The College mourns the loss of Thomas R. Aprile, sculptor and associate professor in the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History, who died suddenly at home during the night of September 23rd, 2010.

Tom received a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1976 and an MFA from Syracuse University in 1978. He taught at the University of Oklahoma, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, Nigeria, before coming to Iowa in 1982. He spent three years teaching at the UI before moving to New York City, where he worked at the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education Program.

In 1995, Tom returned to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UI. His goal was to be able to build on the tradition of excellence at Iowa and, from the time of his arrival, worked hard at restoring the sculpture area to its previous national reputation.

Tom was a passionate voice and presence for excellence in teaching and the world of sculpture. He loved teaching and was generous in sharing his knowledge of both traditional and contemporary art forms; his Figure Modeling class was always well attended and appreciated as a touchstone to the classical world.

Tom showed his work at numerous one-person exhibitions in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles and was included in group exhibitions across the country. He was the recipient of several honors, including two Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowships, a New York Foundation Fellowship, and a Fulbright Grant to Nigeria.

In addition to his wife, Laura Young, Mr. April will be missed by his stepsons Tim and Kevin Murphy, his nieces and nephew Lena and Sam Aprile and Christine and Jamie Aprile, his brothers James and Gary Aprile, as well as his many dear friends, colleagues and students. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service will be held at the Studio Arts Building on Saturday, November 6, at 3:30 P.M. The Studio Arts Building is located west of the Iowa River on at 1375 Highway 1 West, in the old Menards building.