In Memoriam Remembering Chouinardians and CalArtians who have recently passed
Paul Edwards ’37, a Chouinard graduate who created the Emporia State mascot, Corky the Hornet, died on March 9. He was 103.
Chouinard alumnus Robert “Bob” Givens ’53 passed away in December at the age of 99. Givens was an animator whose celebrated career touched many of the milestones in 20th century animation—from Walt Disney’s Snow White, to the first Bugs Bunny cartoon, to Hanna-Barbera’s Quick Draw McGraw. A graduate of Alhambra High School here in Los Angeles, Givens worked as a freelance artist for a year before joining the Walt Disney Studio, which encouraged him to enroll at Chouinard. Later, Givens joined Warner Bros., where he worked alongside animation legends such as Chuck Jones and Tex Avery, who in 1940 asked Givens to review designs of a new character—a grey rabbit that was coming across as “too cute.” Givens would go on to create the first design of Bugs Bunny, one of the most iconic characters in American history. William “Bud” Luckey, a Chouinard alumnus who was credited with the design of Woody from Toy Story, has died at age 83. Luckey was an artist and performer whose career spanned more than four decades. Luckey served during the Korean War and used his G.I. Bill benefits to attend Chouinard. During the 1960s, he worked for a San Francisco ad agency, working with memorable characters such as Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and the Peanuts gang. He won a Clio Award in 1966. During this time, he worked with Charles Schulz and Bill Melendez, Rocky & Bullwinkle creator Alex Anderson, Jim Henson, and Don Hadley, a lifelong friend with whom Luckey co-created numerous Sesame Street shorts. He founded Luckey-Zamora animation company in the early 70s, which became the Bay Area’s largest toon studio for more than a decade.
Luckey would later join Pixar, where CEO and CalArts alumnus, John Lasseter ’79, described him as “one of the unsung heroes of animation.” Luckey won an Annie Award and an Academy Award nomination for the Pixar short Boundin’, which he wrote and directed, and for which he also composed the music and performed as the solo singer/narrator. Luckey would go on to design beloved Pixar characters for A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and two more Toy Story adventures. CalArts alumnus and playwright, Albert Innaurato Theater/Dance BFA ’71, passed away last fall. Innaurato had significant success as a playwright early in his 20s with a Broadway hit, Gemini, running for more than four years and more than 1,800 performances. He was 70. Michael Metcalfe ’68 Chouinard Joyce Kjarsgaard ’69 Chouinard Dennis Lewis ’71 Chouinard Frank Stone, Chouinard Tim Winship ’74 Art BFA Shoshannah Shoshannah ’79 Music BFA Judith Lausten ’87 MFA Art
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