Kevin Callahan

I recently learned of Doug’s passing 3 years after the fact. Even so it saddens me greatly.
I was a student of Doug’s at Drake back in 1975. I was in fact a Graphics Design major
and commented for many years that it is good I came to sculpture my senior year as I am
certain I would have become a devoted deadbeat to the practice.

Several of the things I remember about Doug were:
● His infectious happy attitude about life and art
● He almost always wore bib overalls and had a billboard
of flapping pieces of paper pinned to his front.
He would write notes to himself, then pin them to his breast.
If you stopped to talk with him he would gaze down
mumble “oh, I did that one,” tear it off and proceed on
● Doug liked to hold “critiques” that started at 11:00 PM
and included beer and other things. We would often argue until
2:00 AM and I would explain to my new wife I was “at class”

In 1975 Doug succeeded in bringing the 10-state Flatlands Sculpture Show to Des Moines.
He arranged funding from a leading citizen (a patron of the arts) and
we (the sculpture students at Drake) were drafted to clean up the downtown building
and help “hang” the show. It was a juried show and I had a small wooden sculpture accepted.

The day of the show my wife (very over dressed) and I headed downtown.
When she walked in she remarked everyone looked like they had come to
clean out the barn. Doug saw me and motioned me over.
He was with our Patron and his wife. He threw his arm around me and
introduced us then he said “don’t let this boy fool you, underneath
those shoes and socks he is barefoot.” He was of course referring
to my hillbilly background, but I laughed so hard. Doug was a great
artist and a better man.