Gertrude Gill

Every child needs one person who always has time for him or her. For me, that person was my mother’s mother, Gertrude Gill. I can state unequivocally that I inherited two things from my grandmother. First, I’ve got her feet. MY feet, literally, stand me in good stead. They hold me upright and allow me luxurious jogs wherever the spirit and my dog, Buddy, take me. They are, however, the sorriest-looking, misshapen things to find at the end of a pair of legs. Second, I am blessed with a similar appreciation that my grandmother had for fine, handmade things.

In the middle of the last century, my grandmother served as president of the Lansdowne, Pa. chapter of the “Questers”. This is an international organization that was founded in 1944. Questers works to cultivate an understanding of the significance of antiques and promote their preservation, as well as that of historical landmarks.

The antiques that my grandmother collected were a childhood wonder for me. Colorful, figurative bottles stood resplendent in the windows of her sunny front porch. Her house ticked and chimed with the sounds of an array of clocks. And, her attic was the repository of all the things she had purchased, that she would eventually bring, one by one, down into the house. That way, when my grandfather inquired, “Where did we get that?” she could honestly respond, “Oh we’ve had that for years!”

When Bunja Sako visited last, I stood amidst the African artifacts that were disgorged from his van. It’s always quite a sight in uptown Marion. I line masks up at the edge of the storefront, and textiles and beads spill from bins that Bunja piles at the curb. “If you get nothing else, you need to get the door.” was Bunja’s admonition to me this time. The door in question was 3’x 6’ with an intricately carved relief design rich in birds, crocodiles, and sun lizards that are typical of the work of West African wood carvers. My single thought was that I would regret not getting such a grandly scaled piece of tribal art. Scale alone makes this piece rare. Smaller “granary doors” are relatively common. They are used for wall decoration. Larger doors are problematic. Shipping them is costly. Rigging them for hanging is demanding. These are practical issues easily surmounted.

We bought the door, and Craig, as he is wont to do, has found the perfect spot for it. The door is at a diagonal to Gertrude Gill’s pine “ladder-back” chair. She would celebrate the wisdom of the purchase, and relish the sight of the door against the brick of our re-purposed freight elevator shaft.

“Then give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.” – Motto of The Twentieth Century Club of Lansdowne