Person Record

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1 of 1977 Isaac J. Sanger

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Metadata

Name

Sanger, Isaac J.

Othernames

Dick Sanger
Richard Sanger

Born

1889

Birthplace

Port Republic (Va.)

Notes

Port Republic native and Bridgewater College (Bridgewater, Va.) student, Isaac J. Sanger (1889 - 1986) drew the Bridgewater College coat of arms on which our modern college seal is based. Sanger worked along with Bridgewater College English department head and college director of publicity Clarence E. "Tiny" May in 1958 to design the coat of arms.
Among the inspirations for the coat of arms, May and Sanger incorporated the Flory or Fleuri family coat of arms, a moline cross, an open book, a Latin cross, a double-headed eagle and the seal of Alexander Mack; the 1708 founder of the Church of the Brethren.
In 1968, May and Sanger's coat of arms became the basis of our current college seal.
Before his work on the Bridgewater College coat of arms, Isaac J. Sanger was already a noted artist, accomplished in the mediums of silkscreen, watercolor, photography, woodcuts, wood engravings, lithographs, pencil sketches, furniture design and colored crayon drawings. He was especially known for his portrayal of American landscapes in the early 20th century. His works have been exhibited at a number of museums and are included in the National Museum of American Art and the Library of Congress permanent collections.
Sanger's other works for Bridgewater College include the Alexander Mack Memorial Library's dedication plaque and illustrations for the college history book, Francis Fry Wayland's, Bridgewater College the First Hundred Years: 1880 - 1980.
Bridgewater College is fortunate to hold a large body of Sanger's artwork, his books and his papers. They were a generous gift to the college by his niece, Gladys Sanger. Examples of Sanger's print and watercolor art are displayed around the Bridgewater College campus.