[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 12 (Wednesday, February 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           TRIBUTE TO TOM LEA

                                 ______


                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 1994

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join the El Paso Museum of 
Art, the University of Texas at El Paso, and the Adair Margo Gallery in 
paying tribute to Tom Lea. His work as an artist and author is renown 
throughout the world. I recently had the opportunity to view his art 
featured in the permanent collection at the Pentagon, for example.
  On February 19, 1994, the community of El Paso will honor Tom Lea 
with a reception and dinner inaugurating the exhibition ``Dignity 
Beyond Borders: The Art of Tom Lea.'' I would like to include in the 
Record a brief history of Tom Lea prepared for the exhibit:

       Over the last 50 years Tom Lea, 82, has become well known 
     as a World War II artist-correspondent for Life magazine, a 
     muralist, painter, historian, and novelist. A realist, Lea 
     has painted scenes of the American Southwest, Australian 
     ranches, Indians, pioneers, battle scenes and portraits to 
     include portraits of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Madam 
     Chiang.
       Lea's father, Tom Lea II came to El Paso in 1901 and became 
     the borderland's most famous trial lawyer. He served as mayor 
     of El Paso while the Mexican Revolution was in progress. 
     Pancho Villa put a price of a thousand gold pesos on his head 
     in retaliation for the mayor threatening the Mexican outlaw 
     with arrest if found in El Paso. As a result, young Tom and 
     his brothers were escorted to school by an armed guard. Young 
     Lea observed the Mexican Revolution from the slopes of Mt. 
     Franklin. He saw Mexicans shooting each other and dying in 
     the streets of Juarez. General John J. Pershing, then 
     stationed at Fort Bliss, was a family friend who often 
     visited the Lea home.
       Tom Lea started drawing at the age of three. Art has always 
     been his first impulse. His father wisely encouraged him to 
     attend the Chicago Art Institute after his graduation from El 
     Paso High School in the early 1920s. Lea also gives credit 
     for his inspiration to his high school art teacher Gertrude 
     Evans, and to El Paso librarian Maude S. Sullivan who had 
     built up a fine collection of books on art and art history.
       While studying at the Chicago Art Institute, Lea spent many 
     hours in the Ryerson Library taking advantage of the wealth 
     of art books there. As an art student in Chicago Lea 
     developed a dislike for Bohemianism and artiness which has 
     remained with him. His skill with pencil, pen and brush 
     attracted the attention of a great Chicago muralist John 
     Norton. Lea became his student, assistant, and protege. He 
     married a fellow art student, Nancy Taylor. With money earned 
     from a commission to design murals for the refurbishing of 
     the Chicago ``College Inn'' the Leas were able to travel and 
     study art in Paris, France and Florence, Italy. In Florence 
     Lea was greatly impressed and influenced by the works of 
     Delacroix and Piero della Francesca.
       Soon after returning from Europe, the Leas moved from 
     Chicago to New Mexico where they built a one-room adobe 
     house/studio in the mountains outside Santa Fe. Lea got work 
     as a staff artist for the Laboratory of Anthropology. Life 
     was not easy but they enjoyed their life among the pinions 
     and cedars. Later they moved to El Paso where Nancy died in 
     1936 from complications from an appendectomy.
       Lea began to get mural commissions through the Federal 
     government's Fine Arts program. His murals are in buildings 
     such as the Washington, D.C. Post Office Department; the 
     United States Court House building, El Paso, Texas; Post 
     Office buildings in St. Louis, Missouri and San Antonio, 
     Texas.
       In 1938 Lea married the former Sarah Dighton Beane, a woman 
     who through the years in her own rights and through her own 
     works has greatly enhanced the quality of life in El Paso. 
     Tom and Sarah Lea have one son, Jim Lea. In 1947, Lea painted 
     a full size portrait on Sarah titled ``Sarah in the 
     Summertime''. This portrait hangs in the Lea home.
       Lea did illustrations for books and magazines collaborating 
     with two men, Carl Hertzog and J. Frank Dobie, who 
     became close friends. Illustration work has become an 
     important part of Lea's career.
       In 1941, Lea was commissioned by ``Life'' magazine to do a 
     series of portraits of American soldiers. He became actively 
     involved in World War II traveling over one hundred thousand 
     miles in the next four years. His combat scenes showed his 
     empathy with the American fighting man and his understanding 
     of the hellishness of the battlefield. Of the 200 paintings 
     that ``Life'' presented to the War Department from nine 
     artists, the greatest number were by Lea. He spent time with 
     the United States forces in England, North Africa, Italy, and 
     China. He spent time on the aircraft carrier Hornet just 
     before it was sunk and was with the assault wave of the first 
     Marines on the island of Peleliu.
       After the war ``Life'' commissioned Lea to another 
     assignment on the beef cattle industry. This assignment took 
     him into Mexico where he became interested in the ``toros de 
     lidia'' or fighting bulls. From this interest came the 
     portrait of the great Spanish matador Manolete an other works 
     such as the crayon and pastel, ``Toro Caliente''; oil on 
     canvas ``Unloading the First Cattle in North America, Vera 
     Cruz, 1521'' and his first novel ``The Brave Bulls,'' a best 
     seller, and made into a movie in the 1950s. Other novels 
     followed: ``The Wonderful Country,'' made into a movie; ``The 
     Hands of Cantu''; and ``The Primal Yoke.'' There was also a 
     two-volume illustrated history of the King Ranch. Several of 
     these dozen novels were translated into other languages.
       For the last 30 years Tom Lea has portrayed scenes of the 
     Southwest; Indians, Mexicans, Spaniards, and Anglos.
       He makes his home and studio in El Paso at the foot of the 
     Franklin Mountains which has been an inspiration to him all 
     of his life.

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