Michael Frary was born in Santa Monica, California on May 28, 1918. He was a seminal figure in the art movement known as modernism and with his contemporaries on the faculty of the Art Department at the University of Texas. He graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1934 and returned to California where he accepted a swimming scholarship from the University of Southern California. In 1940, he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree, and a Master of Fine Arts in painting the following year. At the outbreak of World War II, Michael joined the United States Navy, eventually receiving his discharge as Lieutenant at the war's conclusion in 1945. In 1949, Michael moved to Texas to serve as the artist in residence and faculty chairman for the irrepressible Marion Koogler McNay in San Antonio. He taught at her burgeoning art school for several seasons. It was during this time in San Antonio that he met Peggy Mattewson who he married in 1951. In 1955, he accepted a teaching position as assistant professor with the University of Texas at Austin, which named him Professor of Art in 1970 and upon his retirement from teaching in 1986 he was named Professor Emeritus of Art. Frary passed away on August 30, 2005.