Class of ’38 Colonist Lawrence “Larry” Macaray, an artist, teacher, art collector and author, passed away July 18, 2019, at age 98.
Like most talented artists, Macaray showed his aptitude as a child and was an accomplished artist by the time he was attending Anaheim Union High School in the 1930s.
He and another AUHS student, Arvin “Bud” Mahoney, were commissioned by the National Youth Administration to create a mural at the high school. Their work, “Youth at Play” was painted on the wall of the school’s art building.
A WWII Army veteran who served as a combat engineer, he married high school sweetheart, Kathleen Vincent (’42), on April 24, 1943, in Ainsworth, Nebraska, where he was stationed for training after enlisting in September 1942.
After the war, Larry attended Whittier College on the G.I. Bill. In 1954, he earned a master’s in art at Long Beach State College. His award-winning art was displayed at many galleries and museums in California and throughout the nation.
Along with working as a professional artist, Larry taught for seven years at Torrance High School and 26 years at El Camino College. He was also the Arts and Travel Editor for the Torrance Press-Herald.
Larry brought arts and culture to his hometown of Anaheim, when he and Kathy opened the City’s first art gallery on April 1, 1964, at 1425-C East 
Lincoln. They represented California artists, as well as national and international artists.
Later they combined their love of art and architecture by purchasing and renovating the historic Southern Plantation house at 1431 E. La Palma Avenue in Anaheim and moving their gallery into the ground floor of the home. Known as The De Sombre House after its first owner, the home is a City of Anaheim designated “Historically Significant Structure.”
The experience inspired Larry to write a history about the home, entitled The De Sombre House – Orange Blossoms Into Art, which was published in 1994. He also published Sketches from an Irish Detour detailing his travels throughout Europe.
Larry’s children, David and Peggy, also graduated from AHS from the classes of 1962 and 1964, respectively.
Truly a renaissance man, Lawrence Macaray will be remembered by his Colonists classmates for his kind, generous nature and his cultural legacy.
