American painter and Hayfield Secondary alumni, Ken Marlow, passed away on October 22nd. Leaving behind one of the most iconic murals on our walls, Marlow will forever be remembered through his appreciation of his classmates and artistic talents. 

Marlow graduated from Hayfield Secondary in 1978, the same year he created the mural we see even today. The mural sits inside of a display case near door 2. Surrounded by a few painted classmates, Marlow illustrated himself toward the back of the mural. According to a Ffacebook comment by Jean Mulroy Martelli, the girl to the most right of Marlow is supposedly his ideal woman. There are many details and pieces of realism in this piece that bring it almost to life. The mural, to viewers, is almost like a snapshot. The painting is known as a senior gift to the school that Marlow left behind for his professional career. 

On top of his iconic mural, Marlow was also on the yearbook staff and using his art abilities, created the covers for the 76’, 77’ and 78’ yearbooks. He was almost like a celebrity to Hayfield, and only was later known more for his professional artwork. He specialized in realism, just like when he was in high school. Marlow was fond of creating painted illustrations of flowers and fruit. Classics. 

In 2013, at the age of 53, Marlow suffered a stroke. Knocked down and unable to paint for a long time, the local community started efforts to help. Someone had created a Go Fund Me to help pay for his physical therapy. So over the years that grew and eventually helped to pay for therapy. It was not enough to get him back on his feet. So after 10 years, Ken Marlow passed away peacefully in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Luckily, he is forever memorialized in his artwork inside Hayfield and out.