Painter and poet Edward Boccia, professor emeritus of art in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, died Monday, Sept. 3, in his home in Webster Groves from pneumonia. He was 91.

Born in Newark, N.J., in 1921, Boccia initially studied art at the Pratt Institute and the Art Students League of New York but left school in 1942 to enlist in the U.S. Army, serving in the 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion. After the war, Boccia returned to New York, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1948 and 1952, respectively.

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