retirement gifts

Noah and I went to lunch today with Chuck. He's retiring and yesterday was his last class. He gave me the Green Man you see above and "Millennium Mutation #20", an aluminum piece both of which he cast. I couldn't believe it! I was so excited. Who gives someone a going away present when they're the one leaving.....? Only Chuck, that's WHO!

When I first came to UWM, I encountered Professor Kraus in the Sculpture studio as I was teaching the wood shop portion of my 3D Concepts course. I was quite intimidated by his presence and felt like an intruder in the space that he had inhabited for 36 years. I soon found that this couldn't be further from the truth. It usually takes me a while to warm up to people and I usually keep my mouth shut in those early moments of getting to know people (better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt) and I think Chuck has followed the same idiom for some time. He also lives by another one of my favorite life rules: treat others as you would want to be treated.

Chuck is one of the most down to Earth and honest people I know. He speaks often of his two sons and his wife and I believe that he has a real understanding of what it means to be a part of a family. He always asks me about my family and he is first to take time out to get some swedish fish or trail mix from his office when Noah comes to the studio to visit. I haven't met a more "real" person than Chuck.

I have learned so much from working in the same space as Chuck. He is one of the most giving teachers I know. He gives his dedicated and engaged students every bit of his attention and would walk to the end of the Earth for them. The uncountable number of people who would do the same for Chuck is proof of the impact he has had on so many people. Once a friend, always a friend. I was not aware of the impact that Chuck has had on so many, until I attended an Iron Conference at Sloss Furnaces in AL last year. The entire sculpture casting community is aware of Chuck and his program as a result of so many of his students moving on to teach at other Universities. He really is at the beginning of of an incredible family tree of people who make up a national and worldwide network of artists who primarily use foundry techniques in their work.

Lately I've been trying to soak up just a bit of the foundry knowledge Chuck has to offer. He has been so gracious to show me how things work. I can't tell you the amount of in depth knowledge he has on casting. If only you could transfer the amount of knowledge and experience he has to another person.

I'm going to miss Chuck as I continue to work at UWM. He is the one constant that I could always count on at work. Chuck leaves a gaping hole in the fabric that is the UWM Sculpture area. I just can't imagine the program without Chuck. After 40 and half years of service to the school and to the department, I congratulate a true colleague for which I have the utmost respect for.

Once a friend, always a friend....