Melvin Dwork (February 9, 1922 – June 14, 2016) was an American

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

and

LGBT activist A list of notable LGBTQ social movements, LGBTQ rights activists who have worked to advance LGBTQ rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically. Albania * Xheni Karaj, founder of Aleanca LGBT org ...

. He was discharged from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

for his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

. He eventually had his

dishonorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...

changed to honorable in 2011. Following the war, he studied design and won several awards.

Early life and education

Dwork was born on February 9, 1922, at

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, to parents Henry Dwork and the former Esther Brown. After graduating from Southeast High School in 1939, he spent two years as a student at the

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. The institute ...

. Dwork then attended the

Parsons School of Design The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...

in New York City in 1941 and 1942.

Adult life

During World War II, Dwork served in the U.S. Navy and then applied for officer candidate school. In 1944, he began classes at the

Medical University of South Carolina The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is a public medical school in Charleston, South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a small private college aimed at training physicians and has since established hospitals and medical facilities acros ...

in Charleston, South Carolina. After his partner was arrested and revealed that Dwork was his partner, military police arrested Dwork in Charleston in 1944. He was jailed, labeled "deviant" by psychiatrists and then discharged as "undesirable." After leaving the Navy, Dwork returned to New York City and went on to become a successful interior designer in New York City. He took classes at the Parsons School of Design, worked for antique dealers and worked alongside Yale Burge in the 1960s and James Maguire in the 1970s before striking out on his own. Dwork was elected to the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1993.

Naval discharge status

Dwork spent years trying to remove his naval discharge status from "undesirable" to "honorable." With support from pro-gay and lesbian military employees and veterans, Dwork succeeded in winning that status change in 2011, shortly before the U.S. military ended its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Dwork is thought to have been the first World War II veteran to expunge an "undesirable" discharge. The ruling entitled him to veterans benefits. Filmmaker Michael Jacoby made a still-unreleased documentary, titled ''The Undesirable'', about Dwork's case.

Personal life

According to Dwork, he and choreographer John Butler were companions from 1961 until 1993, when Butler died. Dwork lived in Manhattan until his death on June 14, 2016, at the age of 94. He was survived by a brother, Irvin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwork, Melvin 2016 deaths 1922 births American interior designers United States Navy personnel of World War II Kansas City Art Institute alumni LGBTQ people from Missouri American LGBTQ rights activists Parsons School of Design alumni Artists from Kansas City, Missouri