Under two decades of leadership by Dr. Murry N. DePillars, Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts developed and grew into one of the largest such programs in the country, colleagues said yesterday.

Dr. DePillars, who retired from VCU in 1995, died at his Richmond home Saturday after a period of declining health. He was 69.

An instrumental figure in the Richmond arts community, he was an artist and teacher as well as a supporter and promoter of various forms of art.

He spent almost 25 years at VCU's School of the Arts, first as an assistant dean and later as dean of the arts school. After his promotion to dean in 1976, the program "really matured as a school under Murry's tutelage," said Joe Seipel, senior associate dean for academic affairs and director of graduate studies in the School of the Arts.

During Dr. DePillars' 19-year run leading VCU's art school, the program grew to 2,500 students and was one of the largest in the nation. He laid the foundation and "built a very strong school . . . and made my job a lot easier as a result," said Richard Toscan, dean of VCU's art school and Dr. DePillars' successor.

Dr. DePillars' focus, whether as a professor or administrator, was always on the students, which he recruited from all over the country.

"He was one who loved his students and believed students should always come first," said Grace Harris, who was on the faculty and later became VCU's provost during Dr. DePillars' tenure.

Although he was a prolific visual artist, Dr. DePillars was an advocate for various other art forms, especially jazz. He worked closely with the Richmond Jazz Society in its infancy and instituted a spring jazz series at VCU. It was so popular that he added one in the fall.

"He was very successful in bringing everybody's ear to jazz," said B.J. Brown, the society's executive director. "As far as the jazz community, he's an icon. He really helped jazz get the recognition it deserves."

Dr. DePillars was actively involved in promoting jazz -- from securing the funding to booking the acts to making sure there was a quality sound system hooked up.

He had abundant connections to the jazz communities in Chicago and New Orleans and brought highly acclaimed artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Herbie Mann to perform in Richmond.

Dr. DePillars' interest in visual and performing arts was encouraged by his family as he grew up. His Chicago neighborhood was teeming with jazz and blues clubs.

He earned an associate degree from Kennedy-King College and a bachelor's in art education and a master's in urban studies from Roosevelt University in Chicago. He completed his doctorate in art education from Pennsylvania State University.

During the 1960s, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was a leading figure in Chicago's African-American arts movement, which drew international attention. He also was a member of the AfriCobra, an internationally known artist collective.

Dr. DePillars came to Richmond in 1971 as an assistant dean in VCU's art program. He usually could be seen with pipe in hand, was very personable, and "was the kind of dean that you see in the classroom with fashion students or socializing with faculty or students in the hall," Seipel said.

After retiring in 1995, he was able to focus on his own art, which was truly his passion, said his wife, Mary DePillars of Richmond.

He exhibited his art at shows throughout the country, and during the summer of 2002, his paintings were on display at the Hampton University Museum, which featured 42 pieces of his work from 1960 to 2002.

Known for the color and movement in his paintings, Dr. DePillars drew his inspiration from African and African-American history, literature, music, quilt-making and other cultural influences.

His painting "From the Mississippi Delta" was purchased by the Friends of African and African-American Art and was presented to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The museum will have a special showing of the painting starting tomorrow.

"Virginia has lost an important figure in the world of art, a man who was both an artist and educator and who will be remembered and valued for his important contributions to both fields," said Alex Nyerges, the director of the museum, in a news release.

In addition to his wife, Dr. DePillars' survivors include his mother, Mary B. Taylor; two sisters, Addie Mae Robinson and Ernestine Williams, all of Chicago; and a son, Steve.

Final rites were private. Memorial services in Richmond and Chicago will be announced at a later date.