Gary Keith McCurry, alumnus and faculty member in the interior design program, passed away on Jan. 1. He was 79.

McCurry was born in Fresno on Feb. 13, 1946 and graduated from Clovis High School. Shortly after graduating, he was drafted into the armed services and served as a medic for four years. Returning home, he enrolled at Fresno City College to earn an associate's degree in liberal arts before transferring to Fresno State, where he earned a bachelor's in commercial art in 1974 and a master's in interior design in 1977. He then spent three years conducting advanced research in interior design at the University of Missouri, Columbia, while teaching at William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri and San Francisco State University. He also held faculty positions at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

In 1985, McCurry accepted a professorship at Fresno State, teaching interior design in the industrial arts department within the School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (now the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology). In 1995, the program moved to the School of Art, Design and Art History in the College of Arts and Humanities.

During his professional career, McCurry was a prolific presenter, designer and researcher with a passion for the power of creativity and a drive to teach others to find their own inner designer.

“Design is a systematic process of problem solving. Design is evaluated by functions, structure, aesthetics, place and time, accessibility and responsibility. Good design pays attention to details. Design impacts the totality of our existence. Design establishes historical precedent and strives to encourage future possibilities. Design produces an archaeological record of socialization and culture. Design is basic to our longing for order and validity. Design and aesthetics are not limited to select populations. Design transforms an object into something that is memorable and worthwhile. Design transports our spirits and acknowledges our dreams. We are all designers." - McCurry, in his curriculum vitae.

A U.S. veteran, McCurry designed the Veterans Peace Memorial between the gym and free speech area at Fresno City College. When it was dedicated in 1993, it was the tallest war memorial in California and honored the veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

McCurry left Fresno State in 1996 to become a professor and the interior design program coordinator at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He spent the final years of his life in Fresno, near friends and family. View the online obituary here.