Dr. Walter Kelly Hood

Dr. Walter K. Hood was taken Home by his beloved Master, Jesus on August 6, 2013. He was born in Plateau, NC on August 19, 1928. He was the son of the late Maude Rebecca Clay and Charles Arthur Hood, Sr. He was the fifth boy in the family, the 4 full brothers were each Valedictorian of their class! He was preceded in death by his half brother, C. A. Hood, Jr., full brothers, Richard and Herbert. Walter served in the Army as an MP at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan from 1946 to 1948. That was where the war criminals were held during the war crimes trial. The most famous was Hideki Tojo, the prime minister of Japan who Walter guarded several times. While in Japan, Walter came to love the beauty and technique of Oriental art at which he became very adept over the years. When he was studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, he didn’t have time to work on a large painting every day so he started painting in the style of the ancient Chinese masters. Walter taught at Converse College where he met his wife, Liz Welch who was a student there. They were married on July 29, 1967. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Liz and their son David who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. Walter taught and was chairman of the art department of Catawba College from 1971—1990. During his time at Catawba, he completed the 6 panel historical mural for the Salisbury Mall. Shortly after retiring, he completed a 30 year project called the Way of the Cross—a 14 panel mural series that is the Protestant version of the Stations of the Cross. Throughout his career as an artist, he did several other series of murals that are in Glenside, PA and Honolulu, Hawaii. He worked in a great variety of mediums—fresco, water colour, oil, mosaics, egg tempera, and pen and ink. The paintings range in size from miniatures of several inches to 6 foot tall panels. He has many paintings in private collections in the United States and Europe. While at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he was awarded the Cecilia Beaux Portrait prize, the Cresson European Traveling Scholarship, the J. Henry Scheidt Foreign Traveling Scholarship, and the most prestigious of all, the Abbey Fellowship in Mural Painting (Rome Prize) to the American Academy in Rome for 2 years. Visitation & Service: The family will receive friends Tuesday August 13, 2013 at 1st Baptist Church from 11—12 and the funeral will be at 12 with Dr. Kenneth Lance officiating. Interment will be at the VA National Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Rowan County Veterans Honor Guard. Special thanks to his caregivers: Latishea MacClean & Ruby Walter and to his long time friend and doctor, Dr. Demming Ward. Memorials: Donations may be made to AMG International, 6815 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421; or North Hills Christian School, 2970 W. Innes St, Salisbury, NC 28144. Summersett Funeral Home is serving the Hood family. Online condolences may be made to www.summersettfuneralhome.com.

Dr. Walter Kelly Hood

August 19, 1928 - August 6, 2013