I just wanted to say hello and tell you it has
been too long, too much has happened and I never
knew Doug was ill..... I am miserable at the
thought of him gone and not knowing or hearing
anything from anyone about the illness until
yesterday. He meant much to me as a friend,
advisor, teacher and big brother.
He inspired me to learn a trade, to understand
the beauty of tools and the pleasure of their
use and now, 36 years later his message and advice
remain a guidepost.
I deeply appreciate how Doug and Bonnie brought
me into their Johnston home. I remember the late
nights in the basement observing and learning the
nature of an artist. Doug understood what line,
space and form were to one another and he could
convey what worked visually, what had character
and why those elements out of context might fail.
He honored both primitive and sensible approaches
to problems and encouraged us to be direct and
focused and to follow through and make the process
of creation as much a pleasure as the end product.
I am deeply saddened by him gone, and have always
and will always look at the world differently having
known him.
Editors Note: Ben as a former student came to
Lesterville on more than one occasion to help
us pour the footings of Doug's home and to pour
the first floor of my home. One thing I will
always remember is Ben telling Doug and I that
it did not matter how much dirt was on the shovel
as long as the shovel kept moving.
