Thomas Brewster Kass

1936 - 2022

Salt Lake City, Utah—Thomas Brewster Kass, 85, passed from this life early Tuesday morning July 26th, 2022, at Capitol Hill Senior Center. Tom was born August 30, 1936, in Rochester, New York to the late Henry and Constance Kass. His father was a Labor Attorney at General Motors, his mother taught him French, insisted his accent was terrible and that he should avoid speaking it.

He graduated from Cooper Union School of Architecture and Engineering. He earned his BFA from Yale where he worked directly with Joseph Albers on his book Interaction of Color. After receiving his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Washington, he was hired to teach foundation courses in architecture at the University of Utah. He received two Fullbright Scholarships where he studied Korean Temple Painting and taught at Ewha Womens University in South Korea. Montana State University brought him out of retirement to teach Basic Design in Architecture.

For over 4 decades he has taught architecture and art students to dream, design, and refine ideas. His largest contribution to academia was his color course, connecting art and architecture in a world of design. His favorite quotes include: “The Problem is the problem!”- Unknown and “There is no answer, seek it lovingly.” - Socrates His intense personality, creativity, and drive has instilled a passion in architects and artists that can still be felt today.

He is a Professor Emeritus in the University of Utah’s College of Architecture and Planning and has received many awards during his teaching career including the ACSA Distinguished Professor, The Distinguished Teaching Award, and the award he held most dear, The Student Choice Award.

Tom’s life was design and teaching in practice. He is an accomplished artist with emphasis in form, function, dimension, and color. His medium ranged from: pencil, acrylic, oil and mixed media. A memorial art show will be held later this month.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years Gail B. Kass, son Tom (Steve), daughter Priscilla and his brother Henry D. (Rosetta) Kass.

Funeral services will be held at The Cathedral Church of Saint Mark at a future date. Please email tombrewsterkass@gmail. com to request an announcement of the service.