Biography: Amos Lee Armstrong, Caddo Parish La. Submitted by: Thomas J. Casteel **************************************************** ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ***** AMOS LEE ARMSTRONG FOR the past eight years a resident of Shreveport, was born June 25, 1899, near Many, La. Beginning with his first day in school, he showed unusual talent for drawing and printing and through the encouragement of his mother, sisters and teachers, he was continually inspired to spend most of his time at the work he learned to love early in life and was usually neglecting his studies and play to decorate the fly-pages of his books with pictures. He soon began to show a strong love for nature and began to paint out-doors. About the time he was sixteen years old a local newspaper bought some of his drawings for publication and by the time he had finished High School his art work was being used by two publications in other towns while the Parish Fairs awarded him first prizes for his drawings and landscapes. After making Shreveport his home where he began working as a draftsman for the Standard Oil Company and later for the Humble Oil & Refining Company, he continued his interest in art by studying through the correspondence method and doing commercial art drawings for various local purposes during his spare time. Even though he had not turned professional, as he still made his living at drafting, he had established himself well enough to be chosen by the Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association to originate all the art work used in the greatest local celebration of the Oil Industry on Oil and Gas Day at the State Fair of 1925. With ten other Shreveport Artists Amos Lee attended the 1926 Summer Session of the Natchitoches Art Colony and in competition with artists from several other states as well as those from Shreveport he was awarded highest honors for the best landscape at their annual exhibition. The charms of a young Louisiana girl proved too much for the young artist's love of the beautiful and on February 2, 1922, Miss Myrtis Myra Stephens, the youngest daughter of a pioneer Red River Parish planter, became his wife. In November, 1926, he enjoyed making a sketch with a new-born son, Amos Lee, Jr., as the model. He is a member of W. H. Booth Masonic Lodge No. 380; Shreveport Chapter No. 10 Royal Arch Masons; Victory Chapter Eastern Star and First Methodist Church of Shreveport. In April, 1927, the Shreveport Art Club was formed and he became its first President. He was chosen to do a number of illustrations that appear in this History of Shreveport. ======================================= Written by T. K. GIDDENS. From Chronicles of Shreveport and Caddo Parish, Maude Hearn O'Pry, 1928, Page 332 ======================================