David Joseph Hernandez, who graduated from Marmion Military Academy in 1944, died peacefully at home on September 7, 2009. He was 82 years old. Following service in the original Army Air Corps in World War II, Hernandez had been hospitalized in VA hospitals for 5 1/2 years due to a service connected disability, but upon discharge he went on to study at Layton Academy of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 6 years. He then worked as a draftsman for various companies, including Boeing Aircraft, until several trips to Europe afforded him the opportunity to visit museums such as the Louvre and where he saw great works of European art up close and in their historical context.
This exposure to art of the world convinced him to go back to college where he first earned degrees in art history, starting with a BA from University of Illinois, and then an MA from University of California where he specialized in the study of Attic Vase Paintings. Upon graduation he became a tenured college professor and taught art history, painting, drawing, and advertising design for 35 years, principally at the College of Alameda in Northern California.
He is survived by a sister and two brothers, Joseph and Manual Hernandez, both of whom also attended Marmion and went on to become college teachers, along with his wife Ann, to whom he was married over 40 years and whose PhD in English Literature is from the University of California.
Hernandez credits Marmion with having gotten him off to a good start in academic life.
