Sad Day for the Sign Industry.........Rick Glawson

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Mike Jackson on March 10, 2003

Man...I am sitting here with cold chills.

I just heard that Rick Glawson passed away this morning after a stroke. I just spoke with Lola at the shop to confirm what happened and unfortunately it is true. She is very upset and DOESN'T WANT A LOT OF PEOPLE CALLING TODAY. As I was on the phone with her, Rick's brother was walking in the front door so she had to go.

I could probably write a lot here, but for now it seems I should just make the announcement and gather my thoughts. There is a major unfillable void in our lives today.

Mike

D. Bernhardt

It's impossible to write anything appropriate here and am truly very sad. A great guy.

Tom Swormstedt

I had just talked to Rick on Sunday and he was excited about moving into the shop as his living space, plus all the shop improvements he was doing. I remember the place when the Harley shop was still next door. I always called his shop, "the candy store" . . .
I was calling him yesterday about a technical question. He was always the "go to guy" on questions of glass decoration. I had wanted to take a year off, and spend it in his shop with a tape recorder . . . because there was no one else with the knowledge he had . . . and more importantly, there was no one else with the "heart of gold" to share it with all who asked. I try to think about what he gave, and not what we all lost in his passing.

Danny Baronian

Oh, man, that's not the kind of news you want to hear!

I was just at Rick's shop Feb 7th for the Conclave, and Rick looked fine as he always has. He's always seemed quite healthy to me, so news like this comes from out of nowhere!

None of us are irreplaceable, but in Rick’s case- it may be different.

What a blow!! Rick has been both a friend and a source of information like no other.

This does leave quite a void.

Our prayers and thoughts are with Lola and the family.

Danny W. Baronian

Kent Smith

I just heard too. Cannot even think. Rick has been one of my best friends, so glad I saw him this last month. I have a void that will be impossible to fill.

Raymond Chapman

There are no words right now for me to say. The tears in my eyes are too strong.

Ron Percell

I hurt deeply from the loss of my friend.

I'm honored to say Rick Glawson was one of my greatest mentors. No one individual was more willing to give me their time.

Rick Glawson embodied the letterhead spirt.

I'll miss you the rest of my life.

Jeffrey Lang

I don't think I can express it any better that what has already been said. I probably didn't know Rick as well as most here, but, boy was he passionate. You could see it in his eyes when he would share his knowledge. A true teacher!
Pictured with Eoin there gave me chills. Both will be truly missed.
My thoughts & prayers are with Lola.
Jeff Lang

Mike Jackson

Hi Raymond and the rest,
I seem to be feeling similar emotions today as when I heard of the passing of Mike Stevens and again of Steven Parrish. I am sure some felt the same about Chester Cunningham, but I was just entering the craft when that happened and I didn't know him personally.

After 20 plus Conclaves, along with countless Letterheads meets and seminars, Rick and Lola have touched the lives of so many people. The loss is huge and it will personally affect so many people as they hear about his sudden passing. The unique people I mentioned earlier were special in their desire to share and expand boundries.

Mike Jackson

Hi Raymond and the rest,
I seem to be feeling similar emotions today as when I heard of the passing of Mike Stevens and again of Steven Parrish. I am sure some felt the same about Chester Cunningham, but I was just entering the craft when that happened and I didn't know him personally.

After 20 plus Conclaves, along with countless Letterheads meets and seminars, Rick and Lola have touched the lives of so many people. The loss is huge and it will personally affect so many people as they hear about his sudden passing. The unique people I mentioned earlier were special in their desire to share and expand boundries.

Mike Jackson

Chris Maylone

I never had the pleasure of meeting or working with Mr. Glawson, but as a starting-out sign maker looking for smalt ; I was really helped by him. During a particularly difficult project, Mr. Glawson stayed on the phone with me, silkscreening gold onto a mahogoney panel. He personified the best of the Craft.

Carol

God's Speed Rick Glawson

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[Doug Bernhardt]

Just a pause to think of the late great F.E.Glawson...was 3years ago today he passed away and gave Lola (Mama Fine Gold) a call to let her know she was being thought of. She has enjoyed the phone calls (they're dwindling off) and especially the visits to Memorial Conclaves. She also was impressed at seeing new blood showing up as it's so important to get the younger people involved and practicing some of the old ways.


Rick Glawson Memorial Page
http://www.percellsigns.com/glawson.htm

[Steven Vigeant]

Cross-linking Daddy Finegold
On March 9 I was checking out Letterhead Magazine and the Dead Man meet in Hayward, which is a couple of miles down the street from me. I couldn't believe there was a Conclave style meet right here, especially since I came the closest to going down south this year. Anyway, the next day I searched it on the Bull Board and then I'm flattened by Larry White's website, walljewelry.com which has some of best Rick Glawson tributes going. I read the old Bull board posts through some link, looked at some pictures and when I wound up back at the Hand Lettering Forum, there were more posts from the day of Ricks death. I hadn't realized it was the anniversary until that moment.
There was a crisp intensity to Rick's advise and a type of joyful optimism that you were going to see his purpose. Once I called him about some inane watergild shortcut I was hoping would work and he patiently conveyed to me the nature of pride in the work and finished with a short history of the Chicago quality vs. New York quality. I mean wasn't this man undoubtably at that very moment right in the middle of the hairiest gilding project on the planet? and he's got time to talk to me about why you don't want to be doing techiques when you're gilding?
I think of the current era as A.D., after Daddy Finegold. If it wasn't for him, I'm not helping prop up a flagging gild tradition in our area. Without him there would be no copper leaf signs in this whole part of the state! But now there are.
Another teacher of mine, a Buddhist teacher, says that there is only a so-called birth and a so-called death. That is so easily illustrated by Rick's example, his work and teachings came from another time. His abilty to describe the beauty of turn of the century signs was remarkable. At Boise he made it clear that the visual effects of glass, light and gold were way more captivating then anything we have today.
The tangible results he had on the nature of our craft lives on so vitally. He is present now in the incredible specialty work of the Larry to be sure, but also in countless basic quality issues as well. Everyday, if you are open to it.