Edward T. Vebell (May 25, 1921 – February 9, 2018) was an American fencer and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

Early life

Vebell was born in Chicago, to Lithuanian parents. He attended art school from the age of fourteen.

Sport

Vebell competed in the individual (semi-finalist) and team

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains ...

events at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. Vebell was elected to the US Fencing Hall of Fame in April 2014.

Illustrator

After working as an illustrator in Chicago, Vebell enlisted in the

United States army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He became a staff artist for Stars & Stripes, and was an official courtroom artist for the

Nuremberg war trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

. Many of his Nuremberg works are now in the

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hi ...

. As a professional illustrator and artist, his commissions include work for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

. He also executed commissions for many periodicals, including a long run as Reader's Digest's most popular illustrator.

Later life

After the war, he moved to Westport with his wife, Elsa Cerra. They had three daughters. In February 2018 he was honored by the Westport Historical Society with an autobiographical exhibit that paid homage to his career and achievements. He died on February 9, 2018, aged 96.

Works

References

External links

* * Norman Rockwell Museum,
An Afternoon with Illustration Legend Ed Vebell
, July 2010.
The Curious Case of Ed Vebell: Westport Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vebell, Edward 1921 births 2018 deaths American male épée fencers Olympic fencers for the United States Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Artists from Chicago Sportspeople from Chicago American illustrators World War II artists United States Army artists Fencers at the 1951 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in fencing Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in fencing Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in fencing United States Army personnel of World War II American people of Lithuanian descent