Larry Mills, professor emeritus of art at Central College, passed away Thursday in Des Moines. Mills was a faculty member at Central for more than 40 years after joining the college in 1950. Following his retirement in 1993, Mills continued to serve in various roles on campus.
Hired as an instructor for a one-year appointment in 1950, Mills quickly became part of campus life. His artistic talent and quick wit were well known, and throughout the years he contributed many original artworks to the college and surrounding community. He was instrumental in establishing the college’s study abroad program in the Mexican state, the Yucatan, and his contributions to Central’s art department were recognized in 1975 with the creation of the Mills Gallery, named in his honor.
Mills was born in Marshalltown in 1923. He received a B.A. degree from Drake University in 1947, a Master of Fine Arts from University of Georgia in 1950 and completed further graduate work at Columbia University in 1958-59. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1963.
Mills progressed quickly at Central, becoming an assistant professor in 1953, associate professor in 1958 and professor in 1964. During his tenure at the college he presented numerous shows of his own work both on campus and off. Mills’s extensive body of artistic work included drawing, painting and sculpture.
Art was a constant part of his daily routine. In an article about Mills, the late William Wing, Central College professor emeritus of French, writes, “Everywhere he went, he went sketchbook in hand.”
Mills teaches class in 1967.
There is hardly an aspect of college or community life in which Mills did not play a role. In 1955 he visited the Yucatan to explore the possibility of a summer student program. This trip led to the creation of Central’s study abroad program in the Yucatan. In addition to serving on many college committees during his employment, Mills served as chair of the art department, taught courses abroad and assisted with summer Upward Bound programs at Central. He was an active community volunteer, serving with various organizations in Pella.
Those who knew him remember Mills’s deep curiosity and unremitting kindness. Joline De Jong, Central College assistant professor emerita of art, took classes with Mills as a student and then worked with him in the art department until his retirement. “His classes were fascinating,” she says. “As a student, I noticed his interests were so broad, he always had stories to tell about different topics, to get us thinking.”
Mills and wife Evangeline Lubbers had three children, Lisa LaValle ‘74, Marc ’74 and Thad ’77. Evangeline passed away in 1961.
Mills is remembered on campus with the Mills Gallery in the Lubbers Center for Visual Arts, which plays host to student, faculty and visiting artists’ works. In 1997, the ceramic sculpture “Kan Kal” by Des Moines artist David Dahlquist was installed at the front entrance of the gallery to honor Mills’s years of service.
