Richard Gompf passed away, “Richard Gompf Endowed Art Scholarship” formed
Richard Gompf generously donated $25,000 to MSUM to establish the “Richard Gompf Endowed Art Scholarship” to be awarded to an Art & Design student with an emphasis in Sculpture or Ceramics. Richard treasured his time at MSUM and went on to impact many students as a high school art teacher. Richard landed his dream job pioneering an arts program teaching pottery, jewelry and art from 1960-1989 at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Additional contributions to this scholarship are welcome.
About Richard Gompf:
Richard Charles Gompf, age 86 passed away January 24, 2014 while visiting family in Naples, Florida after just returning from another global travel adventure … this time to the Amazon.
Richard Charles Gompf was born to L.F. “Andy” and Hattie Gompf on August 3, 1927 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At age two his family moved to Fargo, North Dakota where he grew up and graduated from Fargo Central High School in 1945. He attended and graduated from Moorhead State Teacher’s College in 1949 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art. Richard began teaching elementary school in Grand Forks for two years, moved to St. Louis Park, MN in 1951 where he taught K-12 at Mound Public Schools while attending graduate school at the University of Minnesota. It was during his graduate program when he was introduced to the art of sandcasting jewelry which became the hallmark of his lifelong teaching career. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education in 1954 and returned to Fargo where he taught at Agassiz Middle School for two years. He moved on to Superior State Teacher’s College in Superior, Wisconsin where he taught jewelry at the college level and art to grades 1-9 for three years. As a sideline to teaching, Richard was a model for Sears Roebuck and appeared in many catalogs. In the winter of 1959 Richard relocated to San Francisco, California to pursue his passion in teaching and the art of jewelry in a warmer climate. After substitute teaching for several months, Richard landed his dream job pioneering an arts program teaching pottery, jewelry and art from 1960-1989 at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California. Richard also served as the President of the Upper California Metallurgical Society.
His teaching schedule allowed him to pursue another passion of global travel including adventures throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, and his final trip to the Amazon. While he traveled solo on many of these adventures, his storytelling has captured the attention of family and friends for generations.