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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
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July/August 2004 |
Creator of United Methodist Cross and Flame design dies
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (UMNS) - Edward J. Mikula, 88, the artist who designed the United Methodist Church's insignia - the Cross and Flame - died June 20 at Meadows Manor North in Terre Haute.
Mikula, who retired from United Methodist Communications in 1979, was assigned the task of creating an insignia for the church after the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church in 1968.
Mikula and Edwin H. Maynard, editorial director, worked for United Methodist Communication's predecessor agency, the Commission on Promotion and Cultivation. Historical information about the Cross and Flame states that early on the two men decided the design "should be simple, bold, instantly recognizable, obviously Christian and uniquely Wesleyan."
Mikula was quoted as saying, "You can't have elegance without simplicity."
"Edward Mikula was a gifted artist who worked closely with Edwin Maynard in the development of an insignia that was to become the classic symbol of the United Methodist Church known around the world," said the Rev. Curtis Chambers, who retired as top executive of United Methodist Communications in 1984.
The Cross and Flame was formally adopted and registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1971. "The insignia can be seen wherever the church exists, in many different cultures and parts of the globe," he said. "It is a lasting legacy for Mikula."
Mikula, a native of Chicago, was born Jan. 3, 1916 and graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago; he was experienced in the graphic arts and had created logos for the Illinois Farm Supply Company and the Associated Church Press before joining the commission. He was art director for The Methodist Story and later for The Interpreter, the denomination's program journal. He was also art director for the former Promotion, Benevolence and Interpretation Division of United Methodist Communications.
Mikula's funeral was held June 23 at Frist Funeral Home in Clinton, Ind. His cremated remains were buried at Roselawn Memorial Park. He was preceded in death by his wife, Clara "Mae" Strazzabosco and his brother, Walter Mikula. He is survived by his daughters Nancy Mae Richardson (Thornton) of Clinton and Diane Christine Gilbert (Dennis) of Wandsworth, London, and granddaughters Nicole Mae Richardson of Clinton and Nina Rose Gilbert of Wandsworth, London. Memorials may be given in his memory to the Swope Art Museum, 25 S. Seventh St. in Terre Haute, IN 47807.
Last updated on July 09, 2004