Alvin M. Alson, 94, died Monday evening, January 30, 2017 at Laurel Lake Nursing Center in Lee, Massachusetts.
Alvin Alson was born in New York, N.Y., on July 19, 1922 to Katie and Dave Alson. Raised in Manhattan, he liked to say, “I came out of the womb when Tutankhamen came out of the tomb.”
Alvin’s first love was his wife, Beatrice, to whom he was married for more than 40 years. She encouraged him to paint and express himself artistically. Together, they had their beloved daughter Naomi. His second true love was the city of New York. He grew up playing in the American Museum of Natural History and in later years joined The Art Students League, where he made wonderful sculptures and carvings.
Alvin graduated from Stuyvesant High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from NYU. Always a strong supporter of public education, he taught Industrial Arts at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn, New York, for more than 40 years. There he was able to reach children who were not academically oriented. For him, teaching machine shop, woodworking, and mechanical drawing was more than a job; it was a passion. He worked with his hands and his eyes, always learning. Alvin spent summers repairing and refinishing furniture for Sotheby‘s and building scale models for I.M. Pei. He was recognized for the quality of his work. During WWII, he was a foreman of a machine shop, creating machinery for the military. Alvin continued to learn, teach, and create art well into his 90s.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Katie and Dave, his wife, Beatrice, and his brother, Jack. Alvin is survived by his daughter Naomi Alson, of South Lee, Mass., his grandson Miles Ketchum of Worcester, Mass., his sister, Violet Black, of Queens, N.Y., his brother Eli Alson of Chicago, Ill., and many nieces and nephews.
He will be remembered as a loving and gentle father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend who listened and smiled more than he spoke. He will be deeply missed.
A service will be held for Alvin Alson at 11 a.m. Sunday, February 5th, at Ahavath Sholom Cemetery on Blue Hill Road in Great Barrington.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to The Art Students League through FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to his family go to www.finnertyandstevens.com
