Armond Fields, (1930 - 2008)
Armond Fields died peacefully at his home in Culver City on August 17, 2008. The cause of death was metastatic colon cancer.
Armond was born November 22, 1930 in Chicago, and attended elementary and high school in Milwaukee, WI. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, his M.A. from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and his PhD from the University of Chicago. For many years Armond worked in advertising and market research in Chicago and Los Angeles. In 1969 he began a career as an independent market research and marketing consultant for a variety of corporations and non-profit organizations. Armond was also a painter and graphic artist whose intricate silkscreen prints of urban and rural scenes were widely collected. In the mid-80's, Armond began another career as a writer. He researched and wrote books on the French artists, Henri Riviere and George Auriol, and then began researching the life of his great uncle, Lew Fields. This research resulted in his first theater book, From the Bowery to Broadway, co-authored with his son Marc. Next came a series of theater biographies, including Lillian Russell, James Corbett, Eddie Foy and Sophie Tucker, and a biography of Katharine Dexter McCormick, a feminist who financed the development of the birth control pill.
As a school volunteer for Culver City Unified School District, Armond developed a teaching artist program for the elementary schools. He chaired the School Site Councils at Farragut Elementary and Culver City High School, was a member of the CCHS WASC review committee, and produced a newsletter for CCHS. He received an Honorary Service Award from Culver City PTA Council and was also honored by the California School Volunteer Program. He also volunteered with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, co-curating several print shows and consulting with the Board of Trustees on a marketing plan for the museum. Armond believed that knowledge should be shared; he donated artwork to several museums, and donated the research materials for his theater books to the University of Southern California Library, Department of Special Collections.
Armond is survived by his wife of 39 years, Sara; his children and their spouses, Marc Fields and Nancy Spencer of Concord, MA; Sean Fields of Capistrano Beach, CA; Miriam and Mike Babineau of Amherst, VA; Jason and Ileany Fields of Los Angeles; and Seth and Amy Fields of San Francisco; his grandchildren Brendon Kyle Babineau and Lauren, Skyler, Maxwell, Summer and Pearl Fields, and many other loving relatives and friends.
The Gathering
At Armond's request, there will be no funeral services, but family and friends are invited to enjoy his favorite wines and music at the family home, starting at 3pm.
5038 Pickford Way
Culver City, CA 90230
Friday, August 22, 2008
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The Armond Fields Scholarship
The family will be establishing the Armond Fields Scholarship to be given annually to a senior at Culver City High School. Because the school is unable to track individual donations, Carole Lazarus has kindly agreed to manage the funds.
Please make checks payable to Carole Lazarus, 12942 Lemay St., North Hollywood, CA 91606 and write in the memo line "Armond Fields Scholarship".
You can also use Paypal to make a donation online if convenient.
