In 1932, Andy had his first experience at school. At the age of four, he was unusually young but his mother insisted that he was old enough. Unfortunately, he was hit by an older girl and when his brother, Paul, went to retrieve him, he discovered that he had run all the way home on his own. Andy did not want to go to school. At the age of six, they tried and again it resulted with a bad experience. A neighbor had to physically carry him kicking and screaming to be in the first grade at Holmes Elementary School. Soon after that he became ill with a condition called St. Vitus Dance and scarlet fever. After a long period of convalescing in bed he finally started school in 1934 at the of seven. It was the 2nd grade and his teacher was Miss Catherine Metz. She remembered him fondly as a shy, delicate boy who liked to draw.
HOLMES ELEMENTARY and SCHENLEY HIGH
Catherine Metz - 2nd grade school teacher at Holmes Elementary
Mary Adeline McKibbin - high school art teacher at Schenley High
Joseph Fitzpatrick - legendary art teacher at Schenley High and the Tam O’Shanter Art classes
FACULTY at CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 1945-49
English Department
Art Department
FRESHMAN YEAR 1945-46
Roy Hilton ‘Drawing’
Robbie Robinson ‘Drawing’
Mrs. Edmunds ‘Design’
Kermit “Bucky” Ewing ‘Design’
Wilfrid Readio ‘Color’
Gladys Schmidt ‘Writing and Thinking’
Raymond Parshall ‘Art and Writing’
Dr. Norman Dawes ‘Art and Civilization’
SOPHOMORE YEAR 1946-47
Bill Libby ‘Drawing’
Papa Hyde ‘Drawing’
Kermit “Bucky” Ewing ‘Design’
Sam Rosenberg ‘Painting’
JUNIOR YEAR 1947-48
Majors declared ‘Painting and Design’ ‘Industrial Design’ ‘Education’
Howard Worner ‘Illustration’
Robert Lepper ‘Design’
Sam Rosenberg ‘Painting’
Dr. James Klee ‘Psychology in Art’
Wilfrid Readio ‘Graphic Arts-Printing’
SENIOR YEAR 1948-49
Sam Rosenberg ‘Painting’
Robert Lepper ‘Design’
Balcomb Greene ‘Painting’
It should be noted that Russell Twiggs also worked for the art department. Though he was not a teacher, he was an important person to the department. He organized student art that was to be critiqued each semester by the faculty. The critiques happened on an official day known as ‘Judgement Day.’ Every student’s art would be lined up and stamped on the back with a Carnegie Institute of Technology stamp noting the day of critique. The faculty would discuss each student’s progress. Russell Twiggs was a fine painter in his own right and he was inspirational to many students including Andy.
His wife, Loreen was the secretary to the head of the department. She befriended Andy during his freshman year and this friendship would play a very important role in Andy’s future. At the end of his freshman year the faculty decided that Andy Warhola was not up to the standard of the department and that he should be flunked. Mrs. Loreen Twiggs was the only person who went before the faculty to tell them that they were terribly mistaken and that they should allow him to at least come back for the summer. She said, “He is being overwhelmed by these veterans…he needs the time and space to show how talented he is!” They agreed to give him another chance.
Russell Twiggs also recognized Andy’s early talents. He saved many of his early student works and later donated them to the Carnegie Museum.