William Raymond Osmun ’43

William Raymond Osmun ’43 died September 8, 2012, at his home on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington. Bill was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and after attending local schools, graduated from Lawrenceville Academy. At Dartmouth he majored in history and was active with the Dartmouth Players. In December 1942 Bill joined the Army Air Force and served in the Pacific theater as a cryptographer. After his military discharge Bill studied at Yale, receiving an M.F.A. in art history in 1948. He then went to London, studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London and received his Ph.D. in art history. Returning to the United States, Bill became a curator with the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York. In 1957 he moved to California to become a curator for the Los Angles County Museum of Art. He was a prime mover in acquiring a new building for the museum. He loved encouraging young artists, visited them in their studios and arranged exhibits for them. While in Los Angles he met and married Eugenia. They lived in Santa Monica until Bill’s retirement in 1988, when they moved to Bainbridge Island. Bill was an avid reader and also had an encyclopedic memory of many things, especially art. He and Eugenia also enjoyed ballet and theater. He was often called a true gentleman with style and wit. Bill is survived by Eugenia, children Tatyana, Martha and Peter and six grandsons.