AC_1965_Web

194 AN T I OC H CO L L E G E C L A S S O F 19 6 5 5 0 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y B O O K W O L L E N One summer, six years later, a pyromaniac set fire to the yard.The damage was massive, the experi- ence traumatic. Somehow we man- aged to be up and running in a week but within three months I had lost all my hair from the shock. It taught me that I loved the beast of a place more than I knew. Then, by the end of that year, my mentor passed away—his death more terrifying to me than the fire. Now I would really have to wear the pants. And I did—for the next 25 years. In some cases well and in some, poorly. In October of ’87, only a few months after the fires, came Black Monday; so by late ’89, sales were dwindling; and by spring of ‘90, the lack of business was sicken- ing.Again I knew I had to find a so- lution.OnAugust 2, 1990, as Saddam Hussein was invading Kuwait, I ini- tiated a sales route to the wealthy communities of Fairfield and Westchester counties an hour away. After a month, I had sold a whop- ping $50.00 worth of mouldings, humbly delivering it myself in our old pickup truck. Towards the end of the year, ar- chitect friends helped me devise a blueprint-sized, computer-generated portfolio of molding profiles.At that time, it was forward-thinking. It got us the attention of one major resi- dential builder, then more, and even- tually, write-ups in national trade journals. The Library of Congress, Syracuse University and Notre Dame called for copies. But it was not all gravy. It was hard work with lots of ups and downs. In 1995, I married a customer— a high-end builder and former high- rise construction worker. Ron held a patent on a foam form for concrete that allowed for solid and cost-ef- fective construction of commercial and mass housing ventures.And Ron brought me a new business part- ner, freeing me to focus on sales to luxury residential builders and ar- chitects, which eventally increased business by over fifty per cent. When I could, I traveled with Ron for his business, as well as our trav- eling together around the world for fun when we could. I began recon- necting with old friends in Turkey, Paris, India, China. A much dreamed-of trip toTibet in 2001 was the beginning of my road back to making art. I became good friends with a fellow traveler, an art teacher from my area. She started a studio group for us older gals with art longings. After fourteen years, a core of about seven of us still make art in Ellen’s studio every week and oc- casionally exhibit as the collective “The Full Spectrum.” In 2005,Ron and I divorced; still, we remained friends until his death this past year. Bangkok Canals: water-taxiing with friends. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z