Worth, Sol

Sol Worth was born Sol Wishnepolsky on September 19, 1922 in New York City. The son of a dressmaker by the name of Jack Wishnepolsky, very little is known of his life before he began his formal education. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City from 1936 to 1940. Upon graduation from High School with a major concentration in art, he went to the University of Iowa. At Iowa, he majored in painting and sculpture. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1943.

After leaving the University of Iowa, he served in the United States Navy, 1943-1945. He returned to New York and began work for the Goold Studio in still photography and motion pictures. He worked for Goold for seventeen years becoming Vice-President and Creative Director. While at Goold, he entered the New School for Social Research where he took various classes in film production, animation, and editing, 1948-1950.

His scholarly abilities were well recognized during this period as he was granted a Fullbright Lectureship as a Visiting Professor of Documentary Film and Photography, 1956-1957, at the University of Helsinki. Here he produced a documentary film entitled "Teatteri" which was chosen for the permanent collection of the Documentary Film at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This film prompted Gilbert Seldes to invite Worth o the Annenberg School of Communications.

In 1960 he accepted a part time position with the school. In 1964 Worth decided to devote himself to teaching full time. In 1966 he was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 1973 he was named a full Professor. In 1976 he was appointed the first Chair of a newly begun Undergraduate major in Communications. Worth was involved in a wide range of professional organizations. He died of a heart attack on August 27, 1977.