Known for his graffiti art in Chicago’s underground arts scene, Peter Christopher Berry was also making a name for himself in the classroom as a student at the American Academy of Art. “He was very much the artist in the traditional sense,” said his brother Liam. “He had a very strong sense of his self. He would have been his own type of artist.” Mr. Berry, 22, died Monday, Aug. 16, after being accidentally hit by a northbound train on the CTA’s Red Line near the Morse Avenue station. Born in Huntington, N.Y., Mr. Berry attended St. Patrick’s School before moving with his family to Evanston and entering junior high. He attended Pope John XXIII School in Evanston and Evanston Township High School for one year before transferring to St. Gregory’s High School in Chicago. While in high school, Mr. Berry played lacrosse but focused on his growing talent for art. As a graphics artist, he contributed to his high school’s magazine and yearbook, creating cartoons and other drawings. One of his depictions of a landscape scene with a sailboat was featured at a CTA stop in Evanston. Even as a young child, Mr. Berry’s gift of art was visible, especially when in preschool he would draw knees and elbows on stick people, said his mother, Cinda Cason. After graduating from high school in 2000, he joined the National Guard to help pay for college. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for a short time but left in order to work and save money to enroll at the American Academy of Art, where he completed his first year this spring. “He certainly was in the right place and he loved it. He never missed a day,” his mother said. “We plan to create a memorial in his name there.” Mr. Berry had a great sense of life, family and loyalty. “He was very mature for his age and childlike at the same time,” his mother said. “There was a beautiful blend of innocence and wisdom.” Besides his mother and brother, survivors include his father, James A. Berry; his stepfather, Richard Cason, an executive with Tribune Publishing Co.; another brother, Mark; and a grandmother, Janice Murphey. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday in Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 1571 Maple Ave., Evanston. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Mary Catholic Church, 1012 Lake St., Evanston.
