Animation director, educator, artist and family man

Longtime Claremont resident and animation director, Frank C. Terry, Sr. died surrounded by loved ones in his home after a brief illness on Tuesday, February 11.

Born in Staten Island, New York in 1939, Mr. Terry moved to Claremont in 1951. He graduated from Claremont High School in 1957 and went on to earn a BFA from California Institute of the Arts, Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles. Mr. Terry then traveled to Europe where his Chouinard’s graduate film was selected for festival screening in Annecy, France.

He stayed in Europe to work at Cine Centrum in Hilversum, the Netherlands and it was during this time that he met his future wife, Nelleke. In 1967, Mr. Terry returned to Claremont.

In 1967, Mr. Terry won the Design West Award for Best Animation. With a career that spanned 28 years, he animated and directed numerous television advertisements for clients such as Raid, Kellogg, Green Giant, Keebler, Allstate, Levi Strauss, Nieman Marcus, American Express, Procter and Gamble, Mattel, Pillsbury and Quaker Oats.

He won multiple CLIO, Ad Age and International Broadcasting Awards, and was also the recipient of the New York Art Directors Club Award for Best Animation.  

Pursing a love of teaching, he became director of the Character Animation Program at California Institute of the Arts in 1995.  It was during this time that he mentored many talented young animators until his retirement in 2008.  

Following retirement he spent his years as a fine art painter.  Despite his full artistic life, his greatest legacy is his family. Friends and family alike remember him with love and affection for his creative, energetic and adventurous spirit, friends noted.

Mr. Terry is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nelleke Terry; his daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Steven Anderson of Claremont; his son and daughter-in-law, Frank and Kristen Terry of Highland Park; his grandchildren, Madison Anderson and Nico Terry; his sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Charles Tunley of Clinton, Washington; his brother and sister-in-law, John and Susan Terry of Boise, Idaho; and his nieces and nephews.  

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial donations in Mr. Terry’s honor can be made to VNA & Hospice of Southern California, 150 W. First St., Suite 270, Claremont, CA 91711.

CalArts is remembering Frank Terry, the former head of the Program in Character Animation, who passed away on Feb. 11, succumbing to pulmonary fibrosis. He was 75. Terry joined the faculty of CalArts’ School of Film/Video in 1995 and directed Character Animation from 1996 to 2007. He continued teaching at CalArts through 2008.

Upon graduation from Chouinard in 1964, Terry spent many years producing animated TV commercials for blue-chip clients such as Keebler, Kellogg, Neiman Marcus, American Express, Procter and Gamble, Mattel, and Pillsbury. He also worked on The Beatles’ cartoons in the 1960s and ABC-TV’s 1982 production of Stanley, the Ugly Duckling.

At CalArts, Terry is remembered as a strong leader who helped thousands of animation students through his industry experience, personal mentorship, and, in some cases, even financial support. “Frank was always willing to help students,” said Martha Baxton, senior administrative coordinator in the Program in Character Animation. “He was a giving visionary; a very important figure in strengthening our third-and fourth-year curricula and overseeing significant expansion of our 3-D capabilities.”

Assistant Dean Leo Hobaica Jr. said, “Frank brought a new level of ideas to the program—from curriculum to the jurying process for the annual producers’ showcase, to his encouragement for student participation in film festivals. He elevated the discourse in the classroom, always striking a balance between industry requests and art for art’s sake. The films became technically better and more interesting than they’d been before, and suddenly there were kids who believed that they could become auteurs.”

Terry was a recipient of Gold and Bronze Awards from the International TV and Film Festival in New York, as well as the New York Art Directors Club Award for Best Animation.

Posted February 20, 2014 by Stuart I. Frolick