Daniel Everett Stewart

After 77 action-packed years, the earthly journey of Daniel Everett Stewart ended on August 8, 2023.  Born on May 17th, 1946, into a large Catholic family, Dan grew up in Louisville’s West End near the corner of 38th and Michigan, what is now Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

He attended Flaget High School, but his time there was cut short after the Flaget administration inexplicably found fault with Dan dangling his homeroom teacher out a second-floor window, and forced his removal to Shawnee High School, where he graduated in 1963.  After successfully navigating legendary scrapes and near-scrapes with the law, Dan’s life turned around when he joined Explorer Scout Post 198.  Under the guidance of the amazing Bill Fowler, Dan thrived and eventually became troop Commander.

In 1966 Dan joined the Army Reserves, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant, and drilled recruits who would go on to fight in Vietnam.  His first design job was at American Standard in the industrial design department, where he designed toilets and bidets, while also studying engineering at Bellarmine University. He switched jobs to work for the local PBS station as a graphic designer (sometimes donning a Big Bird suit) and transferred to the Louisville School of Art. In 1972, just prior to graduation, he dropped out of college to found the first graphic design agency in Louisville, his first business acquisition with his last dollar being a desk.

That firm, having survived multiple name changes and existential crises, is now widely renowned and simply called Stewart. Through Dan’s guidance, Stewart introduced corporate identity design – known today as branding – to the regional business community and later to the equine and ag industry nationwide. Stewart has since received awards from the Advertising Club of Louisville (Louis Awards), the Society of Typographic Arts, Communication Arts, Type Directors Club, the NAVC (Vetty Awards) and the New York Art Directors Club (of which Dan was a 44-year member).  The talent he recruited and trained help establish Louisville’s creative industry. In 2016, he was honored by the Louisville Chapter of the AIGA as Pioneer and Talent Scout and was officially named an Adopted Alumni of the University of Louisville.

In the early 80’s, for reasons only Dan could understand, he took up the sport of team roping. Competing all over the country, he eventually built a roping arena at his beloved Yankeetown Farm to host competitions and became a founding producer of the newly created United States Team Roping Championships and a national leader in advocating for the sport. He was no slouch as a competitor, either, and went on to win many competitions, including the Kentucky State Fair Team Roping in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.  Dan also played bass in the local cover band the Kinetics, which emerged from the Post 198 community, opening for such acts as B.B. King and Bo Diddley.  Dan raised cattle and horses, built boats and buildings, and never quit creating. He was the founder and chairman of Iristrac, LLC, a company dedicated to revolutionizing biometric animal identification using iris recognition technology.

Dan was 20-year member of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation board, an 8-year board member of National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Cowboy Hall of Fame) and an  advisory board member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association.

Dan will be remembered for his talent, creativity, unrelenting drive, no-nonsense style and straight talk. He said what he thought, meant what he said, and kept his word. He never stopped building, imagining, creating and improving whatever he could. He is surely now at work redesigning the Gates of Heaven.

Dan is survived by his wife and business partner of 35 years, Kathryn Stewart, his children Nathanial Stewart (Holly), Seth Stewart (Sarah), Dani Stewart Haas (Matt), Zach Stewart and Gabe Stewart (Grace). He also leaves behind his grandchildren Drue Stewart Poynter (Codey), Mason Elmore, Julien Stewart (Sophia), Emma Haas, Scooter Stewart, Sadie Stewart, Margeaux Stewart, Elliott Haas, Willow Stewart and Moss Stewart, and great-grandson Holden Poynter.

Visitation will take place Friday, August 18th between 3 and 8 PM and Saturday August 19th between 9 and 11 AM at Scott Funeral Home 2515 Veterans Pkwy, Jeffersonville, IN.  A funeral mass will take place at 12 PM on August 19th at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 315 E Chestnut St, Jeffersonville, IN.

Dan and his wife were long time supporters of the graphic design program at the University of Louisville Hite Art Institute, believing that design could change the lives of its proponents and the fortunes of its beneficiaries. In lieu of flowers, please consider an expression of sympathy with a donation to the “Daniel Stewart Scholarship in Design Fund" at the University of Louisville or to your favorite charity. Checks should be made out to UofL Foundation, "Daniel Stewart Scholarship Fund" written in memo and mailed to University of Louisville, Inc, P.O. Box 772050, Chicago, IL 60677-2050, or make gifts at https://give.louisville.edu/stewart.