Memorial Scholarship Fund History
Memorial Scholarship Fund History |
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The Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by the Guild in 1999. Donations in the memory of members who passed away have raised the Fund to the level where we can now offer financial support to most of the applicants who ask for it. These donations are deposited into a stock and bond fund at the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, which combines the resources of Berkshire County (MA) non-profits into a managed pool. The interest that the Fund generates serves as a benchmark for the amount that is awarded each year from the Guild's general account. The rest of the money awarded comes from member donations during the previous year that aren't made in memory of a specific person. Any unused amount at the end of the year is also rolled forward and available in the next year. The Memorial Scholarship Fund continues to grow and is not touched, but it is not an endowment. The funds are unrestricted and can be used for other educational purposes if needed. DonationsTo contribute to the Memorial Scholarship Fund, click here. Donations can be made in $10 increments. To donate in memory of a specific member, or to donate items other than money (such as stock), please contact the Guild office at 413-623-9926. Thank you! In Memory of ...The following members had significant donations made in their names to the Memorial Scholarship Fund. These are the people who really deserve our thanks.
RemembrancesI don't recall at which early Guild gathering I first met Mark Witter, but I remember I liked him right away: tall, solid, deep voiced, enthusiastic, and modest withal and I always welcomed our later encounters and the chance to talk over any question of the moment. Even if he knew others much better and spent far more time with them, he made it plain to me that he was my friend, a demonstration much rarer than you might expect. In Montana, once, he showed me that you must spread the pizza sauce right to the edge of the circle of dough, and so for years I thought of him every Thursday when it was my turn in the kitchen, and I obeyed. In New York at one of the Troy conferences, we played together in a pickup softball game, and I have no doubt that I hit the ball better because of his presence. When Mark wrote for me in the Guild journal, which he did a dozen times I admired his easy use of the colloquial, particularly, in one case, the phrase "upside the head," and his vigorous style. He was pretty much on time, too. I last saw Mark in April a year ago in Bellingham, on a passing visit to the Cascade Joinery, where he worked for the last ten years. After he and Jeff Arvin chatted with us on a tour of the shop, and after determining whether it was a dry rain or a wet rain that awaited us outdoors if we walked, a small crowd of us headed uptown to a cheerful, crowded restaurant where we had a good lunch and a fine time, talking mostly of family matters. Company expense or no, when it was time for all of us to be on our separate ways, it was Mark who picked up the tab. "Mark, you had it right all along," wrote his musical colleague and eulogist Brian Sheldon, "The secret is to work hard when need be, but drop it all for a song." -Ken Rower
Mark, like many of us in the Guild, was fortunate to be able to work at something he loved. He was even more fortunate to work with people he loved, and who loved him in return. The entire Guild shares this fortunate circumstance, it seems: a group of talented craftspeople sharing what they love to do with others they care very much about. This is quite unusual in the business world. But it didn't happen by accident. The Guild is a reflection of its founding members and leaders. Mark was there when the Guild held its first meeting at Hancock Shaker Village in 1985, and he served on the Board of Directors for a number of years. Sometimes we felt like porpoises riding the bow wave of a great ship: as the Guild grew we got to participate and enjoy some truly remarkable events. Mark was a teacher, sharing his hard-won knowledge of the craft as an instructor at Guild events. The Rindge Pavilion was the first all-Guild workshop that recruited instructors from various backgrounds and regions, and we looked for the best. At that workshop they were Craig Aument, Ross Grier, Chris Madigan, Scott Murray, and Mark Witter. The openness, patience, willingness to share, and humor that we see throughout the Guild is a reflection of Mark and the others who lead it, and will continue to be a reminder of him and an inspiration in the years to come. Mark was a leader; his company and friends at the Cascade Joinery have never seemed to shy away from the challenges of pushing the timber framing envelope. He led this far-flung group of friends called the Timber Framers Guild. The circles of our lives intersect one or two times a year; we come and go, often in pairs, and amid hugs, music and an occasional beer, share our visions and memories. - Will Beemer
Dave was engaged and involved. A childhood friend, Jeff Heck, said of Dave, "His passion for his work never overtook his ability to enjoy his blessings, from the sun setting over his beloved farm, to the rich fellowship of his family and many friends. He traveled extensively and lived life with exuberance; his friendships and adventures from childhood to the end of his life area reminder of how full a life can be." Full indeed. Even a brief look at just the Guild projects Dave engaged himself in is impressive for its depth and scope. Those projects include: Ameriflora, the Speed River Bridge in Guelph, the boathouse in Russia (twice), Malabar Farms, Penetanguishene, Lone Mountain Ranch, Green's Island, the Dolly Copp Pavilion, trébuchets in Scotland, windmills in Indiana, the Kicking Horse River Bridge, the Marine Gateway and the Seaside Centre in Sechelt, B.C., and lastly a teahouse workshop at Asilomar. Mike Goldberg remembers a day early in the Scottish adventure in this way: "Dave set the bed timbers for the trebuchet; sounds simple huh? Oh, no. Dave was on his knees in ankle deep, cold, black, sticky mud, digging with his hands to get those bed timbers level." Dave was there to get something done, whatever it took, and did not lose sight of why he was doing it. Dennis Marcom tells this story: "Dave and I had worked together on some Guild and other projects over the years since our meeting in 1985. This past April, Dave and I worked together again. By this time the struggle with the cancer had become a part of his daily routine, like taking on another part time job. The work, this time, was oil a fine 19th century barn that he was rebuilding for his brother Doug. In my own life, I've been struck with the difficulty of balancing family, work, fun, making the ends meet in the middle. The seesaw swings (careens sometimes) from out of balance in one direction to out of balance in the other. Yet here was Dave working with a far longer seesaw working hard to stay alive, preparing for death, caring for his craft, and fussing with all the details of recreating a fine old barn put to use now, stopping for an ice cream on the way home, taking care good care of his fine family; and he had somehow managed to turn the balancing act into a beautiful dance. I was proud to be his friend; proud, really, to be a member of the same species." At the memorial service for Dave, on Saturday, July 10, Mike Goldberg put out a call for volunteers to finish up one last job that Dave had not been able to complete. A fine crew of framers and friends completed that work on Sunday to install eight loft timbers in the frame: a fitting memorial to a man who loved his work, but who placed an even higher value on his fellow human beings. Dave himself, writing in Scantlings after the Asilomar teahouse workshop, wrote: "Reflecting on my experiences with the Guild, I hate to think how I would have evolved without this group. It is an organization with a big, big heart." And how would we have evolved without you, Dave?
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MARK BRANDT, 48, professional timber framer and long-time Guild member, succumbed in September 2001 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. An accomplished craftsman and instructor at many Guild workshops, Mark will be remembered fondly as a man who worked from his passion, and valued what could be made with his hands, his craft, and his art. Mark loved his tools, his books and music, and his wife, Sue. He is survived by her and by his father, Paul, and stepmother, Frieda, of Auburn, Ala.; brothers, John, Chris, and Jim, also of Auburn; and sister, Marsha, of Mitchell, Ga.
MARK RAYMOND WITTER, timber framer and musician, born Utica, N.Y., July 27, 1953, died suddenly on June 16, 2004, Bellingham, Wash., of a heart attack. Mark is survived by his wife, Susan (editor of our newsletter), daughter, Rachel, and son, Brian; brothers, Scott and Gregg; parents, Bruce and Janet Witter; and numerous nieces and nephews. 
DAVID SCOTT GAKER, 50, of Liberty Township, Ohio, died at his home on July 7, 2004, after a long and valiant struggle with cancer. His family was at his bedside. David was born November 30, 1953, in Rochester, N.Y. He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and he subsequently graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in agricultural engineering. In October 1979 he married Karen Lamping of Cincinnati. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and children, Jennifer and DJ. He is survived by his parents, Dr. Louis and Carolyn Gaker; his brothers, Jeffrey, Bruce, and Douglas; and his sister, Lisa.
