Sidney van Sheck

Sidney William Jiroušek van Sheck (born c. 1896 in Czechoslovakia; died 1991) was an artist and aeronautical engineer.

Educated in art and aeronautics in France, Van Sheck served as a combat pilot in World War I and was shot down by a German ace over the French Alps in 1918, injuring his neck. In 1930 he and his first wife, Frances, were living on Spring Street in Boston, Massachusetts. A year later he had moved to Birmingham.

In Birmingham, Van Scheck worked for Bechtel-McCone, specifically on the wing designs for the B-24 "Liberator" bomber. He was also active in the arts, working as an applied arts instructor at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute and designing a large mural for the auditorium at Woodlawn High School for the Works Progress Administration.

By the end of World War II Van Sheck and his wife and former art student Grace had settled in Pacific Palisades, California where he worked with the Hughes Aircraft Corporation, contributing his skills to the B-29 "Superfortress" bomber, the Spruce Goose and other projects.

Van Sheck died in 1991. According to his wishes, his long-time friend and former Birmingham Post writer Esther Kelton scattered his ashes in the Pacific Ocean.

References

• McGlauflin, Alice, editor. (1940) Who's Who in American Art: A Biographical Directory of Selected Artists in the United States Working in the Media of Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Arts, Illustration, Design, and Handicrafts. Washington D. C.: American Federation of Arts
• Lopez, Barry (January 17, 2002) "A scary abundance of water" LA Weekly