BIOGRAPHY
George Edwin Curtis (1927-1993) was the son of George and Dorris Curtis. He was born in Claremore, Oklahoma and came to Conway, Arkansas when he was in the fifth grade. During World War II, Mr. Curtis joined the Maritime Service which carried ammunition to war zones. He served on these ships during World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Between wars, he served on passenger and commercial ships. In 1965, Mr. Curtis was serving as an officer on the medical university ship “Hope” while it was stationed in Conarky, Guinea, West Africa. A few years before, the 1965 World’s Fair in New York City began to solicit art from the Guinean people for exhibition at the fair. Unfortunately, due to poor communications, the fair had already begun when works from the outlying areas started to arrive. Mr. Curtis discovered these works in a warehouse and brought them to the United States. He sold much of the collection, but retained several interesting pieces for his private collection. Mr. Curtis died in 1993 at the age of 66.