World famous Sebring native dead at 101

An American legend and Sebring icon is gone.

Viktor Schreckengost, known to many as "America's Da Vinci," died late Saturday night at his winter home in Tallahassee, Fla.

The 101-year-old Schreckengost had just recently opened his latest exhibit in Kirtland before flying to his winter home. A member of the family reported that Schreckengost had been battling a cold since arriving in the Sunshine State.

It is often claimed that every adult in America has been influenced by artist, teacher and designer Viktor Schreckengost. His works surround us daily, but it is realized by very few, as Schreckengost rarely sought the spotlight.

As an artist, he was eclectic -- winning national recognition for his ceramic pieces, becoming best known for his iconic creation "The Jazz Bowl," commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt for the White House, but he always continued working and teaching in other avenues of art.

Born in Sebring in 1906, when the town was known for its pottery-making, Schreckengost had discovered a love for working creatively with his hands at a young age.

He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1929, studied under ceramics masters in Vienna, Austria, then returned to the Institute as its youngest faculty member at just 25 years old.

It was during his 70 years as a Cleveland Institute of Art teacher that Schreckengost influenced an entire generation of designers -- men and women -- who proceeded to become innovative design directors for major corporations around the globe, earning billions of dollars for their employers.

During the 1930s, Schreckengost was drawn to industrial design, and by decade's end was creating dinnerware, bicycles, lamps and even redesigning the trucks we still see hauling goods today. He always challenged designers, seeking to learn how every product, from golf carts to flashlights, could be improved in its creation, and longevity, while being lowered in cost to consumers.

World War Two stirred Viktor's desire to help the nation, and he enlisted in the Navy at age 37, eventually improving the radar systems used in battle, giving American fighter pilots air superiority. Following the war's end, he designed a new prosthetic to be used by injured soldiers.

He only stopped accepting new challenges once past the age when many men retire, turning back to full-time teaching, which he continued until well into his 90s.

America rediscovered Schreckengost in 2006, when a retrospective of his works was organized to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Exhibitions were held in 100 sites, including at least one in every state.

His centennial year also included a designation as a National Medal of Arts recipient, the highest artistic honor given to Americans, in recognition of their creation, growth and support of the arts.

The most versatile American ceramic artist of the last century, Schreckengost, will be laid to rest in Cleveland.