Top Photo: Tomie, me, Charles Massey at Wilmot Flat, NH, home in early 1980s.
Bottom Photo: Tomie as Pickle Judge in Charles Massey’s production of “State Fair” at the Newport (NH) Opera House, 2005.
Today would have been Tomie’s 88th birthday. I began arranging surprise birthdays for him beginning with the 76th birthday, so this week (his birthday celebrations would last at least a week and sometimes a month) would have been busy with surprise house guests, and lunches and dinners with surprise guests.
I have been working on a media project with Pellet Media of Reading, MA. Brief excerpts of some of my Zoom conversations with folks from Tomie’s world will be featured in the project. The following link will take you to my Zoom chat, in its entirety, with Tomie’s dear friend Charles Massey in June of this year.
https://vimeo.com/748337367/2f98d7e91e
Charles has had some recent Tomie encounters. He and his dog, Patrick, met an Airedale while walking one morning. Charles learned this visitor to the Outer Banks - the owner of the dog - had selected the Airedale breed because Tomie dePaola had an Airedale. Days later, he was conducting a doll-making workshop and commented to a woman, another visitor to the Outer Banks, that her doll looked like Strega Nona. STREGA NONA was her favorite children’s book. More days later, Charles met even more visitors to the Outer Banks: a mother and her son and daughter. The son was named Oliver after Oliver Button in OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY.
It’s obvious by my laughter that I enjoyed my Zoom chat with Charles. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too. (Bob)
