic Expression.”

It was, reviewer Ellen Lewis

Buell wrote in the New York

Times, “both an introduction to

ideas and an invitation to set

them down” on paper. Mr. Kes-

sler said the acceptance of his

first manuscript was the “best

thing” that ever happened to

him. “It redirected my life,” he

said.

After beginning their family,

Mr. Kessler and his wife sub-

leased their New York apartment

for a period to Warhol and his

mother. Mr. Kessler kept a studio

in the apartment, where he

worked alongside his friend and

Warhol’s two dozen cats, all

named Sam.

Mr. Kessler later lived in Rock-

land County, N.Y., in a house that

he described as “kind of a laven-

der purple.” He and his wife

moved to Florida in the 1990 s.

His wife, the former Ethel

Gerson, died in 2002 after

56 years of marriage. Besides his

son, of Princeton, N.J., survivors

include a daughter, Kim Kessler

of Madison, Wis.; a sister and

four grandchildren.

Mr. Kessler’s children inspired

many of his books, including

“Here Comes the Strikeout,” first

published in 1965 and reissued in

1992 by HarperCollins. As a Little

Leaguer, his son was reduced to

tears after striking out 22 times

in a row, Mr. Kessler told an

interviewer.

In the book, a boy named

Bobby struggles similarly. He

meets another player who offers

a word of encouragement. “I will

help you with your hitting,” Wil-

lie tells him. “But you must work

hard every day. Lucky hats won’t

do it. Lucky bats won’t do it. Only

hard work will do it.”

Bobby was White. Willie, who

Mr. Kessler’s family speculated

was inspired by the African

American Hall of Famer Willie

Mays, was Black. At the time, few

mainstream children’s books fea-

tured African Americans in such

roles.

More than 50 years after “Here

Comes the Strikeout” was first

released, a reader, Michael Ham-

mond, contacted Mr. Kessler

through Purple House Press.

“I turn 59 years old this next

month and I’d love for Leonard

Kessler to know how important

this book” was “to me as a kid

and even still now,” he wrote. “I

was really into baseball as a kid

and I’m African American. This

was the first book I ever owned

and it showed an African Ameri-

can” in “a good light.”

“This book gave me hope,” he

continued. “I can still recite every

word just by looking at the

pictures.” Reached by phone,

Hammond, now 61 and living in

Chicago, said “Here Comes the

Strikeout” was the only book he

had kept from his childhood.

LEONARD KESSLER, 101

C hildren’s author created classic books with color

PURPLE HOUSE PRESS

“ Mr. Pine’s Purple House” was published in 1965 and reissued in

2000 , after a mother located Mr. Kessler t o ask for a reprinting.

IN MEMORIAM

ANDREWM. ROCCELLA

7/8/1977-3/6/2004

CORINNEJ. SCHILLINGS

7/1/1977-3/6/2004

Til memoryfadesand life departs,

Youlive foreverin our hearts

We missyou and thinkof you everyday.

Your LovingParents,Family&Friends

ROCCELLA

DEATH NOTICE

AVRUNIN

MARCIAJEANNEAVRUNIN

Of Annapolis,MD, passedawaypeacefully,

surroundedby lovedoneson Monday,Feb-

ruary21, 2022.Marciawas 70 yearsold.

Acelebrationof her life is scheduledfor a

futuredate.Pleasereferencethe funeral

homewebsitefor updateddetails.

Onlinecondolencesmay be madeat

http://www.LastingTributesFuneralCare.com

When the

need arises,

letfamilies

find youinthe

Funeral Services

Directory.

To be seen in the

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Directory,please call

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at 202-334-4122.

DEATH NOTICE

ing and dataanalysisfor problemsrelated

to natural hazardsandenvironmentalrisk

analysis.Inadditionto authoringandco-

authoringscientificpublications,she worked

for yearsas akey playeron asmallteam

helpingaUSGS economistdevelop,run, and

applythe LandUse PortfolioModel(LUPM),

arisk-managementtool to evaluateplansor

actionsintendedto reducerisk fromnatural

hazards.

In 2003,Lori wedher husbandof 18 years,

and two yearsto the day later,she gavebirth

to theirdaughter.Six yearsafter,theirson

arrived.Lori wasalovingand devotedwife,

mother,aunt, sister,and daughter.Her hearty

laugh,brightsmile,jovialnature,and childish

enthusiasmfilledher familywithjoy.Her

warmth,caring,genuineness,and loyaltyto

familyand friendsendearedher so to all who

had the pleasureto knowher.Lori’slast act

of selflessnessand generosity,donatingher

organsand tissues,savedalife and greatly

helpedothers.

Lorienjoyednumerousthings—attending

familyget-togethersand outings;socializing

withfriends;reading;traveling;diningout;

goingto plays,movies,and her children’s

sportingevents;participatingin non-strenu-

ous outdooractivities(e.g., hikes,bike rides,

and softball)in cool,overcastweather;using

Excel;eatingqualityice cream.She adored

her childrenandcherishedspendingtime

withthem,as well as withher parents,sister,

stepparents,in-laws,and niece.

Loriis survivedby her husband,daughter,

son,parents,stepparents,sister,stepsister,

and half-sister.

As asupporterof women’srightsand the

fightagainstosteosarcoma,the latterdue

to the passingof afriend’sson, donations

maybe made,inlieu of flowers,tothe

NationalOrganizationfor Women(NOW),at

https://now.org,or The OsteosarcomaCol-

laborative,athttps://oscollaborative.org.

In lightof the pandemic,asmall,private

servicewasheld,withLorilaid to restat

Hillsof EternityMemorialPark in Colma,

California.

LAURADINITZ"Lori"

On January7, 2022,aftervaliantlybattling

the effectsof acerebral hemorrhage,Laura

(Lori)Dinitzsuccumbed,at the age of 51, to a

stroke.

Loriwasbornandraisedin Montgomery

County,Maryland,and wasthe olderof two

siblings.Froman earlyage,she appreciated

the importanceof family;in fact,to her,

familywas everything.Lori formedan imme-

diate,unbreakablebondwithhersister,

watchingoverher,actingas her confidante

and mentor,and becomingher bestfriend

for life.She excelledin school,particularly

in mathematics,and followedin her father’s

footstepsby attendingtheUniversityof

Michigan,AnnArbor(UMich).Whilethere,

LoriearnedaBachelorof Artsdegreein

MathematicalSciencesand wasamember

of its cyclingteam.Aftergraduatingfrom

UMich,sheearnedaMasterof Science

degreein IndustrialEngineeringfromthe

Universityof Arizona.

In 1995,Lori relocatedto the San Francisco

Bay Areato workas an operationsresearch

analystfor the UnitedStatesGeologicalSur-

vey(USGS). Hercareer withtheUSGS

spannedover20 years,with Loriago-to

personfor mathematicalprobabilitymodel-

DINITZ

DOW

ISAIAHDOWJR.

IsaiahDow,Jr.,known to his familyand

friendssimplyas Ike,passedawayon March

2, 2022afterashort illness.

Ike was bornto Ireneand IsaiahDow,Sr. on

the familyfarmin TX. The familymovedto

Fresno,CAwhen he was eight.

Ike completedhis undergraduatedegreeat

San FranciscoStateUniversity,hereceived

an MBAdegreefromthe Universityof Cali-

forniaBerkeleyin 1972.Ike formedacon-

sultingfirm,DowAssociates,inSan Francis-

co his firmwasone of avery few African

Americanbusinessesoperatingan office

on the famedSutterStreetin San Francis-

co in the seventies.Hemovedhis firm to

Washington,DC in the earlyeightiesand

beganspecializingin commercialbuilding

renovation.

Ike met his wife,Cherylon ablind datein

Washington,DC in 1984.Theywerenearly

inseparablesincemarryingin 1986.Ike en-

joyedall thingsrelatedto beingaDad and a

Grandpa.He lovedreadingWalter Moseley

and Sue Graftonnovels,watchingold west-

ernsand sports,and keepingin touchwith

his lovedonesand businessfriendsacross

the country.

He is survivedby his lovingwife,Cheryl,his

son, AnthonyDow(Sesha)of Mableton,GA,

his daughters,SusanOrndoff(Patrick)of

Bel Alton,MD,and AnnalisaDow of Boston,

MA, his sister,Mary Grant of Fresno,CA, his

brother,Earl Dowof Oakland,CA, his grand-

childrenSequoiaDowand NathanielOrnd-

off and manyniecesand nephews.

The Massof ChristianBurialwill be heldat

St. ColumbaChurch, 7800 LivingstonRoad,

OxonHill, MD on Wednesday,March9th

withthe Rosaryat 10:30a.m.andMass at

11 a.m.

C0979 2x3

Becauseyourloved one served proudly...

Military emblemsare available with death noticesand in-memoriams

To placeanotice call202-334-4122or800-627-1150,ext. 44122

DEATH NOTICE

CARROLL

DOROTHYR. CARROLL

DorothyR. Carrollwasbornon February

24, 1927in Bethesda,Marylandto George

and EdmoniaRhodes.Restingpeacefully,

she enteredintoeternallife on Monday,

February28, 2022.She leavesto mourn

her devoteddaughterPamela;herbe-

lovedgranddaughter,Rachelle,five niec-

es and nephewsand theirfamilies,many

extendedfamilymembersand ahost of

dearfriends.She will be rememberedas

womanof greatfaith,whowas lovedand

respectedby many;she will be deeply

missed.Acelebrationof life will be held on

Saturday,March19 at the Mt. ZionBaptist

Church, 5101 14thStreetNW,Washington,

DC,the viewingwill be at 10 a.m.;the ser-

vice will immediatelyfollowat 11 a.m.For

the moredetailedobituary,pleasereferto

this website:

CHEWNING

JUNES. CHEWNING

On Tuesday,February22, 2022of North-

westWashington,DC.Beloved wife of the

lateBernard“Pete”“Bernie”Chewning;

devotedmotherof PeterChewning(wife,

JoanneYoung)and PamelaChewning-Bra-

vard(husband,Lance);grandmotherof

Kevin Young;greatgrandmotherof Fiona,

Sativaand Dacino.

Memorialservicewill be heldat National

CityChristianChurchin Washington,DC

laterin 2022.

Intermentin the Church’sColumbarium.

In lieuof flowers,contributions may

be madeto: theAlzheimer’sAssocia-

tion,https://act.alz.org/or NationalCity

Christian Church, https://nationalcitycc.

org/4395-2/

Forserviceupdates,and to viewand sign

the familyguestbook,pleasevisit:

CULVER

URSULAA. CULVER(Age92)

UrsulaA. Culverof CobbIsland,MD,died

peacefullyon February16, 2022.Bornin

Dresden,Germanyin 1929,she immigrat-

edfromMunich,GermanytoPoncaCity,

Oklahomato marryRobertCulver.The cou-

ple movedfrequentlydue to Mr.Culver’s

professionin radio and TV.After moving

fromPoncaCity to Pueblo,Colorado;Lin-

coln,Nebraska;andRichmond,VA,the

couplesettledin Washington,DC.Mrs.Cul-

ver workedat aDClaw firm withpolitical

connectionsand an opportunitypresented

itselffor her to join VicePresidentHubert

Humphrey’sstaff.She was the scheduling

secretaryfor all out-of-townappearances.

She attendedthe 1968Democratic Con-

ventionin Chicagowitnessingthe unrest

in the city and the confrontationsbetween

HubertH. Humphreyand SenatorMcCar-

thy supporters.After Humphrey’sloss to

Mr.Nixonin 1968,he decidedto run for

Senate,and Mrs.Culverwentto Minnesota

to workin logisticsand scheduling.Hum-

phreywonthe electionand returnedto

Washington.Mrs.Culverworkedas ase-

nior staffmemberuntilhis deathin 1978.

Thereaftershe was the Comptrollerfor the

democraticNationalCommitteeandre-

tiredin 2019to be drawn backinto politics

by SenatorPaul Sarbanesas FieldRepre-

sentativefor SouthernMaryland.In 2003

Mrs.Culverretiredand enjoyedthe rest of

her dayson CobbIsland,MD.

Mrs.Culveris survivedby her nieceTraudl

Fuchs(Helmut)and numerousgrandnieces

and greatgrand niecesand nephews.

Funeral serviceswill be held at alater date.