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Viktor Schreckengost '29 taught at CIA for 70 years and is well known as the American DaVinci for the hundreds of pieces of art and products he designed. Ranging from ceramics, sculpture, and painting to furniture, toys, and bicycles, Schreckengost mastered many crafts and was one of the greatest designers in the world. He died in 2008 at 101.

On Thursday, September 30, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University, American DaVinci LLC (the Viktor Schreckengost Foundation), and the District of Design hosted a dedication ceremony and reception to celebrate the donation of the Viktor Schreckengost archives to the Cleveland State library.

The evening kicked off with a forum on Schrekengost's influence on design at CIA, in Cleveland, and around the world. Craig Bara, archivist for American DaVinci LLC, led the audience through a slide presentation that spanned the history of Schreckengost's work and awards. Following that, Dan Cuffaro '91, Head of Industrial Design at CIA (the position inaugurated by Schreckengost in 1933) and John Nottingham '72, of Nottingham & Spirk Design, shared their experiences as students during Schreckengost's tenure in the Industrial Design department at CIA.

Guests then convened outside at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and 17th street to watch Cleveland city councilman Joe Cimperman unveil the newly designed "Viktor Schreckengost Way" street sign that runs along 17th street. Gene Schreckengost, pictured above, received a replica of her late husband’s honorary street sign as a gift from the city of Cleveland.

Grafton Nunes, CIA president, along with his colleagues from CSU and American DaVinci, concluded the evening with remarks honoring the memory and sustaining the legacy of one of the nation's greatest designers, Viktor Schreckengost.