Robert L. Doremus

Local commercial illustrator Robert Doremus dies

By Kathleen Barran / The Citizen

Monday, January 18, 2010 11:58 PM EST

Commercial illustrator Robert L. Doremus, 96, of Union Springs, passed away peacefully on Sunday, leaving behind a legacy of art and the story it tells about him.

Doremus' work appeared in hundreds of publications, textbooks, posters and educational materials. His daughter, Sara “Sally” Doremus Otis, read Bob's own account of his career in “Something About the Author, Vol. 3,” a 1987 reference book of artists' maps, pictures and illustrations.

“Dad was so proud to be in the book,” Otis said.

In it he tells how his babysitter taught him painting, sparking his interest in art when he was six years old.

“I only wished my parents would go out so the class would start,” he said in the book. He first painted a puppy on a canvas made from an old window shade. It was painted in a box to hide the legs so he wouldn't have to paint them.

“The smell of the paint and the plain white surface of the canvas drove me wild,” he said in the book.

When Doremus graduated from Pratt Institute in 1936, the Great Depression was in full swing. Illustrator Nicholas Riley rescued him by inviting him into his studio to help with errands, teaching him artistic principles in return. Doremus then became a commercial illustrator.

Otis said her father really wanted to be a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II, but at 6 feet1 inch, he was one inch too tall. Instead, he worked as a photo lab technician.

After the war, he returned to Union Springs to illustrate children's books. He used people in town as models for drawings, Otis said, photographing them, then drawing them from the photos. His wife Janet provided props and clothing.

Doremus said his experience in developing and processing helped him as an illustrator.

“If your work is realistic,” he said in the book, “photography is a must,”

He continued his black-and-white illustrations for book ads in the New York TImes which helped him get jobs.

Otis remembered how hard her father worked at the detail in his drawings.

“For a coloring book he wanted to make the train look just right,” she said, even though children go through such books quickly.

But because Doremus was self-employed, it was stressful to finish a job and wait for the phone to ring.

“If young artists came to speak to him,” she said, “he would tell them to choose another career. He always admired people who worked for a company that had benefits.”

When he got older, he followed the doctor's advice. One day, one of his grandchildren wrote on a piece of paper, “Grandpa, have you walked today?”

He took that as his prescription, Otis said, and walked two miles a day well into his final years.

Carla Jones, librarian at Springport Library, knew Doremus for 23 years and remembers him as a people person.

“He was a very friendly, nice guy,” Jones said. “You could see him walking on the main street, and he would stop and talk to people. When he talked to you he would pay attention and it was an unforgettable experience.”

Jones said four of Doremus' paintings hang in the library's children's corner, including a painting of the USS Enterprise, from “Star Trek.”

“He was very proud of his grandchildren,” she said. “Bob is going to be sorely missedROBERT L. DOREMUS

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Union Springs - Robert L. Doremus peacefully passed away Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 at Mercy Rehabilitation Facility. He was born June 3, 1913 in Union Springs, the son of Garrett LaVern and Grace Jones Doremus and resided there for most of his life. He was a graduate of Union Springs High School class of 1932. In the 1920s and 1930s, he studied as an apprentice to local artist Frank Barney as they worked outdoors painting landscapes. Mr. Doremus attended Pratt Institute in 1936 and received a degree in pictorial illustration and was valedictorian of his major. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corp (8th Air Force) in the field of photography from 1943 to 1945 attaining the rank of corporal. Mr. Doremus began his career as a commercial illustrator in 1936 in NYC with book ads for the New York Times and Herald Tribune. Following his duty in World War II he relocated to Union Springs and shifted his focus to books aimed at children. His credits include a great number of children's readers and histories, textbooks, posters, film strips, coloring books, activity books, and career education packages for elementary schools. People across America growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s may remember him for his work in text books or the more than 100 children's books as well as activity books based on their favorite television shows such as 'Get Smart,' 'Convoy,' and 'Bonanza.' His most memorable and favorite commercial work was the picture book based on the Walt Disney movie 'Old Yeller.' The subject matter has ranged from scientific material to a whimsical cement mixer named 'Little Max;' from the life of Harry S. Truman, to 'Star Trek' and Dr. Spock. Neighborhood children, adults, pets and local places were the models for many of his illustrations and paintings. After retiring from commercial work, Bob focused on painting acrylic landscapes of his familiar settings such as the Finger Lakes and Myrtle Beach. Portions of his work have been donated and can be viewed at the Springport Library, Union Springs High School, the Frontenac Museum, and the Union Springs Village Office. Bob was very proud of his family and his work and also had a passion for sailing, woodworking, photography, reading and is remembered for his attention to detail. Bob had numerous solo exhibitions to demonstrate his work and received national awards for recognition. Devoted husband to Janet for 57 years until her death, Janet was a diligent partner in research for Bob's work. In his later years, Bob was seen on Cayuga Street in Union Springs walking two miles daily enhancing his quality of life in his ninth decade of life. Robert was a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Surviving is one daughter, Sara 'Sally' Doremus Otis and her husband, Dillwyn, of Aurora; five grandchildren, Gregory M. Otis and his wife, Janet, of Aurora, Benjamin N. Otis and his wife, Kristin, of Portsmouth, N.H., Jesse J. Otis, of North Haven, Conn., Caitlin C. Doremus, of Baltimore, Md., Matthew R. Doremus, of Macon, Ga.; three great-grandsons, Jackson M. Otis, Carter R. Otis and Sullivan M. Otis; one greatgranddaughter, Marlee M. Harris; former daughter-in-law, Ellen Lesley. Mr. Doremus was predeceased by his wife, Janet Davis Doremus, who died in 1998; his son, Malcolm Robert Doremus, who died in 2006; a daughter-in-law, Patricia Codd Doremus, who died in 1994; and infant granddaughters, Gillian Codd Doremus and Elizabeth Codd Doremus. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday Jan. 23, 2010 at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Union

Springs with the Rev. Shelly Pantoliano, the pastor, officiating. Interment will be in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Union Springs. Friends are invited to call from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at the Shakelton Funeral Home, Main Street, Aurora. Expressions of sympathy can be made to the Springport Free Library, Trinity United Church of Christ, or the Frontenac Museum all of Union Springs, NY 13160 Bob will be missed by his family and his many dear friends whom he enjoyed staying in touch with throughout his life

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