Thomas Gaetano LoMedico studied at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York. During the Depression, he was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration to create sculptures for post offices in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Crooksville, Ohio. He won an $8,000 prize from the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for An American Family, a sculpture shown at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. He also created a sculpture for the facade of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Building in New York. Artists for Victory awarded him first prize for his Wings for Victory, Spirit of Aviation.
In 1948 he created Pursuit of Happiness, the 38th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series.Artist Name
| birth | 7/11/1904 in New York, NY |  |
|---|---|---|
| death | 1985 in Tappan, NY | |
| parents | ||
| education | Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, New York | |
| awards | J. Sanford Saltus Award (1956) |

You can click on the medals to see the reverse.
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Herbert Adams Memorial Award 1946
TLM-HABronzeThe obverse bears the figures of a bearded old man, Pegasus, and a young man, who holds laurel in his proper right hand. The horse Pegasus represents Genius and the old man represents Wisdom. Around, HERBERT ADAMS / MEMORIAL AWARD. The reverse of the medal shows a lamp with a flame. The lamp's handle is a horse's neck and head. Across, PRESENTED / BY THE / NATIONAL SCULPTURE / SOCIETY TO / FOR THE ADVANCEMENT / OF SCULPTURE / THOMAS LOMEDICO
Lo Medico's design won first prize in the National Sculpture Society's competition for this medal in 1946. The medal is awarded annually to an individual who has advanced American sculpture.
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Pursuit of Happiness 1948by Thomas Lo Medico
SOM-38.1Golden bronze with olive brown patina
SOM-38.2Golden bronze with light tan patina
SOM-38.4Golden bronze with light tan patinaThis medal was chosen as the 38th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1948. The obverse bears a farming family working at harvest time. Around, PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. The reverse bears shirtless stevedores loading ship. Around, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN; below LO MEDICO ©.
The brochure which acommpanied the medal had the following words from the artist:
"From time immemorial man's behavior has been motivated by two major objectives. One is his desire to gather the fruits of his labor in peace, dignity and freedom. The other has been to establish a bond of kinship between himself and his fellow man."
The medal measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company of New York. Its reported production quantity is 727 pieces in bronze and 50 in silver.
SOM-38.1Bronze73.0mm (2.87in)Golden bronze with olive brown patinaTHE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS THIRTYEIGHTH ISSUE 1948-THOMAS LoMEDICO, SCULPTORMEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y. BRONZESOM-38.2Bronze73.0mm (2.87in)Golden bronze with light tan patinaTHE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS THIRTYEIGHTH ISSUE 1948-THOMAS LoMEDICO, SCULPTORMEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y. BRONZESOM-38.3Silver73.0mm (2.87in)THE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS THIRTYEIGHTH ISSUE 1948-THOMAS LoMEDICO, SCULPTORSOM-38.4Bronze73.0mm (2.87in)Golden bronze with light tan patinaMEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y. BRONZETHE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS THIRTYEIGHTH ISSUE 1948-THOMAS LoMEDICO, SCULPTOR -
University of Puerto Rico - 50th Anniversary1953
UPR-50Reddish bronzeThe medal's obverse shows university's clocktower surrounded by palm trees. Above, UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO
The reverse bears map of American continents centered on American isthmus and compass rose; ship and dolphin on oceans. Seal of University of Puerto Rico in lower left. Above, CINCUECENTENARIO; below, 1903 - 1953; signed, T LOMEDICO
In 1900, at Fajardo, the Escuela Normal Industrial (normal school) was established as the first higher education center in Puerto Rico. Its initial enrollment was 20 students and 5 professors. The following year it was moved to Río Piedras. On March 12, 1903, the legislature authorized founding of the University of Puerto Rico, and that day the "Escuela Normal" was proclaimed as its first department.
Today, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) is the main public university system of Puerto Rico and organized as a government-owned corporation of Puerto Rico. It consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 58,000 students and 5,300 faculty members. UPR has the largest and most diverse academic offerings in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, with 472 academic programs of which 32 lead to a doctorate.
The medal measures 63.5mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York.
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World Council of Churches 1954
TLM-WCCBronzeThe obverse bears a group of diverse churches, around, CHRIST * THE - HOPE - OF -THE - WORLD *; signed TL. The reverse bears a cross in a boat. Around, WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES / SECOND ASSEMBLY / NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY EVANSTON 1954 / OIKU - MENE; signed T.LOMEDICO.
The World Council of Churches was officially founded on the 23rd of August 1948 in Amsterdam. 147 churches from different confessions came together to commit themselves to the ecumenical movement. The second assembly took place in August 1954 in Evanston, Illinois. 161 churches attended under the motto of "Christ - the Hope of the World." The 10th assembly was held in Korea in 2013 with 345 member churches.
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National Sculpture Society 75th Anniversary 1968by Thomas Lo Medico & Margaret Grigor
TLM-NSS-75BronzeThe obverse bears the muse of art riding facing Pegasus flanked by eagle and owl. Above, NATIONAL SCULPTURE SOCIETY; across, 1893 - 1968; below, SEVENTYFIFTH ANNIVERSARY. The reverse bears hands grasping sculptor's tools before rough pylon. Around, TO - FURTHER - THE - SCULPTURAL - HERITAGE; below, © 1968 NSS; signed MG under open hand.
While the obverse of this medal was designed by Thomas LoMedico, the reverse was designed and signed by Margaret Grigor.

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Mother with Child / The Immigrant (1937)
The photograph shows Lo Medico working on a sculpture for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The sculpture can be found titled Mother with Child or The Immigrant. Either way, it depicts a mother holding a suitcase with a child standing next to her. Both look lost or out of place.
Image copyrighted by and courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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An American Family (1939)
The theme of the 1939-40 World's Fair in New York was "Building The World of Tomorrow." Thomas Lo Medico's design had won the hotly contested competition for the Metropolitan Life Insurance's exhibit. 257 entries had been received and Lo Medico's proposal won the day - and the $8,000 of prize money associated with it. The sculpture, a strong male figure, his wife and young child represented "an American family, secure, striding forward, fortified and protected by life insurance," (The Plasterer, 1939). Frank Negri performed much of the plaster work on the sculpture.
Sourced from the Frank Negri Project.

Contact me if you have links that might merit inclusion on this page.
Books & Articles
American Art Medals, 1909-1995 by David Thomason Alexander
David T. Alexander's book can be purchased at the above link. Highly recommended for anyone interested in SOM.
I am deeply indebted to him for all the information I used to document the SOM medals on this site.
Research Archives and Websites
Brooklyn Daily Eagle article
Wings for Victory article on jury in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 6/14/1942.
The Frank Negri project
Denise Keller's site on Frank Negri, an underappreciated stone mason.
Smithsonian Institute
Images of Lo Medico's works.
Museums