Artisan
Memorial
Without question, the most painful aspect of running this
organization is the inevitability of receiving a heartbreaking phone
call that an Artisan member has passed away. Silversmiths are few and
far between. The talented individuals you’ll read about have
left behind legacies that are rare and admirable. The Artisan
Memorial will keep these silversmiths alive in our hearts, and remind
us that carrying on this great craft is part of America’s
heritage. Jeffrey Herman, Executive Director
Send remembrances here.
Susan Elizabeth Wood
Mendocino, CA
Born in Baltimore, MD
June 12, 1951 - December 29, 2006
Carla Tomaszewski, 3/14/2007: I had only found out about
Susan’s death at the end of February while attending the ACC
show in Baltimore. Susan and I spent the first 12 years of our lives
growing up together in Sudbrook Park, a suburb of Baltimore near
Pikesville, MD. We were next-door neighbors/fast friends, doing
everything together. Each of us considered the other’s parents
our own. When her parents, Ron and Orlyn (both medical doctors)
decided to move to Florida, we kids, at the age of 12 were
devastated. They left on my birthday, June 28th, 1963.
Eventually they made their way out to California where Susan’s
dad got a job at U. of Berkley. Through the years we visited each
other and kept in touch through holiday cards and phone calls.
Susan was steered to her profession at a very early age through her
exposure to her parent’s hobby of lapidary work. Her mom loved
enamel work and her dad cut, polished and set precious and
semi-precious gems. We kids loved it when her dad would give us the
leftovers of cut and tumbled stones for our “rock
collections”. By the age of 10 we could name all the gems by
their proper names.
The last time I spoke with Susan was about 6 months ago. I knew she
had cancer, but she would not let on how bad off she was. Trying to
think ahead, I asked Susan for the address and phone number of her
daughter Canada, since I didn’t have it and would need to know
about things if Susan became more ill. It was by a very strange set
of circumstances that I found out about her death. We had been
attending the ACC’s annual show at the Baltimore convention
center off and on for many years. However, it had been a long while
since I last attended, so I and my daughter made a special day trip
to Baltimore for the show this past Saturday (Feb. 24). After going
through the first several rows of the show, I came across a goldsmith
from California. On a whim, I said to the artist, “You might
know a good friend of mine – Susan Elizabeth Wood.” She had
that glimmer of recognition, and then embarrassingly said, “Oh
yes, didn’t you know, Susan died not too long ago.” I
was floored and had sudden bursts of tears throughout the afternoon
(and following weeks). When I returned home, I called Canada and
confirmed the sad news. She said she had wanted to contact me but
could not find my number among her mom’s papers. I truly feel
that Susan, in some way guided me to that California goldsmith, a
total stranger among thousands of people in that convention hall, to
let me know she was gone.
You really can’t imagine how distressed I am that I cannot be at
the memorial. First, I feel very guilty and empty inside that I did
not know until Feb. 24th that Susan had died, and that I wasn’t
there to say goodbye to her. Now, with her memorial upcoming, I
cannot be there either, and it is really a bummer! Please let Canada
know that I will be with you all in mind and spirit to give a final
farewell to Susan. You know, I was thinking that of all those who
will be there, I am the one who has known Susan and her family the
longest. We were both almost exactly the same age – Susan’s
birthday on June 12th and mine on the 28th. Also, my mom, Stella
Hazard who is 91, still lives in the house next door to where Susan
and her sister Carolyn grew up. Mom knew and loved Susan’s
parents Ron and Orlyn. Stella also wishes to extend her sympathies to
Canada and all Susan’s friends and colleagues during this time
of mourning.
The following is an obituary written by Susan's good friend Irene McGuckin.
She collaborated with Susan over the years and was with her the
last 2 months of her life.
Susan Elizabeth Wood died Friday, December 29, 2006, in Oakland,
California, following a long illness. She was the daughter of Ronald
and Orlyn Wood, and was a long-time resident of Mendocino.
A gifted and widely respected metalsmith for nearly thirty years,
Susan credited the Mendocino Art Center with sparking her lifelong
passion for metals, when she took her first jewelry class there at
the age of 15. She went on to earn her MFA in Metal Arts at Humboldt
State University. Susan gave back to both schools, teaching at
Humboldt for several semesters, and both directing and teaching in
the Mendocino Art Center's jewelry department for many years. In
recognition of Susan's many contributions, the Center last year
rededicated the jewelry studio in her name. For the past four years,
until illness forced her resignation in September 2006, Susan had
been adjunct professor of metalsmithing at California College of the
Arts in Oakland.
Possessed of an exacting work ethic and artistic standard, Susan's
mantra was "front, back, inside and out," and each piece of
metalwork she produced was finished in all four dimensions. She
excelled in soldering, fabricating, woven metal techniques, chain
making, and mechanisms, and taught these techniques to a grateful and
devoted group of budding and seasoned metal arts students at
countless schools and art centers throughout the United States. Her
award-winning work has been included in numerous books and
publications, as well as private and public collections.
Susan was devoted to her art and to her students, to whom she gave
generously of her vast knowledge and her limited time among us. Those
fortunate enough to have known her will remember a tremendously
talented artist, but even more, a modest, kind, and gentle spirit
whose ever-present radiant, angelic smile belied a quirky, acerbic,
and devilish sense of humor. She lived and died with a courage and
grace that will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved her.
She is survived by her beloved daughter Arianna Canada Onstad, her
devoted Siamese cat Bodhisattva, and her many, many loving friends,
colleagues, and students. Go in peace and laughter, Susan–you
are an inspiration to us all.
For information regarding a future memorial service in celebration of
Susan's life, please email SusanWoodInfo@yahoo.com. Friends wishing
to help with planning the event should also email their desire to
this address.
Gayle Clarke
Williamsburg, Virginia
Born in Richmond, VA
July 5, 1941 - March 29, 2006
SAS Executive Director Jeffrey Herman, 5/7/2006: Gayle M.
Clarke passed away quietly earlier this year from cancer. Her
selflessness and concern for others was evident right up to the week
before she died. Even then, as she many times before, she made
me blush with her seamless, edgy comebacks.
She was an Artisan member of SAS since its inception in 1989. Gayle
served a seven-year apprenticeship at Colonial Williamsburg (the only
apprenticeship program in the United States), staying and specialized
in piercing their very large handled baskets while answering
questions from visitors to the silversmith's shop at the Golden Ball.
From Gail Hedgepeth, Master Hand Engraver, 5/9/2006: Along
with being an accomplished seamstress she was also an avid salsa
dancer, entering and winning several competitions. She loved the
outdoors, animals and her flower garden.
What started out as a job selling jewelry to support herself and her
3 children, turned into her life's work. Also, Gayle enhanced her
skills by studying engraving over 15 years and applying the art to
her pieces. She participated in the SAS Engraving Silver Works program.
She always held herself with grace and stature, but loved a fun time.
She was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. She knew how to be
a good friend. She loved family gatherings so much. In the times
where holidays approached, she would spend dinners and events with my
large family rather that sit home alone. She came to know all of my
family and loved and cared for all of us. She was a woman who loved
life, family, and friends. Also, her underlying goal was always to
see her three children grow into wonderful adults and her
contribution to them was her dedication to see they got the
education, love and support they needed to grow.
From The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation before Gayle's passing:
Traveling through the English countryside in 1741, William Hutton
happened upon a blacksmith's shop, where he saw "one or more
females, stripped of their upper garments, and not overcharged with
the lower, wielding the hammer with all the grace of the sex."
If Hutton was taken aback, it might not have been so much by the
costuming as by finding women working a trade usually practiced by men.
Journeyman Gayle Clarke is working in the James Craig silversmith
shop on a typical July day in Colonial Williamsburg. Her sleeves are
rolled, she's sweating, and she's swinging a forging hammer over a
thick piece of silver. In spite of the Tidewater humidity, there's a
fire blazing in the fireplace so Clarke can anneal the ingot when
it's hardened. Guests mill about the shop. A woman looks around,
walks into the back, peers down the hall, turns to her companions and
says, "Oh, I guess none of the silversmiths are working today."
Clarke laughs as she recounts the story, variations of which have
happened many times over her nearly twenty-five-year career. "I
don't get much of an opportunity to talk to those folks," she
says. "They've got their minds made up about women's roles. But
the guests that ask where my husband is, or why am I working, those
are the guests that are fascinated to find out about the historical
accuracy of my presence."
Henry Petzal
La Jolla, California
Born in Berlin, Germany
August 16, 1906 - March 15, 2002
From Art Pryor, 7/5/2002:
I am Henry Petzal's son. I am sorry to inform you that Henry passed
away, quietly, in his sleep on March 15, 2002, at the age of 95. I am
the curator of his tools, plans etc. If anyone has any thoughts about
these materials, please contact me at: artpmdk@aol.com. Thank you.
SAS Suporting
Member Fred Zweig, 7/5/2002: It is always sad to hear of
someone's passing. Doubly sad when it is someone you admire. I did
not know him personally but knew of his skill in design and
craftmanship. His passing is a great loss to us all. I have never
believed that the storage of tools does any honor to the man or the
tools. I think they should find a home with a craftsman so that they
can continue their usefulness and can be used to creat items of use
and beauty. The designs and paperwork should be placed in a
repository that would allow access to them for research and study of
Henry's life and love of the craft. I have no suggestions as to where
this place might be. Henry Petzal will be missed.
Reginald W. Wood
Gardner, Massachusetts
Born in Penzance Cornwall, England
October 20, 1919 - September 11, 2000
SAS Executive Director Jeffrey Herman, 1/25/2001: Reggie was
born in Penzance, Cornwall, England, and came to the U.S. in 1921. He
attended public school in Gardner, Massachusetts, and went on to
Worcester Vocational for sheet metal development, and Worcester State
College for production control & manufacturing methods.
Reggie began his apprenticeship at Arthur J. Stone Silver Shop in
1937. Later that year the shop was sold and renamed Stone Associates.
He was trained under Stone craftsmen including Arts & Crafts
Medalists Herbert Taylor in holloware and Charles Brown in flatware
until 1942.
Reggie served in the U.S. Airforce from 1942-1945 in Europe,
performing sheet metal repair on battle damaged aircraft.
Returning to Stone Associates in 1945, Reggie produced holloware and
flatware until the shop's closing in 1957. After the closing, he
worked in product development and management in private industry
including holloware and flatware sample making for Old Newbury
Crafters in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Reggie continued creating
ecclesiastical objects, trays, pitchers, bowls, presentation pieces,
trophies, and jewelry up to his death.
He was a strong believer in form following function which was
reflected in his heavy utilitarian pieces. Whenever we saw each
other, he would invariably comment on the improbable marketing of
much of the silver being produced by student silversmiths; Reggie was
extremely practical in his design.
Frederick A. Miller
Brecksville, Ohio
Born in Akron, Ohio
February 6, 1913 - January 8, 2000
SAS Artisan Michael Banner, 1/11/2000: It was indeed a sad
phone call from Jeffrey [Herman] relating Fred Miller's death, a
person always in my mind when in the process of completing a piece of
holloware. I have many fond memories of that short and very
productive year as a student at the Cleveland Art Institute in the
early sixties, with a year between undergraduate graduation and the
army. The Cleveland Art Institute agreed to take me into a
professional studies program for the nine months working with Fred
Miller, John Paul Miller, and Kenny Bates. It was a very intense
program working with Fred for three days, John Paul one day, and
Kenny one day. I have never worked with people who were more caring
and diligent in the teaching process. Fred, as always, was the
toughest taskmaster, only because he wanted one to do all things
correctly. He was always good for a lively discussion concerning what
was right and wrong. I feel that the trio were responsible for my
eventual progress into holloware. When I had my studio in Chicago
they would visit and I felt proud that they would take the time to
look in to see what work I was involved with at the time. That was
typical when at Cleveland. The school would not let me use the
facilities in the evening unless I was in an evening class. When John
Paul heard this he helped me set up a studio in my apartment relating
as how he made jewelry on his footlocker in the Army, so how much
space did one need.
They really cared for their students and they have made wonderful
mentors for my life as a craft person. Good bye Fred, have a
wonderful trip.
SAS Artisan Elizabeth Nutt, 1/12/2000: From the time I was
twelve I wanted to be a Silversmith and study with Fred Miller at the
Cleveland Institute of Art. After high school and two years of
college I was accepted into the program. Mr. Miller was a brilliant
teacher and a daunting taskmaster. As the only female silversmithing
major in my class I was completely intimidated but resolutely vowed
to prove to Mr. Miller that the time and effort he spent on my behalf
would not be wasted. I was serious about my chosen profession and
would not "go off and get married" as he felt his female
students so often did.
Fred worked on his own projects at night and as our skills developed
we were permitted to work then too as long as we did not disturb him.
Fred moved metal so quickly and accurately that he made everything
look easy. To our amazement he would "raise" a large piece
while squatting on top of the studio's center table, a position that
seemed to defy gravity. We were mesmerized and inspired to see a
master at work.
My favorite memory of Fred was at my 1963 graduation. As I went up to
receive my diploma I looked into the audience and saw Mr. Miller
looking up at me with a stern intense gaze. Our eyes met and for a
split second he smiled and winked. At that moment I knew that my hard
work would pay off and that I would be successful.
All of us who were fortunate enough to study with Fred Miller feel
such a sense of loss at the news of his death. It is the end of an
era, but he left us with a body of work that will inspire generations
of silversmiths to come.
SAS Artisan John Marshall, 1/14/2000: Fred Miller was a
silversmith that cannot be forgotten in the history of the field
because of his dedication to craftsmanship and pure design. I will
always be grateful for his teaching which played a major part in my career.
Richard H. Reinhardt
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Born in Philadelphia
September 8, 1921 - December 29, 1998
Winter 1998-1999 issue of SASnews: We
were saddened to learn that Richard H. Reinhardt died late last year.
He had been an Artisan member since the Society's founding in 1989.
Known for his exploration of new ideas, outstanding craftsmanship,
and teaching skills, Reinhardt was an inspiration to his students.
Below is his obituary which appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Richard H. Reinhardt, 77, of Newtown Square [PA], a silversmith and
jewelry maker who spent more than 50 years at the University of the
Arts [in Philadelphia] as a student, teacher of crafts, and school
official, died of bladder cancer on December 29 at Paoli Memorial Hospital.
During the 1950s, Reinhardt founded the jewelry and metalsmithing
programs and was chairman of the crafts department at the
Philadelphia Museum School of Art.
When the school became the Philadelphia College of Art in the 1960s,
he was chairman of the industrial design department. He was named
associate dean of faculty in 1965, became dean five years later, and
served until 1976.
He taught silversmithing and jewelry making for eight years, then
returned to the dean's office for two years to help establish the
University of the Arts. He retired in 1986.
Widely known as a silversmith, he exhibited his work at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Art Museum,
and in museums in Rochester, NY; Amsterdam, Holland; and elsewhere.
His work is included in the permanent collections of museums in
Boston and Philadelphia, and in the Smithsonian.
In a retrospective show at the University of the Arts last spring,
Inquirer art critic Edward J. Sozanski called attention to
Reinhardt's "Superb craftsmanship" and said his career
"demonstrates that craftsmanship can readily transmute into art,
even when the craftsman isn't striving consciously to produce art."
He added: "After more than a half-century of hammering silver,
Reinhardt appears to be having fun with it by seeing how far he can
push traditional silversmithing techniques. It's inspiring to
encounter an artist so long at the bench who not only still enjoys
his work but who continues to grow in its practice."
Reinhardt began studies at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of
Industrial Art (as the art school was then known). He left during
World War II to work as a draftsman and to serve in the Marines as a
drill instructor.
He returned to school after the war, earning his degree and staying
to teach. When he retired, he was named professor emeritus and made
an honorary doctor of fine arts.
He is survived by his wife, Hazel; two children, five grand-
children; and five great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be
made to the Richard H. Reinhardt Scholarship Fund at the University
of the Arts, 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102.
Ronald Hayes Pearson
Deer Isle, Maine
Born in New York, New York
September 9, 1924 - August 25, 1996
Fall 1996-Spring 1997 issue of SASnews: Ronald
Hayes Pearson, a metalsmith for nearly 50 years whose many honors
include the 1996 Gold Medal Award from the American Craft Council,
died August 25, 1996, in home in Deer Isle, Maine. He was 71.
His work is included in major collections at the Smithsonian
Institution, the American Craft Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and
many other noted institutions. Governor King of Maine recently
nominated Pearson for the National Treasure Award, administered by
the University of North Carolina. He was one of five finalists for
that honor. Although best known for his jewelry, Pearson made
significant contributions to the areas of sculpture, industrial
design, teaching, and to organizations that support craft. Chief
among such organizations was Deer Isle's Haystack Mountain School of
Crafts, where he taught and served on the board of trustees for many years.
Pearson studied at the University of Wisconsin and the School for
American Craftsmen at Alfred University. For many years, he lived in
Rochester, New York, where he and three other craft artists opened
Shop One, the first artist-owned craft gallery in the country. He
moved to Deer Isle in 1971.
In 1987, he received an honorary doctorate from the Portland School
of Art (now the Maine College of Art).
Donations may be made to the Ronald Hayes Pearson Scholarship Fund at
Haystack for metals students. For information, call 207/348-2306.
Solve Hallqvist
Cleveland, Ohio
Born in Lund Sweden
April 4, 1919 - April 24, 1996
SAS Executive Director Jeffrey Herman in Spring 1996 issue of American
Silversmith: SAS Artisan Solve Hallqvist of Cleveland, Ohio,
died at the age of 77 on April 21, 1996, from a brief illness. Solve,
an Artisan member of SAS, was well known in the Cleveland area and
taught silversmithing for 16 years at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Born April 4, 1919, in Sweden, he apprenticed in 1942 with C.F.
Carlman, Stockholm's Court Jeweler, and furthered his education from 1943-1950
with for Baron Eric Von Flemming, Stockholm's Court Silversmith.
His professional activities until his death were: 1948, silversmith
for Bone Bakker & Zoon, Amsterdam, Holland, and Jan & Leo
Brom's Edelsmitse, Utrecht, Holland; 1951, Experimental Silverwork
for Steuben Crystal, New York, NY; 1952, silversmith for Henry
Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; 1952-1984, silversmith for Potter &
Mellon, Inc. Cleveland, OH; 1960-1961, Partner & silversmith with
Stacey-Hallqvist, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and from 1984 up to his
death, maintained a home studio in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in
sterling holloware, flatware, and jewelry. He also participated in
numerous exhibitions since 1957.
Solve was a very unassuming, gracious, and soft spoken person. He was
truly a gifted silversmith, preferring to hand carve blocks of
sterling instead of casting, and hand raising in place of spinning.
His work was so highly regarded that he continued to produce pieces
for loyal patrons in Sweden. Though he rarely promoted himself and
never participated in the craft circuit, he should be remembered as
an American treasure.
SAS Supporting Member Callie Stacey, 3/23/2000: Solve worked
for/with my father, the late Canadian silversmith, Harold Stacey
(1911- 1979, in New York. They worked for Steuben Glass to design and
make sterling prototypes for possible production and sale with their
fine crystal.
Dad was recommended to Steuben, we think, by Margret Craver, as he
had attended the Rhode Island School of Design Workshop Conference
(sponsored by Handy & Harman) in 1949. He arrived in NY in the
fall of 1950 and early in 1951, he interviewed and hired Solve.
Originally, Alma Eikerman had been approached to be Dad's assistant,
but she didn't want to leave her teaching job and suggested Solve instead.
Dad and Solve eventually made about 50 small pieces, some
incorporating glass, that were mainly designed by the Steuben glass
staff, but with plenty of input from Dad as to what glass designs
could be successfully translated into silver. Apparently he and the
Steuben people didn't always see eye to eye.
The first photo is of Solve with one of the candlesticks they made,
in their studio in Carl Place, Long Island.
As you can see by the next pictures, Solve became a close friend of
our family (myself, Callie and my brother, Bob). He visited often,
and loved dancing with my mother Peggy and Dad's sister Joan. We went
on many family drives into the country with him, including many times
to Jone's Beach. We kids called him Uncle Solve, but I guess we
couldn't pronounce his name correctly, so he in turn called himself
"Foff," an umlaut over the "o."
The Steuben project eventually was shelved with the start of the
Korean War and Dad returned to Toronto in the spring of 1950. The 50+
pieces they made went into storage and remained forgotten until I
started my researches into Dad's work. After letters of inquiry to
both Steuben in NY and to Corning, a carton was found in storage with
99% of the pieces intact! They were donated by Steuben to the Corning
Museum of Glass, where I've been assured they are a permanent part of
the collection (though not on view).
Solve moved to Cleveland and started his successful career there. He
married Peggy late in 1952. I append a picture of her "bride
crown" that he made for her. On the reverse of the photo he sent
to us, he notes that "the oval stones are turquoises and the
small ones garnets" and there were "pearls on the fine
points." "It took me 91½ hours to make it."
In 1959, my father decided to move his studio from his basement in
Willowdale, a suburb of Toronto, to an industrial area, and he asked
Solve to come to Toronto to be partner in his business. They became
"Stacey-Hallqvist: Silversmiths & Metalsmiths" and were
together over a very busy 2 years, when Solve and Peggy returned to
Cleveland. While in Toronto, Solve worked on many commissions with my
father, but also managed to work on pieces of his own: particularly
sterling jewellery and in the photo below, a tea pot for his mother.
Both Aunt Peggy and Uncle Solve have been very helpful and
sympathetic in my researches into Harold Stacey's career. I miss him
very much.
I'd be very happy to hear from anyone who knew my father. Callie
Stacey, 122 Bowood Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M4N 1Y4, 416/487-3145,
Fax: 416/487-3075, cstacey@netcom.ca.
Alma Eikerman
Bloomington, Indiana
Born in Pratt, Kansas
May 16,1909 - January 3,1995
SAS Artisan Susan Ewing in Winter 1994-1995 issue of American
Silversmith: Alma Eikerman will be remembered for the many
facets of her life: inspirational teacher, artist, designer,
craftsperson, silversmith, jeweler, musician, bibliophile, scholar,
researcher, patron, collector, traveler, student, mentor, friend...
Eikerman's accomplishments in support of the field of metal-smithing
are legendary. And today her legacy continues in the work of her
students, in whom she imbued her passion for living a creative life.
Her teaching career at Indiana University in Bloomington spanned more
than three decades and culmi-nated in the designation of
Distinguished Professor in 1976. She was the first woman to receive
the university's highest academic honor. During her extraordinary
career, she influ-enced hundreds of students who came to Indiana from
around the world to learn metalsmithing.
Moving from her native Kansas where she studied with painter Charles
Martin, her adventurous spirit brought her to New York City in the
late 1930s where she earned a master's degree from Columbia
University. After spending 1944-1945 in Italy, serving as a volunteer
in the Red Cross, Eikerman re-turned to Kansas to teach at Wichita
State University. Shortly after taking a teaching position at Indiana
University in 1947, she won a Handy and Harman Silversmithing Award
for study at the Rhode Island School of Design under Baron Eric von
Fleming of Sweden. This experience was the impetus for her to travel
to Kolding, Denmark, to study with master silver-smith Karl Gustav
Hansen in 1950, and then to Stockholm formore study with von Fleming.
She quickly translated the tra-ditional Scandinavian silversmithing
processes into a new technical vocabulary for experimental holloware
forms in sil-ver and other metals.
Her creative work and teaching were firmly grounded in a broad
knowledge of contemporary art and historical metal-working. Her
scholarly and artistic interests took her around the world to study
museum collections (she was especially in-trigued by Celtic art) and
to work with master craftsmen and artists, from Zadkin in Paris to
Pomodoro in Milan, and on to Russia, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, and
Mexico. A tenacious stu-dent of the field, she extended this interest
to all aspects of her daily life. The house which she designed and
built as yet an-other sculptural object was lined with books, a
scarlet carpet, and housed her life's collection of fine contemporary
art and crafts.
Alma Eikerman will long be remembered for her contributions to the
post-war crafts movement, as a mentor for numerous young women and
men who subsequently became metal-smiths and teachers, and for her
own experimental work with metal. Hers was a remarkable life,
generously lived.
Robert R. Bower
Joliet, Illinois
Place of birth: unknown
August 3, 1902 - March 12, 1993
Summer 1992 issue of American Silversmith: Robert
Bower is our oldest Artisan member at 89. Here he reminisces about
his years at The Kalo Shop where he was employed for 49 years: In
1914, I lived across the street from the Doughty home in Joliet,
Illinois. I cut their grass and hauled in hard coal for three stoves.
Their daughter Ann graduated from Illinois University in graphic arts
and was employed at The Kalo Shop in Chicago as a designer and
goldsmith. After Miss Doughty worked a few years at the bench and in
the store, Kalo founder Clara Barck Wells wanted someone to run the
retail store so she could spend more time at the workshop and travel.
Mr. Hines and Miss Doughty took the responsibility of running the
store at 416 S. Michigan Ave.
Miss Doughty maintained a workbench at home where I took lessons in
the winter making pins and belt buckles. On February 28th, 1921,
MissDoughtyasked me to trymyskills atTheKaloShop. I started making
napkin bands and baby cups under shopmaster Peter L. Berg. It was not
easy communicating, as all the men were from the Scandanavian
countries and conversed in their native tongue. In 1923, Miss Doughty
moved to New York and opened a shop on 57th Street.
In 1925, a very good friend and I drove to Manhattan in a model
"T" Ford roadster with HARD rubber tires. We stopped at
Niagra Falls and Albany, New York before arriving on 57th St. in
Manhattan to see Miss Doughty who showed us the city. On the way home
we stopped in Washington, DC and took a plane ride over Arlington
National Cemetery. Upon landing, I commented to the pilot on how
noisy his plane was. He said: "yes I know, this was the last
trip before repairs."
The owner of the Fine Arts Buildin doubled the rent of The Kalo Shop
this year, just as Mrs. Wells finished remodeling a building at 152
E. Ontario Street where she lived. This was to be the new home of
store and workshop.
Mrs. Wells did a lot of traveling to England, France, Spain and Italy
to purchase ceramics, antique altar cloths, etc. to sell at the
store. During our ten years on Ontario Street and with Mrs. Wells
being away on buying trips, I received good experience running the business.
We had an arrangement with a sales organization to sell a wholesale
line consisting of 40 items of all new Kalo sterling designs that
were handwrought and of substantial weight. It was called the Norse
line. All the samples were ready to go, then the market crashed in
1929. That was the end of the wholesale business.
On July lst, 1936, we were back on the avenue at 222 S. Michigan.
Mrs. Wells moved to San Diego in 1939 and I ran the shop for the next
30 years.
When the decision was made to close the shop, we had many people who
wanted to buy us out at half price plus a big discount, but I told
them we had things under control. Without a notice in the paper or a
sale sign in the window, we sold every item at full price in six
months. The doors closed for good on July 31 st, 1970. Why did we
close? We ran out of silversmiths. In the last year we lost our three
top silversmiths; men who could not be replaced. It was difficult
trying to find men willing to learn silversmithing and it took years
to train them.
We still had three silversmiths including Walter Kichura who started
with Kalo as an apprentice in 1936. That was not enough men to run
the shop.
I was thankful that the Kalo Shop's closing was not a financial
failure. We had good customers and good sales to the end, but no production.
