"Bruce and I met In Mexico City(Jun '53) where I was studying for the summer. I saw a car with an AZ plate and stopped traffic and met a friend for a lifetime. That summer we enjoyed the sophistication of Mexico City, drove to Acapulco and Taxco and after lots of fun in the City drove back together to Tucson. We met again in New York City(Jan '57) where I was doing TV work with the Army band. After I was discharged ('58)I returned home and then spent a wonderful summer in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico with Bruce. He did some very good painting there and I have some of them. I then went to teach in Venezuela and kept a good correspondence with Bruce. Pat and I were invited tovisit Bruce and Anne in 'Texas. We learned a lot of Texas from him while there. We hadn't seen each other since them but via the phone we kept close contact with each other. I have 8 of his paintings in my home and as my daughter said---she grew up seeing his work on our walls. Surely I will miss him as will his family and friends but what a joy to have had this friendship for some 62 years.----Oscar-Ernesto Morales"
In loving memory of
Bruce Marshall
December 23, 1929 - May 23, 2015
Austin, TX Bruce Marshall, one of the countrys best known and most published artists, who was also an internationally published writer, died May 23, 2015. He was 85 years old.
In his art, Marshalls subjects ran a broad range from serious to high humor. He is best remembered, however, for his expert portrayal of regional history and heritage, which brought him international recognition and many important commissions.
Among his best known were: The Texas Citizen Soldier for the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia; Ten Historic Texans used as a cover for fifteen million telephone directories by Southwestern Bell; and The Patriot for the Mahler Student Center of Dallas Baptist University.
His honors included two knighthoods from the late Peter II, last king of Yugoslavia, the Order of the White Eagle and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Other titles created specially for him were: Artist of the 65th Legislature from his home state of Texas; Artist in Residence of the Texas Navy from the Texas Navy Association; and National Artist, Confederate States of America from the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Millions enjoyed his art in countless newspapers, magazines, prints and books, including three he both wrote and illustrated, Uniforms of the Republic of Texas and Uniforms of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution and the Men Who Wore Them: 1835-1836, as well as his historical novel, City of Silver. Forty-four of his paintings hang in permanent museum collections, including the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, the Susanna Dickinson Museum, the San Jacinto Monument, and the Alamo.
His work was exhibited in one-man or group shows in a host of galleries, museums and public institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of the History of Man in Brussels, Belgium, and four times in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol. The show he enjoyed most was put on by the University of Arizona, Tucson, in 1972, from which he had dropped out twenty years earlier after being told by a professor he had no talent.
He is listed in Whos Who in American Art and Whos Who in the South and Southwest. Argosy magazine and other publications described him as one of the three contemporary giants of Southwestern art and as the Rembrandt of the West.
Though best known for his art, Marshall was also an award-winning writer for the Houston Post before turning full-time to art, and his free-lance articles, often illustrated with his art, have appeared in many other publications. He was also a highly entertaining speaker, often addressing historical and patriotic groups and schools, illustrating his talks with his paintings.
A fourth generation native of Austin, Marshalls credentials for painting and writing about his region were 24-karat. He grew up on ranches in Texas and Old Mexico, taught to ride and shoot by an uncle who was a Texas Ranger. His studio was a bullet-scarred ranch house that had been his familys homestead since 1857.
Marshall was a Past Commander of the Department of Trans-Mississippi of the Sons of Confederate Veterans as well as Past Commander of the SCV Texas Division and of camps in Houston and Austin; Past President of the reactivated Hoods Texas Brigade Association; and Past President of Scots of Austin. He was an Admiral of the Texas Navy and life-long member of the Former Texas Rangers Association.
He was a descendant of two prominent pioneer Texas families. One great-grandfather was Confederate General John F. Marshall, editor and publisher of the Texas State Gazette, the largest newspaper in antebellum Texas, Chairman of the Texas Democratic party, and commander of the Fourth Texas Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. Another great-grandfather, Robert Eanes, was a donor of the first Eanes School near Austin, the oldest continuously used school in the state.
Marshall is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ann, and three children, Susanne Gregg, Randolph (Randy) Marshall, and Cody Eanes Marshall, and a total of ten grandchildren.
Tributes
"Having known Bruce for more than 20 years, and having served with him on some of his endeavors, I came to know a wonderful man who could reveal both light and dark in ensuring that the right thing was always done. He was a great mentor, adviser, artist, conversationalist and a frank, often painfully blunt man in his assessments. He was not a man who stood on the gray boundaries of uncertainty, but one who could take a stand, and he did. His benevolence was bolstered by a seriousness that was of an ancient breed, as was his determination to weave art that should stand in tribute to his legacy. I regret that I and my loved ones could not pay final respects to him and his wonderful family."
"I only had the privilege of meeting Bruce once. It was at an informal gathering at the Texas Division SCV convention many years ago. I wound up standing next to him. We struck up a conversation and a few moments later introduced ourselves. It took a few minutes before I put two and two together and realized I was talking with the artist whose signed prints were hanging on my walls at home. To this day I recall how friendly and outgoing he was. I am very sorry to hear of his passing."
"A dark day to lose such a talented man! I knew Bruce through my father, Greg Hector, & the SCV/SRT. His beautiful art has decorated our walls my entire life. My children grew up hearing the stories of his paintings. The favorite is whereby their grandfather helped Bruce at his place by holding the Confederate flag for him while Bruce mapped out his design for a cavalry charge. Such a loss for Texas, the art world & his family. Our deepest sympathies & condolences! Todd Hector"
"Sir Bruce and family, although I did not know you really well, it was clear I was in the presence of a man of great nature, passion and appreciation for those who came before us, your art a testimony to that fact....truly a man of talent, taste, and adventure.....you will be missed buy not forgotten......farewell my friend......Vaya Con Dios....Deo Vindice"
"Very sorry the Lyons clan cannot be there for a great man's funeral! Prayers of condolence & consolation go out to all our Marshall Family! With love from Kirk, Brenna, Nathanael, William Wallace, Stuart, Robert, Katherine, Victoria and Alexandra Lyons"
"I always found Bruce to be a wonderful man, ready to help and share his knowledge. His likes will not come again. Texas will miss him. Steve Lucas - Denton"
"The Republic of Texas has lost a great friend and so did we. love Steve and Lyn von Roeder"
"We are so very sorry to hear of Bruce's passing! He was a very kind man and shared a great deal of information about his ancestors and the Eanes Marshall Ranch with us. We used to ride horses in the area before he and his family built a house there. He always made us welcome and we will miss him!"
"To the Marshall family, praying for you during a very difficult time. May God comfort the heart of your family. Let memories bring smile and comfort when you think about the precious times shared with Mr. Bruce Marshall. Shirley Johnson City of Springfield, Mo. Public Works Engineering Division"
"Not only was Admiral Marshall a Texas version of "renaissance man", he was somewhat fearless. At the age of about 80, he rode in the very cramped backseat of my 2 seat, fabric covered vintage aircraft from San Marcos to Galveston to attend a Texas Navy Association meeting. The return night landing when the destination runway lights were non functional was challenging...He never said a word except "Thank you". There aren't many more like him left in Texas. He will be missed. Jerry Patterson"
"We only knew Bruce through his sons. He raised two good men, what more can a father ask? The Vimonts"