Did you know that MCC’s Mercer Gallery is named for Thomas Mercer, an African-American MCC alumnus and Vietnam veteran who was also an artist and musician? According to a June 6, 1982, Democrat and Chronicle article by Steve Crosby (“An Ode to Thomas Mercer: City Man ‘Senselessly’ Killed Still Lives in the Hearts of Many”), Mercer moved to Rochester from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He demonstrated early artistic talent by creating the artwork for his high school yearbook. After serving on Army active duty from 1969 to 1971, including a tour or tours in Vietnam and earning several service medals, he graduated from MCC with an associate’s degree in liberal arts in 1981.
Mercer kept journals of writing, sketches, and watercolors for ten years, sometimes exhibiting his work at local art shows. MCC Professor George McDade, then Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department, described Mercer’s as “a very promising and original talent … His sketches were extraordinary” (Dougherty, Dick. “He Infused Happiness into Many Lives.” Times-Union 24 Sept. 1992). Three of Mercer’s drawings are currently displayed on a wall outside the Mercer Gallery entrance. He was also lead singer for a local band, Fusion, and played the 12-string guitar (Crosby).
In addition to his artistic and musical talents, Thomas Mercer went out of his way to befriend his neighbors and treat them kindly. Sadly, Mercer was murdered in 1982 at age 32, just before RIT notified him of his acceptance into the communications design program (Crosby). One of the friends who gathered to commemorate the two-year anniversary of his death said, “The man seemed to touch everybody” (Roman, Ivan. “Friends Gather in the Memory of Tom Mercer,” Times-Union 22 May 1984). Local journalist Dick Dougherty published a tribute to Mercer in 1992 after investigating the meaning of the graffiti which read, “Long Live Tom Mercer,” still visible around town ten years later as an indication of his lasting popularity (Dougherty).
Today the Mercer Gallery’s name recognizes Thomas Mercer’s artistic talent. In the spirit of his concern for the community, MCC Professor Adrian Smalls of the Law and Criminal Justice Department will present the keynote address, “Bridging the Gap between Community and Service,” for MCC’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration on Wednesday, February 8, at 12 noon in the Brighton Campus Warshof Conference Center, R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center (Monroe A&B). Students in Professor Kathleen Farrell’s ART 205 Commercial Illustration I class will also display scratchboard drawings created for the celebration.
This is part of a monthly series of articles from the Diversity Council about topics related to diversity and multiculturalism.
Debbie Mohr
Diversity Council
01/11/2012 |