FYI: People

Lumpkin Stained Glass

The Angel window, left, which has appeared previously in The Stained Glass Quarterly, is an installation in a master bath in a private residence in Madison, Alabama. This was was previously misattributed; the studio that designed, painted, and fabricated the window is Lumpkin Stained Glass of Huntsville, Alabama.

Lumpkin Stained Glass has been creating fine leaded and stained glass installations for nearly three decades. Lumpkin Stained Glass has an extensive client base, including churches, businesses, and individuals.

This window was originally misattributed due to a filing error with the original slide, and its original printing must have been as much a surprise to the studio to whom it was attributed as it was to Lumpkin Stained Glass; The Stained Glass Quarterly apologizes for this error and is glad to be able to set the record straight. We also appreciate Patrica Lumpkin’s professionalism, good humor, and help in identifying this mistake and getting a correction made.

In Memoriam

Paul Friend

Paul Friend, age 63, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, died on March 14, 2008, after a courageous battle with cancer. Paul is survived by wife Margaret A. “Peggy,” and daughter Tahtianna “Tonya” Friend.

Paul was a 1963 graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High  School and a fourth-generation Haddonfield resident. As a Vietnam Veteran, he served as a dog handler in the Air Force Military Police. Paul was an internationally renowned stained glass artist and an Accredited full-service studio member of the Stained Glass Association of America.

Paul Friend’s legacy lives on in hundreds of churches and synagogues throughout the country including Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, Grace Church of Haddonfield, New Mexico Military Institute and within a multitude of residential homes throughout the country. Paul was known for his stained glass walking tours and lectures as well as his apprenticeship program at the Markeim Art Center in Haddonfield.

Helene Weis
Memorial Fund

To honor the passing of historian and iconographer Helene Weis, the family has requested that the SGAA create a Memorial Fund dedicated to education, which was such an important part of Helene’s life.

The stained glass industry has lost someone uniquely educated in the history of stained glass. Her inspiration and passion will be sorely missed. The SGAA will be working with Henry Weis and Susan Bockius of the Willet Hauser Architectural Glass Studios to best plan the use of the funds as would have been wanted by Helene.

Please make donations payable to the “Helene Weis Memorial Education Fund.”

Mail to:

SGAA Headquarters
Helene Weis Memorial Fund
10009 E. 62nd Street
Raytown, MO 64133.

For credit card donations, call the SGAA Headquarters at 800.438-9581.

Friends of Sacred Structures

The Friends of Sacred Structures in Kansas City, Missouri, recently donated the book Mediæval Stained Glass of Switzerland to the Stained Glass School for the archival library that is part of the new school plan. This beautiful book by Fridtjof Zschokke was published in 1947 and contains plates of the few medieval windows still extant in Switzerland dating from 1129 thru 1450.

The Friends of Sacred Structures is a non-profit organization concerned with the neglect and abandonment of religious buildings throughout the Kansas City area. FOSS works to repurpose these buildings and save them for future generations. FOSS has responded to more than 100 requests for assistance, providing technical information and guidance.

For more information about FOSS visit  www.fosskc.com

SGAA Stained Glass School: Moving Forward

by Jerome Durr, School Director

One of the main topics of conversation at the Winter Board Meeting for both the Stained Glass School and the Stained Glass Association of America was the plan for the permanent location.

SGAA staff Katei and Richard Gross have begun looking at potential properties, including existing buildings, suitable plots of land, and even large plots of land that have a house already located on the property to allow the headquarters to have office space while the permanent location is being planned and erected.

Kevin Grabowski, of Conrad Schmitt Studios, volunteered to begin work on basic building plans. Kevin has already sent a concept for the SGAA Headquarters space to the staff for suggestions.

Very exciting was the letter Katei Gross submitted from the City of Raytown, Missouri. They are very enthusiastic about the possibility of the school being located in their city. Raytown is the suburb of Kansas City where the SGAA Headquarters is currently located. The Raytown City Manager and City Planner have both offered their support and are working closely with the headquarters.

Raytown has good access to main highways, restaurants, and hotels, while being outside of the more expensive Kansas City venue. Plans are being made for school board members to meet in Raytown in the near future to review potential properties.

It was also decided for the 2009 Winter Board Meeting to be held in Kansas City to facilitate working on the Permanent Location Plans.

We are very grateful to have received more donations, both monetary and in the form of books. Very important to the success of the school will be the donation of books for the Helen Weis Memorial Library and Research Center, an important part of the new school.

The Friends of Sacred Structures in Kansas City, Missouri, recently donated a book Mediæval Stained Glass of Switzerland. This is a welcome addition to the more than 40 books recently donated by Theodore Taylor, who wished his stained glass book collection to be cared for by those who would preserve them for future stained glass artists. This collection includes stained glass instruction books, pictorial histories from both the US and Europe, and books on various Tiffany Collections.

I want to thank the membership for their support of this important project.

Sincerely,

Jerome Durr,
 School Director

IRA Gifts

Charitable taxpayers can direct “qualified charitable distributions” from their IRA fund directly to the charities of one’s choice, including one’s favorite school.

If you are 701⁄2 or older and have an IRA, consider exploring the possibility of making a donation to the Stained Glass School Building Fund. For details, please contact your legal or financial advisor.

SGAA Online

Richard Gross, editor of The Stained Glass Quarterly, is also SGAA Media Director and webmaster for the SGAA websites. He has recently undertaken the massive task of revamping the sites. The work will be done in stages between his many deadlines.

The SGAA’s original and public website, www.stainedglass.org, has a new look. New formatting will allow for faster navigation of the site, and the new indexing quickly explains each tab destination. This formatting also allows for easier movement through the site once you have left the home page.

We are getting secure. Richard has always been concerned about the security risks involved in making purchases on websites. From personal experience, he knows it can be a danger to your credit card. In the past, he has always advised visitors to call their orders into the SGAA Headquarters.

After carefully studying the many companies that provide internet purchase protection, he has selected PayPal’s secure payment plan. Paypal offers payment by all major credit cards, debit card, and by internet check. Currently, PayPal is set up for subscriptions and for publications shipped from the SGAA Headquarters.

The new public Forum has taken off with both members and non-members participating in the many different areas set up for discussion. The Stained Glass Association of America invites everyone to take a 10-minute “SGAA Forum Break” each day. We are living in the information age — so let’s share information.

The SGAA’s newest site, www.SGAAOnline.com, has seen major revisions in recent months. It is now home to the SGAA’s annual Sourcebook, which is designed for architects, building planners, and those who are commissioning stained glass.

Sourcebook is published in print, CD-ROM, and online editions. With more than 50,000 downloads last year of Sourcebook 2007, the need for a website dedicated to the Sourcebook was clear. The repurposing of the Association’s www.SGAAOnline.com site will allow these thousands of end users to quickly find the information they need when making purchasing decsions.