Harrison McIntosh Turns 100 - A Special Day

It is rare that a genealogical blog, steeped in the past, has the opportunity to celebrate a living family member whose past, whose life and whose present has brought renown to the family.  This is the focus of today’s posting, where we celebrate the One Hundredth Birthday of Harrison McIntosh, our famous California ceramic artist.

Those of you who have followed the family relationships will remember the recent posts in which I discussed the courtship and 1913 wedding of Harry McIntosh and Jesusita (Hess) Coronado, the eldest daughter of Marion & Louisa Coronado.

The newly married couple settled in Vallejo where Harry worked as a musician and then for the Sperry Flour Company.  Two sons were born to the young couple, Harrison (born: 11 Sep 1914) and Robert (born: 11 Mar 1916).  Both sons would grow up and mature professionally in Vallejo, Stockton and the Los Angeles area to become internationally known artists.  Harrison would concentrate on ceramic arts while Robert would become a portrait, landscape and movie animation artist.

Today cousin Harrison is celebrating his 100^th Birthday.[1]  I send my best wishes to him and wish him many more years.[2]

We visited Harrison four years ago at his home in southern California and toured his former home and studio in Padua Hills in Claremont, California.  Although his eyesight is fading, his alertness and memory are as sharp as a youngster.

As a testament to his life and professional career I have assembled photos[3] that show Harrison over the years.

Brothers Robert & Harrison McIntosh - 1926 (Photo Credit: James Coronado)

Juanita Coronado (wife of James), Hess, Harrison, Harry, Juanita Coronado (daughter of Juanita on the left), Robert - 1926 (Photo Credit: James Coronado)

Family Photo - Harry McIntosh, Hess, Harrison, Louisa Coronado (grandmother of Harrison & Robert), Robert - 1941 (Photo Credit: James Coronado)

Harrison McIntosh applies brush work to a large bowl in his studio in Claremont, CA - 1953

Harrison McIntosh at his potter's wheel - 1966 (Photo Credit: Sam Calder)

Harrison McIntosh in his studio - 1977

Harrison McIntosh in his Padua Hills studio - 1992 (Photo Credit: Marguerite McIntosh)

Harrison McIntosh in his retrospective exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in 2010  (Photo Credit: Catherine McIntosh)

Harrison McIntosh celebrates his upcoming 100th Birthday with his wife Marguerite at a family lunch in Claremont, CA in August 2014  (Photo Credit: Catherine McIntosh)

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[1] Harrison’s brother, Robert, passed away in 2010 at the age of 94.

[2] The American Museum of Ceramic Art, in conjunction with the Claremont Museum of Art, is presenting a special exhibition, HM100: A Century through the life of Harrison McIntosh, from September 13 to October 26, 2014.  For information: http://www.amoca.org/hm100/

[3] Photos assembled with the assistance of his daughter, Catherine McIntosh.