Urso Chappell

UrsoChappell.com cover photo

Urso Stephen Chappell
AKA Stephen Allen Chappell
04 Mar 1967 - 21 Dec 2020

Quick Facts

created the IAGSDC History Project logo pro bono in 2010
created the logos for All Join Hands' "Square Dancing For Everyone" initiative, and both the Houston 2021 and Minneapolis 2022 IAGSDC conventions on a paid commission

Media Features

An online portfolio of his creative works can be found at ursocreative.com
His World Expo blog posts can be found at Bureau Internatinoal des Expositions

Obituary

Urso Stephen Chappell succumbed to complications of non-alcohol related cirrhosis of the liver on Dec 21, 2020 in Berkeley, CA. He was 53 years old, closing in on 54.

He was born March 4, 1967 in St Louis, MO, but not raised there. His family moved to Stone Mountain, GA when he was still very young and lived there through his childhood. He graduated high school and went on to study architecture at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. For his Master’s degree in Visual Brand Design, he attended the Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, coinciding with the World Expo 2015 opening.

His passion for World’s Fairs expressed itself at a young age. He attended many, held from the time he was in high school in the 1980’s until his passing. Over the years he turned that passion into a platform, creating Expomuseum.com. His greatest drive in life was to preserve the memory and mission of World Expos for future generations. As one of the leading experts in World’s Fair history, he was often interviewed for global TV and magazines whenever a new Expo was taking place. As part of Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, a public train was chosen to be painted with his Expo-themed design, one of his most proud moments. He went on to attend and document pavilions for Expos 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2017. This passion showcased his belief of a better, positive future and fueled his eternal optimism. A peripheral enjoyment was other themed entertainment concerns, including Theme Parks, Rides and the Olympics.

As a source of delight to all his friends, his wit, puns, and sense of humor came to be expected and somewhat feared. Usually a conversation could not be had without at least one humorous turn of phrase.

One of his other passions was politics. Although a lifelong Democrat, he would often tell the story of how he, as an infant, was kissed on the forehead by Spiro Agnew. He voted in every election he could, for every candidate he believed could take the city, county, state and country closer to that optimistic future he believed in.

He is survived by his immediate family, father Don Chappell and sister Lindsay Sloggett, and his chosen extended families in the Expo, Graphic Design, Rollercoaster, Star Trek, Olympic and LGBT communities.

Donations can be made to support expenses for Expomuseum.com and his Estate on this page.

His favorite quote, as evidenced by the sheer number of times he said it:
“Surely you can’t be serious”.
“I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley” - Airplane!^[1]