Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Violet Gadd Coonts, Artist, Book of Paintings in Facsimile, A&M 4026, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Biographical / Historical

Information from an obituary that appeared in The Inter-Mountain News , Elkins, West Virginia, January 2007:

Violet Gadd Coonts was born 23 September 1913 at Charleston, West Virginia, the daughter of the late Lundy John Gadd and Vada Cart Gadd. She passed away on 18 January 2007 in Sandy Spring, Montgomery County, Md.

On July 15, 1941, she was married to Gilbert Gray Coonts, a local attorney of the law firm of Hymes and Coonts, who predeceased her.

Mrs. Coonts was a graduate of Charleston High School and West Virginia University. She also attended Mason School of Fine Art, Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston). While a teacher for more than 25 years in Kanawha and Upshur County high schools, she also served as advisor to the yearbook and newspaper at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

During her last several years at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, she taught art, which was her life-long hobby. An artist all of her adult life, she went on to teach creative expression at West Virginia Wesleyan College for three years after leaving Buckhannon-Upshur High School. She was also a teacher of oil painting in the local adult education program. Mrs. Coonts had "one woman shows" at the University Medical Center, Gibson Memorial Library, Stonewall Jackson Library and West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Mrs. Coonts moved to Buckhannon in 1948 when her husband entered the practice of law as an associate of the late Myron B. Hymes. She resided therer from 1954 until 1998 when she moved to Howard County, Md., to be closer to her sons. Mrs. Coonts was active in the local community and was a member of the First United Methodist Church and of the United Methodist Women.

She belonged to the Upshur County Visual Arts Guild, was a member of Eastern Star and a charter member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Coonts was well-known locally as an artist who loved to paint seascapes, flower studies and landscapes. She also was recognized as a portrait painter. Many of her paintings are owned by local residents and several of her portrait paintings are on display at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Over the years, she received several "first place" and "best of show" awards in various West Virginia art exhibits.

Violet Coonts was also active in researching local history, as evidenced by her book "The Western Waters: Early Settlers of Eastern Barbour County, West Virginia." This 440 page book, the result of 18 years of research, covers topics such as county formation, early land claims, forts and massacres, settlements, and family history and genealogy.

Mrs. Coonts was survived by her two sons, Stephen Coonts of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and John Coonts of Fulton, Maryland; and by five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

--

Note by compiler of the book in this collection:

"This book represents a three year effort to locate and photograph as many of my mother's paintings as I could find. I want to extend my sincere thanks to her many friends and relatives who assisted me in locating her paintings and to all who welcomed me into their homes so that I could take these photographs. I also want to extend my deepest appreciation to my brother, Steve, for his moral support during this endeavor and his financial commitment which permitted these books to be printed. It is my hope that you will receive a great deal of enjoyment looking at the art work of a very talented, gracious and elegant woman. John J. Coonts 2007"

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Art and artists
• Coonts, Violet Gadd