Tonie Leeds Recognized as Distinguished Alumna

Tonie (Antonietta) Leeds, BSDes ​’42, MA (Education) ​’55, at age 92 is the most senior member of the A&D Alumni Exhibition Committee. Raised during the depression, she learned to make crafts out of discards and shared her fondness for making something out of ​“nothing” with her students in the years to follow. Her father, a barber, bartered his services for her violin and art lessons. ​“A casual trip to Ann Arbor in June of 1938 with a family friend (as a graduation present) ignited my love affair with the University of Michigan. Great teachers like Mastro Valerio, Jean Paul Slusser, Emil Weddige, Catherine Heller, Mr. Chapin, Don Gooch and Howard Whalen began to mold my life”. 

She met her late husband, George, in college and he was also an art teacher. Tonie taught for 39 years at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and also eager adult students in the Methods and Materials classes as a School of Education lecturer. Pastels are Tonie’s favorite medium and she is still an active artist. Each year she travels to Colorado for a workshop and to paint ​“her mountain”. We thank Tonie for continuing to work with us — and sharing her ​“isn’t this fun” attitude. Congratulations to Tonie for being awarded the A&D Distinguished Alumna by her peers on the Alumni Exhibition Committee.