Roger W. Anliker, 89, artist who taught at Temple

Roger W. Anliker, 89, of Elkins Park, a professor at Temple University's Tyler School of Art for 25 years, died Wednesday, Sept. 25, of complications from dementia at the Abramson Center for Jewish Life in North Wales.

Born in Akron, Ohio, Mr. Anliker distinguished himself early, winning awards and prizes for outstanding artwork.

Mr. Anliker studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he graduated in 1947 with the Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship for travel.

His schooling was interrupted by service as a mapmaker during World War II with the Army's 16th Armored Division.

After the war, he attended the American University in Biarritz, France. Mr. Anliker was a two-time recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for study in Europe.

From 1948 to 1963, he was an associate professor of painting and drawing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He was a professor of painting and drawing at Temple's Tyler School from 1963 until retiring in 1988.

The year he retired, he received a great-teacher award from Temple. The accolade included a $15,000 stipend and inscription of the winner's name on a garden wall.

According to Dale Roberts, his student and friend of 30 years, Mr. Anliker was an encouraging but demanding teacher with an extraordinary knowledge of creative approaches to painting and drawing.

"His influence on generations of students is remarkable, as a teacher and as a practicing fine artist," Roberts said in a statement.

Mr. Anliker's work was showcased in numerous one-man and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. His works were displayed at the Carnegie International Exhibitions, the Whitney Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.

He is represented in the permanent collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Akron Art Museum, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Mr. Anliker never married. He had many friends.

"Our friend Roger will be greatly missed by those who were fortunate enough to know and study with him," Roberts said. "He was a man of boundless energy, extraordinary enthusiasm, and generosity of spirit."

A memorial service is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at Helweg & Rowland Funeral Home, 1059 Old York Rd., Abington. Friends may call at 6:30. Interment is private.

Donations may be sent to Donor Services, Abramson Center for Jewish Life, Abramson Home Care, 1425 Horsham Rd., North Wales, Pa. 19454.