Family & Friends
The People Who Made Me Who I Am
MY MOM - She held her family together, through good times and bad, for 58 years, and is loved by each of her three children in his or her own way. She gave me my positive attitude, outgoing gregarious nature and sensitivity to the concerns of others.
MY GRANDMOTHER PERLE - Iron Willed Matriarch who united an family and drove its members to succeed in business and the professions. Her harsh, inflexible methods have supported psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists across the country for almost a century.
MY DAD - A Decorated World War II B-17 Pilot whose valor saved his crews more than once and resulted in disabling hearing loss. He was a natural athlete, tumbler, diver, scratch golfer and National Handball Champion. I originally painted him in the nude, but added a tunic when he commented that my original would cause women to think he had been holding out on them. Yes, like Mom, he had a crazy-great sense of humor.
Toby has always been a beautiful, vivacious sibling. These three takes are from her teenage years, to motherhood and eventually to being a wonderful grandmother.
LAURA (MY OLDER DAUGHTER) - She loves to travel, run and raise her own family. As the date indicates, I created this at the outset of my art making, and as one of my first colored pencil drawings, it accustomed me to having to live with strokes once they appeared on the page.
DEBBIE (MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER) - This, too, was one of my first colored pencil drawings. An accomplished artist in her own right, she shares my appreciation of Pthalo Blue hue and the beauty of nature.
ISAAC (MY NEPHEW) - who is today a post grad working with Bees in Massachusetts.
PHILLIP RATNER - My Mentor, confidant and spirit guide through art, the acclaimed Sculptor, painter and creator of the Israel Bible Museum.
PAUL (MY COLLEGE ROOMATE) - A fine commercial photographer, to whom I will be forever grateful for his not having killed me when he had a chance.
CAROLE BAEKEY - The lawyer who introduced me to South Africa’s struggle against Apartheid and was responsible for my career on the African continent. She made rural health care available during SA’s democratic infancy, then went on to share her skills with other emerging African nations. Her selfless, uncompromising search for truth and fairness in an unfair world earned her my respect. I depict her as Joan of Arc, with whom she shared a strong sense of purpose and limitless courage.
DAVID ALCOCK (HUSBAND TO CAROLE BAEKEY - This White Zulu* conducted both ram jet water and biogas projects in rural Zululand and served as interpreter for foreign correspondents during the Bad Old Days in South Africa. Inkosi (chief in Zulu) as I called him was just as uncompromising in his efforts to assist his country’s native populations as was his wife.
*Westerners who lived and worked with the Zulu were called this.