Select Page

57584a3d8cb70Alumnus art major Mark Gruenwald ’75, is remembered far beyond the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus. In his career, he was one of the major creative forces for Marvel Comics in New York–beginning as an assistant editor and advancing to chief executive editor and editor-in-chief of the Fantastic Four and Avenger titles.

In 1996, Gruenwald died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Following Gruenwald’s death, a UW Oshkosh scholarship was developed by family and friends to help support students in the visual arts, creative writing, theater, media, dance, and other creative and artistic paths of study.

On Tuesday, June 14, a 20 year tribute event will be held in honor of Gruenwald at 6 p.m. in New York City at the Space Ibiza New York to help raise funds for the UW Oshkosh scholarship. Initial contributions to the endowment included $10,000 from the Comics Magazine Association of America–and the goal of the event is to build the fund.

“It was Mark’s interdisciplinary nature that inspired the original scholarship. Family, friends and colleagues have given generously to this endowment with the hope that his creative spirit will live on to encourage and guide future generations of students in the arts,” said Barbara Beuscher ’99, associate vice chancellor for development at UW Oshkosh.

While at UW Oshkosh, Gruenwald was involved in not only the visual arts, but also writing, musical composition, choreography and radio drama. He also served as associate art director on the film Exit Dying and was a writer and artist for the Advance-Titan student newspaper, where he is best noted for the comic strip Augmento. In addition to his work with the A-T, on campus Gruenwald could be found almost any night of the week painting in the art studios, working with the UW Oshkosh Modern Dance Club or collaborating with colleagues in the music practice rooms on his latest rock opera.

Learn more: