Eugene Bonfanti Thurston (1896–1993)
Artist, Educator, El Paso High School Alumnus, and El Paso Artists Hall of Fame Inductee
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 5, 1896, Eugene Bonfanti Thurston moved with his family to El Paso in 1906. He attended El Paso High School, where his artistic talent quickly emerged. During his years at El Paso High, Thurston served as a cartoonist, editor, and student leader, laying the foundation for a remarkable career that would span more than eighty years.
El Paso High School Years
The 1917 El Paso High School Annual records Thurston as one of the school's most active students. He served as a cartoonist for school publications, Editor-in-Chief of the Public School Journal and the Tattler, Student Council Secretary, Toastmaster, and participant in numerous campus activities. Although his classmates predicted a future in business, he would instead become one of El Paso's most respected artists, teachers, and advocates for the visual arts.
Military Service and Artistic Career
Following his graduation from El Paso High School in 1917, Thurston served in the United States Army during World War I. After returning home, he pursued artistic training through correspondence courses and practical instruction from local commercial artists. He later established a greeting card business before turning his attention to teaching and community arts leadership.
Teacher and Community Leader
Thurston taught art at El Paso Technical Institute for approximately twenty-five years. He was a charter member of the El Paso Art Guild, the De Norte Arts and Crafts Guild, the El Paso Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, and the El Paso Art Association. His leadership helped establish El Paso as an important center for the visual arts in the Southwest.
Recognition and Honors
His paintings were displayed in the Congressional Office Building in Washington, D.C., the Office of the Governor of New Mexico, and numerous public and private collections throughout the Southwest. He received the Mentors of Today Award from the Texas House of Representatives and recognition from the National Society of Arts and Letters.Artist, Educator, El Paso High School Alumnus, and El Paso Artists Hall of Fame Inductee
