Simon, Walter Augustus, 1916-1979

Walter Augustus Simon (1916-1979), African American artist and professor of art, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a graduate of the Pratt Institute and the National Academy of Design. During World War II, he served with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Simons earned his bachelors degree in 1948, his master's degree in 1950, and his doctorate in art history in 1961, all at New York University. He taught art at Atlanta University, Georgia State College, Virginia State University, Patterson State College, the California Institute of the Arts, Bloomsburg State College, and Virginia Union University. From 1961-1969, Simon served as an assistant cultural affairs officer with the US Information Agency in Egypt and as a cultural affairs officer in Afghanistan and Ceylon. He was married to Virginia Spottswood Simons and they had two daughters and a son. Simon died August 28, 1979.