Date of Birth: June 29, 1932
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: March 15, 2009
Burial Place: Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio
Laurence Graham Isard, aka “Larry” was born on June 29th, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Reeves and Lois Isard. He was raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio along with his brother, John.
In the mid-1940s, Larry enrolled in the Northwest School of Taxidermy’s correspondence course. But he also wanted firsthand experience, so he convinced a local commercial taxidermist to become his mentor. In 1947, he began volunteering in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s taxidermy department.
After high school, Larry joined the United States Navy and served during the Korean Conflict. Upon his honorable discharge, he enrolled in Kent State University and received his degree in biology in 1959. Larry then worked as a naturalist and exhibit preparator with Cleveland Metroparks. Following this, he sought his master’s in natural resources from the University of Michigan, finishing in 1966.
That year, CMNH Director and illustrator William Scheele hired Larry as a full-time taxidermist and exhibit designer, and during the next eight years he created hundreds of mounts for exhibit in the Museum’s galleries. He was known for his meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that each specimen was preserved and mounted in a lifelike manner. His expertise extended to mammals, birds, and other wildlife, with careful anatomical accuracy and artistic presentation. He contributed to modern taxidermy methods by using advanced sculpting techniques, realistic habitat dioramas, and improved preservation techniques to maintain the integrity of specimens over time. His work helped bring wildlife to life for thousands of Museum visitors of several generations, playing a crucial role in scientific communication and conservation awareness.
Larry played a key role in creating immersive wildlife dioramas at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History that showcased animals in their natural habitats. These displays helped visitors learn about different ecosystems and species interactions. Additionally, he produced many wildlife dioramas for the Museum’s Science Resource Center. These portable dioramas were, and perhaps still are, loaned out to educators so that thousands of school children could experience the Museum from their classrooms.
In 1972, CMNH unveiled the magnificent Sears Hall, dedicated to exploring the intricate relationships between humans and their environments, and totally renovated it in 1988. Larry was very much involved in the creation of the space, placement of animals, and design choices. Some of the mounts were donated from other collectors, and he had to do extensive repairs and cleaning to make them presentable.
Recognizing his talent and enthusiasm for his work, the Museum promoted Larry to Assistant Director in 1974, and he remained in this position until his partial retirement in 1997. He then returned to the Exhibition Department part-time and resumed his duties as a taxidermist, continuing this work until his death.
Larry began taking sculpting courses at Kent State University, then studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art. During his sculpting career, Larry held exhibitions of his work in over 20 different cities across the country. The subjects of his sculptures ranged from frogs to giraffes, otters to hornbills. In 1991, the Society of Animal Artists honored him with an Award of Excellence. From November 2007-March 2008, Cleveland Museum of Natural History featured 55 of his pieces in a retrospective exhibit: Animal Expressions: Bronze by Larry Isard.
He quietly mentored many taxidermists and artists over the years, including famed wildlife bronze artist Walter Matia. When Walter was just a teen working in the exhibits department as a summer intern, Larry taught Walter taxidermy, which later translated to his bronze sculpting, which has garnered him international recognition.
Larry passed away suddenly on Saturday, March 15, 2009 at the age of 76, after having worked at the Museum the day before. His dedication to the natural sciences had been a lifelong commitment, not only to the study of the animal form but also to wildlife conservation, education, and research. At least two decades prior, CMNH bestowed to Larry its Outstanding Staff Achievement Award, the highest recognition for any long-standing employee.
In his eulogy, Harvey Webster, now CMNH Emeritus Chief Wildlife Officer and Museum Ambassador, said, “Larry was the kind of guy that made good company, such that if you were having a drink with him and all there was at hand was bad wine, his company made bad wine taste good.”
Maria Burke studied under Larry when she was an undergraduate and succeeded him upon his passing. Now owner of Stromatolite Natural Science Studio, she shared: “Larry never relied on commercially available forms but preferred to sculpt and build his own from scratch, which is much more difficult and requires the skills of a true sculptor. Additionally, he sometimes would make carcass casts of the animal, which gave him a much more accurate form that he would then refine with his sculpting skills. He also would use all kinds of unconventional materials to obtain the shapes he desired, such as packing tape, cotton, asbestos (which he would wet and pack to sculpt with), plumbers epoxy, and all kinds of odds & ends. He was very clever and inventive.”
