Longtime University of Kansas professor and artist Elden Tefft passed away last week at the age of 95.
He leaves behind an important legacy.
EldenTefft is probably best known for his bronze sculpture of Moses that sits on KU’s campus. But in the art world, Tefft was a giant. He created the first non-commercial bronze foundry in the United States on KU’s campus, which led to a boom in the craft.
John Hachmeister is a sculpture professor at KU. He came there first as a student in 1969 and spent many years working with Tefft.
“He should be appreciated and always remembered as the person who, in his own way, brought fire down from the mountain and brought it to everyone else.”
Tefft was a professor at KU for 40 years and spent the last 25 years of his life as a professor emeritus, working on bronze castings and stone carvings.