Casimer Michalczyk Mastered Art of Carving Images in Stone

Casimer Michalczyk, the sculptor who mastered the fine art of hand carving letters and intricate images in stone and metal, died peacefully at Hartford Hospital's Conklin Hospice Saturday, April 16. He was 90.

He had suffered a stroke on April 7 and never regained consciousness.

Mr. Michalczyk summered on the Vineyard for more than 50 years, plying his craft from a small yellow studio at the entrance to the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs. His work can be seen across the Island, from the memorial to Steven Carey Luce at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital to the memorial plaque at the Tabernacle.

Mr. Michalczyk also was known for his gravestone carving.

A meticulous artist, he always made his own tools and had a respect for history and for the ancient techniques of the craft that informed his work. His tombstones are austere and elegant, with impeccably stark lettering, reminiscent of the New England cemeteries of the late 17th century. They can be found in cemeteries across the country.

"Where would we be with music today if the hard work of getting the sense and feeling of chords, and the history of music, were all thrown overboard? It's the same way with art," he told the Gazette in 1972.

Casimer Michalczyk was born in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield on Sept. 7, 1914, the son of Stanley and Sophia (Baron) Michalczyk. His career as an artist and sculptor spanned more than 60 years, beginning while he was a teenager at Classical High School and assisting with exhibits and murals at the Springfield Museum. After graduation he enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design, apprenticing at the John Stevens Shop in Newport, R.I., where he learned memorial carving in stone in the American Colonial style.

He was graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1938 with honors, and then studied sculpture at the Yale University School of Art in New Haven. While there, he met and married Katherine (White) Michalczyk, also a sculpture student; they had two children, Michael and Stephanie. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree in 1940.

Mr. Michalczyk then accepted a year-long post as head of the sculpture department at Iowa State University, but left shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor to take a job as a draftsman at Pratt, Read Co. in Ivoryton, where pianos were replaced by glider production. He then spent the next 25 years at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Conn., working as a sculptor with design engineers. He fashioned precise replicas of engine parts in plaster and plastic, making more than 1,000 wind tunnel models and other prototypes. His work included a mock-up of the Project Apollo engine that carried American astronauts.

Mr. Michalczyk first came to the Vineyard with his family in June 1950, camping at the old Webb's Camping Area for several summers. They then rented a cottage in the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs for 14 summers before finally purchasing their home at 8 Forest Circle, also in the Camp Ground.

In 1980 he designed the Oak Bluffs centennial medallion, which on one side depicts the gazebo in Ocean Park with a concert and dance in full swing; the other side depicts the wood-burning locomotive Active pulling away from the dock with a paddle-wheeler steamboat in the background.

"It's physical control, the mind controlled by practice and physical control. You get it by practice, the same as in sports. When you get it you allow other forms and expressions to be included in your work. Unless you get that control to come smoothly, it won't work," he told the Gazette in 1980 while developing the Oak Bluffs medal.

"It's not a job for a job's sake. You may not get so much in financial rewards, but you get a hell of a lot more out of life. It's too bad all this concern about jobs excludes outside considerations."

When not on the Island, Mr. Michalczyk lived in Glastonbury, Conn. He designed and carved inscriptions at schools, libraries, hospitals and public buildings, including Trinity College, the University of Hartford, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Yale University. In 1972 and 1973 he restored the full size original model for the Genius of Connecticut that stands in the Capitol. In 1978 he created a restoration of the Justice figure that capped Hartford's Old State House for 149 years.

He was a recipient of the Governor's Arts Award in June 2002.

He was predeceased by his wife in October 2003.

He is survived by his son and daughter, Michael Michalczyk and Stephanie Michalczyk, of Glastonbury, Conn.

A memorial service will be held at a future date. Gifts in his memory may be made to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements were handled by the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home in Glastonbury.