Kerr Eby (1889–1946) was born in Tokyo to Canadian missionary parents who brought their family back home a few years after his birth. Eby left Canada for New York City in 1907 and studied art at the Pratt Institute and later at the Art Students League there. He spent several summers (from 1913 to 1917) at the artist colony in Cos Cob, Connecticut. His specialty was draftsmanship, including not only drawing but also etching and lithography, and he was recognized as a master printmaker. His friend, artist John Taylor Arms (1887–1953), whose own printmaking abilities are often considered to be unsurpassed, cited Eby for his technical versatility and brilliance, claiming that his works were “some of the finest prints and drawings produced by an American artist.” The American Impressionist artist Childe Hassam (1859–1935), who turned to etching in 1915, was guided by the younger Eby in mastering the medium. (Both Arms and Hassam are also represented in the Hillstrom Collection.)
Eby’s maternal uncle was Frederick Keppel Sr., a leading and influential art dealer in New York at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries who had played a key role in introducing prints as a fine art form to America. The Keppel Gallery, not surprisingly, assisted Eby in his career. In addition to this encouragement and support that Eby received for his printmaking, his early work experience was also important for his development as an artist. In his youth in Canada, he worked for a newspaper as a “printer’s devil” (a young apprentice in a printing establishment who handled printing type and was called a “devil” because of generally being covered with black printing ink), and he later held a position at the American Lithographic Company, experiences that attuned him to the printing process.
There were 2,681 applications for admission in the matriculating Class of 2009.
Head coach Kari Eckheart and the Gustavus volleyball swept the University of Dubuque and Cornell College 3-0 to conclude the MIAC-IIAC Border Battle with a 4-0 record in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The Gusties defeated Dubuque by the scores of 26-24, 25-7, 25-18 and Cornell 25-21, 25-15, 25-10. Libero Emily Klein (Sr., Red Wing, Minn.) was named to the eight-member all-tournament team as Gustavus improved to 20-3 overall.
The Gustavus football team had 122 rushing yards and 192 passing yards as the Gusties defeated Pacific Lutheran University 24-14 at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, Wash. on Saturday afternoon. Head coach Jay Schoenebeck's squad ran 85 plays as Gustavus held the ball for nearly 37 minutes compared to 56 plays in 23 minutes for the Lutes. Gustavus improved its overall record to 3-2, while Pacific Lutheran fell to 1-3.
The Gustavus men's soccer team stayed unbeaten in the month of October with a 2-0 win in St. Peter on Saturday afternoon. The Gusties recorded two goals late in the match to claim the victory. Brett VanderStreek gave the team a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 80th minute and then Max Malmquist extended the lead to 2-0 with a goal in the 85th minute. Luke Strom recorded the shutout win in the nets for Gustavus. The Gusties improved to 10-2-1 overall and 6-1-0 in the MIAC.
