Dr. Kesiah Scully and Dr. David Seres

The Coxen-Ahr Memorial Scholarship

The Coxen-Ahr Memorial Scholarship has been created to support deserving undergraduate students enrolled in the Business, Management and Economics program at SUNY Empire State College’s Metropolitan New York Center. The scholarship will be awarded to students who meet the Empire State College Foundation’s scholarship eligibility criteria, on the basis of financial need and academic promise, with a preference for students who have ongoing involvement in meaningful community service.

The scholarship honors long-time partners Fred H. Coxen (1929-2000) and Richard Ahr (1929-2012), both of whom were active and highly regarded in the New York City arts community.

Fred Coxen was born in Topeka, Kansas, and he worked for many years in Exhibition Productions at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). He was a graduate of the Cranbook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, specializing in acrylic painting. Fred was a veteran of the Korean War.

In addition to his skills as a painter, Fred was known for his work designing beaded jewelry. He collected beads from around the world to make necklaces and other jewelry, and often gifted these treasured items to friends and other loved ones. Friends from MOMA and the city arts community described Fred as a “beloved friend with a heart of gold” who touched many lives.

Richard Ahr (pronounced “R”) was a native of Buffalo, New York, who moved to New York City in 1958. He also earned a Master’s in Fine Arts from the Cranbrook Academy and served in the Air Force in the Korean War. Richard worked primarily in watercolors and acrylics, favoring scenes in New York City and Florida. His subjects included impressionist treatments of the beach, musical performances, dance, horse racing and city street life. He exhibited at the Sommerhill Gallery in Durham, NC, as well as in many New York City galleries.

Richard was employed by the Department of Painting and Sculpture at MOMA and was instrumental in maintaining MOMA’s massive catalog of artistic works. After he retired, he continued to paint in his studio in the East Village. His works have been exhibited at MOMA and are held in numerous private art collections.

The Coxen-Ahr Memorial Scholarship was created by their dear friends, Dr. Kesiah Scully and Dr. David Seres. Kesiah Scully is a mentor at the Metropolitan Center of SUNY Empire State College. David Seres practices medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is on the faculty at Columbia University Medical Center.