Viktor Turns 99

Party at Cleveland Institute of Art honors his life and legacy

Viktor Schreckengost turned 99 on June 26, 2005. Always up for a party, Viktor and his wife Gene greeted about sixty people at a celebration at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) in Cleveland, Ohio, where Viktor started the nation’s first Industrial Design department in the 1930s.

The party was attended by several family members, close friends, CIA faculty and staff, former students, admirers of Viktor’s work and representatives of the Cleveland art scene. Several recipients of the Viktor Schreckengost Distinguished Teaching Award, a commendation given annually by the Cleveland Institute of Art, were also in attendance. A mini-exhibition of Schreckengost works surrounded guests, who at one point in the celebration lifted their champagne glasses in honor of Viktor. Chip Nowacek, Executive Director of the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation, gave a "stewardship report" of Foundation activities, which include educating the public about Viktor’s role in shaping 20th century art and design; cataloguing Viktor’s extensive works and making them available to the public; and furthering art and design education through curricula and scholarships. Foundation Director Richard McClellan announced the upcoming Viktor Schreckengost National Centennial Exhibition. These announcements found warm reception among the intimate circle of guests, many of whom have offered enthusiastic support of Foundation activities and goals in the past.