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Lee James Pantas,
born in 1941, has lived in the Southern Appalachian mountains near
Asheville North Carolina area since 1989. An artist and author, he also
has a master’s degree in Ecology (University of Vermont, 1966) and is
active in environmental causes.
He is the author of
The Ultimate Guide to Asheville & the Western North
Carolina Mountains,
a best-selling illustrated travel guide and an award-winning illustrated
book
Wild & Furry Animals of the Southern Appalachian
Mountains.
As an artist, he has also completed more than 2,000 architectural pen &
ink drawings of private homes as well as more than 500 historical
buildings, inns, churches, and animals.
As a painter, he is
well known for his visionary and fantasy
paintings.
His work has been exhibited in galleries nationwide and is found in many
private and public collections. In 2014 he completed a series of
imaginary coral reef paintings entitled
Liza’s
Reef
to draw attention to the plight of oceans worldwide caused by pollution,
overfishing and global warming.
In
1978 he founded a Catholic soup kitchen New Covenant House in Stamford
Ct. to feed homeless people. Since then it has grown into an 8000 sq.
ft. center now known as
New Covenant
Center
that serves over 700,000 meals a year to needy persons along with a wide
range of other social services.
Mr. Pantas has also
coached track & field for the A.C. Reynolds
Middle and High Schools for over 25 years and has established a
reputation as one of the top
high school hurdles coaches in America. In 2003 he co-founded the
Blue Ridge Classic and has helped grow this annual event into the
largest high school track and field meet in North Carolina. |
