William (Bill) Eisele, a 1940 graduate of old Saint Mary High School, was the creator of the iconic portrait of Saint John Paul II. The portrait is the one of the Pope leaning his head on his crucifix-topped bishop’s staff. The original portrait was donated by Bill to the Pontifical College Josephinum, in 1994. An inscribed photograph of the work was presented to Pope John Paul II in Rome by Bishop James A. Griffin in 1983. “Bishop Griffin told me that when the pope saw the picture, there was a big smile on his face,” Eisele said. Two thousand prints were made and sold for $12 apiece, with the money going to the diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society. Eisele grew up as a member of St. Leo Church. After high school, he graduated from the former Columbus Art School (Columbus College of Art and Design). In 1968, his drawing of A Partridge in a Pear Tree was selected as the national Christmas Seal stamp for the American Lung Association, with more than eight billion copies printed. He was a volunteer for many years at Mt. Carmel East Hospital. Bill passed away on June 18, 2014, at the age of 92. Requiescant in Pace.
- by Ed Quickert, St. Mary’s Archivist
