Bill Arter

Images: (1) Arter row; (2) William Arter's stone; (3) Bill Arter works in his studio in Riverlea; (4) a Vignette as appeared int eh Columbus Dispatch

Bill Arter caught the attention of central Ohioans with his whimsical and fascinating Vignettes; his rendering and historical accounts of various buildings past and present in the area that appeared each week in the Columbus Dispatch. Beginning his work in 1964 and concluding in 1970, Arter illustrated dozens of sites around Columbus, including Worthington and Ohio State University, giving flavor and new life to the history of the city. The vignettes were later published in several volumes of books.

Bill was a graduate of Ohio State University and majored in English and Fine Arts. Later he was on the faculty in the School of Journalism. However, he is best known as an artist, particularly a watercolorist, and as a writer. In addition to writing for the Columbus Dispatch he produced syndicated science features that appeared in 400 US newspapers.

Arter and his wife lived in Riverlea.