Newspapers / Penland Line (Penland, N.C.) / Dec. 1, 2003, edition 1 / Page 10
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HI Pen land Line Winter 2003 Lucinda Pittman and Terry Reina who met at Penland and have shared a dozen classes. TWIN DAUGHTERS OF DIFFERENT MOTHERS 1 first discovered Penland School in 1973 while on an outing from summer camp in Lake Lure, NC. I was a teenager then and it was love at first sight: the beautiful log buildings, the pastoral setting, the people, and the crafts. I did not return until 1981 when I had graduated from college with a degree in art and had waitressed for a year to save the money for a two- month Concentration in clay. I learned so much in those two months. It was the perfect complement to my college experience. Meanwhile, Terry Reina was growing up in Queens, New York. She had loved clay since first encountering it in grade school. Encouraged by her mother she had always pursued her creativity. Although .she studied psychology, earth science, and acting, she once again gravitated toward clay. She was working full-time but found time to take night classes in clay. She learned about Penland School from her pottery teacher in New York’s East Village. I was not able to return to Penland until 1988, and that’s when w'c met, both taking the same class in clay. By then I had settled in nearby Asheville, NC, married and started my own business in pottery. Once again Penland School was the perfect place to be educated, infused, and inspired. Our work tables were at opposite ends of the classroom. As the class warmed up and the jokes and quips started to fly through the air, we began to respond to them in tandem. It happened so often that we began to peer across the room at one another, half-spooked and half-amused. We soon got to know each other and our friendship blossomed. At the end of that session we vowed to return to Penland again one day. ‘ First session 2002 marked our twelfth session together as classmates. We are best friends, more like sisters. Through the years we have shared many joys and sorrows. Penland has become a destination for knowledge but also for spiritual and emotional nourishment. Terry lives in Westchester, NY with her husband, John. She works full-time in Manhattan and con tinues her clay work in her spare time. My husband, Gerry, and I still live in Asheville, NC where we make our living as potters. As I enter middle-age I realize just how special Penland is. I’ve been inspired by Penland for nearly thirty years already and trust that I may have the privilege of having that inspira tion continue for as long as I am able. That is something very special.This placed called Penland is not about age—young or old—it is about .spirit and friend.ship. —Lucinda Dulin Pittman 10 Planned Giving: Leave a Legacy Without Winning the Lottery People often think of planned giving as a complicated way for the wealthy to make large gifts to charities. In fact, planned giving is a simple technique that can enable anyone to increase the impact of their support for Penland and receive tax benefits at the same time. On some level, all gifts are planned. Most of us take some time to think about how' we want to support the school, how' much we can afford to contribute, how we want to see our money used. That’s planning. If we also think about the possibility of helping Penland in the future, both while we are alive and after w'e are gone, that’s planned giving in the truest sense of the word. This summer, Penland received notification that the school was the beneficiary of a gift from the estate of Dr. Frederick J. Tischer, a pioneer in space communications who worked on the Apollo program and taught at NC State. His wife Alma was an engineer and an artist whose work was exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution and the North Carolina Museum of Art. At some point, theTischers came to Penland, where they may have met the school’s founder, Lucy Morgan. An auto graphed copy of her book. Gift From The Hills, is among the items in their estate. It is also possible that they both studied clay at Penland. According to Betty Matthews, a family friend, Mrs. Tischer wanted to provide future support to Penland, and after her death. Dr. Tischer added Penland to his will. Rather than name a specific amount. Dr. Tischer provid ed the school a residuary bequest equal to a percentage of the estate value designated to support specific programs at Penland. His wife’s intentions were carried out through his bequest, and their generosity will One of the inimitable recognition plaques created by Suzanne Pugh acknovvledging the bequest that funded the metals studio ventilation system. Penland since 1963 and has served on the board, including a term as chair. At Penland he developed deep friendships and collaborative relationships with other artists. He passed his love of the school to his brother Ken, a metalsmith who has also taught here several times. Ken describes his experience at Penland as magical. “The creative juices were very invigorat ing,” he said. “I got re-enthused, the muses danced around the studio—whatever it was, it was an experience I want other people to have.” Ken and Joe wanted to do something to offer long-term support, but felt that they didn’t have the means. With the help of a financial advisor, they purchased a life insurance policy in Penland’s name and committed to pay very reasonable monthly premiums for a number of years. Because Penland owns the policy from the beginning, the premiums they pay are tax- deductible. The policy is valued at $100,000. When both broth ers have passed aw'ay, this gift will establish a permanent endow'ment in honor of their mother and father. One of the benefits of a planned gift is the opportunity to designate how your money will be used. Both Dr. Tischer and the Bovas were able to designate a specific use for their legacy. Penland can respond best to these requests by discussing them ahead of time with the donor. So if you decide to remem ber Penland in your will (you do have a will, don’t you?) please let us know so we can ensure that both your wish es and Penland’s mission will be served. It’s also possible to make a planned gift to support Penland dur ing your lifetime. Charitable remain der trusts, gift annuities, charitable lead trusts and other deferred giving result in a significant gift which will benefit generations of stu dents and instructors. The metals studio recently received a much needed ventila tion system, which was funded by a bequest from the estate of Phillip Fike, a reknowned metalsmith and beloved teacher. Phillip also named Penland as the beneficiary of a percentage of his estate but did not designate the use of his gift. Working with the executor, Penland identified a current need in the studio in which Phillip taught. The gift is acknowledged with hand-crafted plaques created by the Suzanne Pugh, our metals coordinator. Artists Joe and Ken Bova have found a creative way to make a major future gift to Penland. Joe has been teaching at plans are ways to enable your assets to help Penland in the future while serving as a resource for you in the present. Some of these require assistance from an attorney or accountant, but they do not require significant current wealth. There are a number of ways to make a small amount of support now become a major gift to Penland in the future. Penland School is deeply grateful to the generous individu als mentioned in this article. If their example stimulates your thinking about support for the school and you would like to discuss possibilities for planned giving, contact Barbara Bcnisch, Director of Development and Communications at 828-76^-2359 extension 14. -Barbara Benisch FRIENDS WE WILL MISS Industrial and product designer Sam Scherr died on December 28, 2002 after a long illness. Sam was married to metalsmith and (lesigner Mary Ann Scherr who has taught at Penland more than thirty times. Their daughter Sydney has also been a Penland instructor. Sam’s firm, Scherr and McDermott, was responsible for such innovative designs as the Hippity Hoppety Ball, the Tappen Eye-Level Range, and the Hoover Suitcase Vacuum. A great friend of craft, Sam served as president of the American Craft Museum and the American Crafts Council. He was a good-humored gentleman who was always a welcome presence at Penland. Michael Pierschalla, who passed away on June 25, 2002, was a furniture designer, a woodworker, a teacher, and a writer. In addition to teaching several outstanding workshops at Penland, Michael taught at UMass/Dartmouth, South Eastern Massachusetts University, and Swain School of Design. Michael lost his hearing at age twenty and was one of the first recipients of a cochlear implant, which he laughingly referred to as a “bionic ear.” He contributed endless hours to furthering the development of this technology', making himself available to research laboratories and serving as a consumer advocate for people with the implant. Friends of Michael’s are working to establi.sh a Penland scholarship in his honor. For information, contact Barbara Benisch at Penland. iili mm tmm
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