From 1956 Crest

Rod Guthrie, Class of 1956, left a mark on the school that students would see to this day.  The mark he left came from the encouragement of Lyle Suffield, his art teacher, and head football coach Tony Juska.  That mark became a mural on the cafeteria wall.  Rod played sports and was a fine athlete in basketball, football and baseball.  He played along side some famous graduates from PHS that include Ralph Lawler, who became the voice of the Los Angeles Clippers.  

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The mural in the cafeteria depicts different periods throughout time of people preparing food to eat.  I can remember walking into the cafeteria and seeing it everyday.  I always wondered why he painted it....as his name was on the mural.  So a little explanation appeared in the 1996 All-School Reunion Booklet.  It gave a brief explanation that he was encouraged to paint it.  He must have had a natural talent!  His life after PHS was filled with a love for art.  He and his wife Carol participated in many art shows.  Carol was extremely talented artist with a degree from the College of Art in Boston, MA.  She also had a BA from the University of Massachusetts.  Rod studied art at Bradley University , the Art Institute of Chicago and at Oxbow.  He liked working in the acrylic medium.  Carole Guthrie said, " Rod uses fragments of forms and objects to create an abstract painting.  Things are missing m the picture....there are only parts of a chair or a leg,  for example. It's up to the viewer to fill in the blanks. His work evokes a quality of mystery with its lyrical use of form and color."

Rod had his own company called, "Rod Guthrie Design Associates, Inc", located in Monson, Massachusetts. His firm primarily designed and developed products for toy companies.  Rod was hired by Lionel Trains.  He was at the time in charge of designing and developing the layout for the Lionel Trains exhibit for for the 1991 annual Toy Fair in New York City.  He also did work for Milton Bradley.  So all of you train enthusiasts from PHS take note that Rod Guthrie may have designed that model of the Lionel Train you own!

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Rod had other interests as well.  He loved poetry.  Rod was a member of the 9th Mass Battery in Northampton for Civil War re-enactment; he was an avid gunsmith and marksman and a historian particularly for Civil War and Vietnam War eras. He was a lifelong sailor in Michigan and New England.​

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Rod passed away in 2006 but his legacy and art beginnings live on in Peoria High School.  Rod would have loved to be a part of the Peoria High School - Progressive School for the Arts that has classes at the school. 

Excerpt from 1996 All-School Reunion Program