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Walter Baum Remembered, Kiwanis Club, Kervorkian
Dear Friends,
Good morning. Kiwanis, Dr. Kevorkian’s release from prison, and the 60-year-old brand new mother were some of the news items, which captured my attention last week.
But first,
let’s begin with the “Walter E. Baum Remembered” reception at the Quakertown
high school. I’ll bet that more than 200 were on hand to honor the legacy of
Besides the eight wonderful paintings, the fourth grade art exhibit hanging on clotheslines struck me. The kids drew their own renditions in the Baum style. There must have been more than 100 for us to see. In addition, three senior high students had their Baum-like paintings on display.
You couldn’t miss the huge mural as you entered the exhibit. Lynn Kraft is the QHS high school fine arts and theater teacher and a member of the Baum committee. He prepared the exhibit space for the Baum paintings. One afternoon, Kraft discovered an unused piece of canvas that approximated 20 feet long by six feet high. One of the teachers told me that it took Kraft just two hours to paint scenes that duplicated Walter Baum’s style. QHS is lucky to have Kraft in its midst. Alas, he retires shortly.
It was nice to see Evelyn Gerhart take a well-deserved bow. She served as the chairperson for the committee and worked tirelessly for its success. Before she retired, Evelyn was the eyes and ears for five Quakertown superintendents. For nearly 40 years, she was the Executive Secretary for the school.
John Detweiler, a member of the Foundation’s board of directors, was the able master of ceremonies. He kept the program hopping and on time.
The
gathering was a “Who’s Who” in Upper Bucks. It was fun visiting with people
whom I haven’t seen in a long time. Rich Wyckoff returned for the afternoon.
The QHS basketball star from yesteryear presides over the
And I had a nice chat with Wayne
Lippman who lives in
“Art enhances life,” Walter Baum
once said. Those words were captured in Martha Saxton’s book on Baum. She was
the guest speaker for the reception and spent most of the early afternoon among
high school art students. She wowed them and us. She also autographed copies of
her book, “Walter Emerson Baum (1884-1956), Pennsylvania Artist and Founder of
the Baum School of Art and the
Walter Baum lived in Sellersville, as does his grandson David Baum who attended the celebration. More than 50 Baum paintings in oil and watercolor, plus sketches have resided in Baum’s home until recently. Another grandson, J. Lawrence “Larry” Grim, Jr., has championed the Baum legacy. His friend, Kathleen O’Dea, is a fine art consultant who worked with the Foundation to conserve and refurbish the eight Baum paintings.
Grim was introduced and told a funny story about his grandfather, Walter Baum. As I remember it, Larry Grim was about four and attending the funeral of his great grandfather, Harvey Baum. Larry’s mother had dressed him in a white suit, which was quite a contrast to the rest of the mourners who wore black.
Believing that black should always be worn to funerals, the mischievous Walter Baum sent Larry to the basement to play in the coal bin. He soon reappeared as black as the rest of the mourners. Larry told the crowd that while his mother was angry with him she was more furious with her father.
“The arts are alive and well,” Kelly Van Valkenburgh told us. She is the President of the Quakertown school board. We heard her reassure the assembled that the school board approved the concept of a permanent exhibit for the eight Baum paintings.
The
Foundation is raising funds to create a permanent exhibition for the paintings
plus providing space for artists of today. Lynn Kraft estimates that it will
cost between $10,000 and $12,000 to complete the project. You can help by calling
It was quite an event.
Item.
The region has a new Kiwanis Club. Bravo volunteers! In less than 12 months, the Upper Bucks Kiwanis Club has 25 members and is going strong. It’s been 10 years since the Quakertown Kiwanis Club folded. But, some of the former members are still nearby. I hope they’ll lend a hand.
My father
always told me that one of the unique qualities about
Item.
And speaking about moving on to the next world, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the famous assisted suicide advocate was paroled last week after eight years behind bars. At 79, Dr. Death, as he is known, paid a big price for taking a stand. From 1990 until 1998, Kevorkian helped 130 terminally ill people die.
Kevorkian’s campaign to legalize assisted suicide has prompted a national debate. It made prison worthwhile for him. Two-thirds of Americans believe that there are circumstances in which a patient should be allowed to die,” an Associated Press poll revealed (May 30).
The poll
found that 53 percent thought Kevorkian should not have been jailed, as opposed
by 40 percent. It also found that, by a margin of 48 percent to 44 percent,
respondents believe that physicians should be able to prescribe lethal drugs to
help terminally ill patients end their own lives.
We Americans don’t hesitate to euthanize a terminally ill family pet. Are we changing our minds about end of life decisions for humans?
Final item.
You read
about the 60-year-old
And, no surprise, the daughter has figured out that she’ll be permanently squeezed by an aging mother on one hand, and two brothers a generation younger than she. Guess who’ll be raising the twin sons? That 29-year-older of course.
What was mother Birnbaum thinking? What was she smoking?
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith