Obituary Record

Frank Weathers Long, 92, of Diamondhead, died Friday, Jan. 22, 1999, in Diamondhead.

Mr. Long was born May 7, 1906, in Knoxxxxville, Tenn. His easel paintings, woodcuts, lapidary work and sculptures won numbeous awards and were displayed in regional and national exhibitions. His works are maintained in several museums and private collections around the country.

During the 1920's he studied at the Chicago Art Institute and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia,. Mr. Long was a member of several amateur track clubs and qualified for the 1928 U.S. Olympic Team.

His love of art led him to forego the Olympics, choosing instead to pursue his studies at Academie Julien in Paris, France. He gained recognition as a muralist. His Depression Era murals are preserved in public and private buildings in Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, South Carolina and Kentucky. He described his experiences as a muralist in the autobiographical Confessions of A Depression Muralist, publiched in 1997.

During WW II he served as an Army First Lieutenant in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he studied crafts in Silver City, N.M. He established a workshop where he designed and created fine jewelry. In 1951 the Department of the Interior appointed Mr. Long to the Alaskan Program of the Inidan Arts and Crafts Board.

He retired from government service in 1969 and turned his efforts to jewelry and sculpture. He wa a member of the Albuquerque Designer-Craftsmen and a regular exhibitor at New Mexico arts and crafts fairs. He published two books on gemstone design, The Creative Lapidary and Lapidary Carving.

In 1997 he moved with his wife to Diamondhead where his daughter and son-in-law reside.

Survivors include his wife, Laura, his daughter, Angela, and son-in-law,Emil Petrunico.

A Mass will be celebrated in his honor at Annunciation Catholic Church, Kiln.

Riemann Funeral Home in Bay St. Louis is in charge of arrangements.

Source: Sea Coast Echo 1-31-99