Читать книгу Woodcarving Illustrated Issue 72 Fall 2015 - Группа авторов - Страница 14

Woodcarving Illustrated

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SUMMER 2013

12

Memories of

Peter

Engler

By Harold L. Enlow

I knew Peter Engler for 50 years.

In late 1962 or 1963, my uncle

told me about a woodcarving

shop at Silver Dollar City, Mo.

The next weekend, my wife

Elaine and I went down to check

it out. That is where we met Peter—in his woodcarving

shop. I was so impressed with his friendliness and

was in awe of his great talent. I had been carving and

hoping to make a career of it someday, but at the time

I was working at a factory and carving every evening

after work. Like Peter did with other would-be carvers,

he encouraged me and told me to bring some of my

work to the shop. A few months later, he told me that

he would buy all my carvings to sell in his shop, if I

wanted to quit the factory job.

That was the beginning of my career, and a long

and lasting friendship with Peter, his wife, Virginia,

and his five children. He became more like a brother

than a boss. We worked in his shop for five years

before opening our own shop. During the time

working in his shop, I found out he had this great

sense of humor, was a kind and gentle person, and

helped so many other carvers as he had helped me.

At the time, he was buying carvings from some other

talented carvers—Ivan Denton and his family, Garvin

McCutcheon, Junior Cobb, and a few others. He had a

wonderful shop and created a market for all of us.

As for his sense of humor, he had carved a large

wooden Indian. It was to have an arm added, which

news and

notes

was raised into the air. He gave me the job of carving

the arm and told me it was basswood. I struggled

with that arm for a long time. Finally, he confessed

that it was hard maple. Whenever we were out eating

together, he would doodle on napkins. I would always

pick them up and take them home. We still have them.

If he came to visit and we weren’t home, he would leave

us a note on a big wood chip. Another time, he talked

us into going on the Silver Dollar City breakfast trail

ride. We arrived about 7:00 in the morning to meet

Peter and his family. He told us that he couldn’t go

after all and handed his youngest daughter, little Sara,

up for me to carry on the horse. I had never ridden a

horse at all, and never carried a three-year-old girl on a

trail ride. It was a lot of fun and we all survived.

Peter went on to have several high-quality shops

over the years, with many great carvers working for

him or selling to his shop. I don’t know how many

people he encouraged over the years. I do believe that

he did more for the carving world than any other

person I know. He was a friend and mentor to many,

and there is now an empty spot in the carving world.

He is greatly missed and will long be remembered and

loved by those who knew him!

(From left) Les Vining, Peter Engler, Garvin McCutcheon, and Harold

Enlow in front of Peter’s original shop in Silver Dollar City, Mo.

Editor's note: Woodcarving pioneer

Peter Engler passed away on

February 8, 2013. Peter helped

popularize carving in America and

launched the careers of many

well-known carvers.