Clayton Henri Staples
American (1892 – 1978) Obtained his formal education at the Chicago Art Institute. After teaching at Illinois State University, he traveled extensively and then came to Wichita to develop an art program at the Wichita Municipal University (now Wichita State University). Under his guidance and twenty years of tenure the University built a program to the Bachelor of Arts level and later offered the first Master of Fine Arts degree in Kansas. He retired to Cuchara, Colorado, but continued to support Wichita State University. He was an active watercolor and oil painter throughout his career.
