John Kassay (1919 in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

– February 17, 2004, in

San Bruno, California San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to S ...

) was an expert in Shaker and

Windsor furniture Windsor may refer to: Places Australia *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland ** Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

as well as a skilled craftsman, draftsman and photographer. He published "The Book of Shaker Furniture" in 1980 and "The Book of American Windsor Furniture: Styles and Technologies" in 1998.

Early life

John Kassay graduated from North Tarrytown High School in 1938. Kassay earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star while serving in Gen.

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

's Third Army in the

Second World War 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 married Mary Brunner after the war and attended

East Central University East Central University (ECU or East Central) is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Duran ...

(B.A. 1949) and

Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History P ...

in Kansas (M.A. 1950) on the

GI Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. He completed a doctorate in education at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...

in 1970.

Career

Kassay taught industrial arts in junior and senior high schools in Kansas and, for over thirty years, at

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

, where he was professor in the Department of Design and Industry. Kassay taught courses in woodworking technology and construction at San Francisco State, running "probably the finest woodworking program in America" according to Tom McFadden in Cabinet Maker magazine. In 1980, Kassay published "The Book of Shaker Furniture" to wide acclaim. The book featured his own illustrations based on years of research. The book was universally praised for its exquisitely rendered and finely detailed drawings of Shaker furniture. When former President Jimmy Carter received Kassay's book on Shaker furniture in late 1983, he wrote at the bottom of the official typed reply letter: "I've long admired the beautiful simplicity of Shaker furniture and have made several of their pieces myself. Merry Christmas. JC." Kassay later turned his attention to American Windsor furniture and produced an elegant and informative guide to the Windsor style. He continued to lecture and publish on both styles after being awarded emeritus status in 1987. In addition to his books, Professor Kassay also was a frequent contributor to woodworking and industrial arts journals.

References

Works

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kassay, John East Central University alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Pittsburg State University alumni 1919 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American photographers People from Bayonne, New Jersey Artists from New Jersey San Francisco State University faculty Writers from New Jersey