Columbia College professor was a talented artist, teacher

COLUMBIA — As an artist he worked with Thomas Hart Benton and Fred Shane. As a teacher he inspired more than 10,000 budding artists studying at Columbia College. Friends and family remember Sidney Larson as a man who taught them many things, not only about art, but also about life.

“He was a very creative thinker, and he wasn’t just an artist,” said Linda Phillips, one of Larson’s former students. “He just really liked sharing his knowledge.”

Mr. Larson died at his home Thursday, May 21, 2009. He was 85.

Mr. Larson was born June 16, 1923. Growing up, Mr. Larson developed a close bond with one of his cousins, Marian Olovitch. He was five years older than she, but he never made fun of her.