4/2/2008

Getting to Know...Jack Andrews
By Dolores E. Pike

  
Jack Andrews

The fact that Jack Andrews is a skilled photographer is well documented in his collection of photographs now on display at the Worcester County Arts Council (WCAC) in Berlin.  The exhibit continues for the months of April and May under the working title, "Back to the Eastern Shore."

To see more of Jack's versatility as an artist take a walk or drive along Ocean Parkway in Ocean Pines near Pintail Park.  The copper duck that rests atop the gazebo on the grassy plot was handcrafted by him shortly after he returned to the area of his roots.

One of two boys born to John and Evelyn Andrews, Jack grew up in Crisfield, MD surrounded by his mother's large family.  She was the oldest of the six children of local blacksmith Charles B. Birdell, founder of Carvel Hall Cutlery.  Jack still enjoys family get-togethers with his 21 cousins. 
In fact it was in getting together with his cousin Bob Maddox that Jack met the love of his life.  He was stationed in Japan when Bob, on his way home from Korea, stopped to say hello and the two agreed to have a blast in Ocean City when they returned to the States.  The time finally came and they met at the Pier Club.

During the course of the evening the cousins were attracted by the two blond girls dancing together. Agreeing that they were interested in meeting the girls, Jack asked his cousin, "Which one do you want?"  Bob said he liked the one in the blue dress so Jack got to meet the twin in the red dress. 
Jack and Betty have been married over 50 years. They have a son, a daughter and two granddaughters.  Another son, John was a pedestrian when he was killed by a car at age 18.

The Korean War cut short Jack's college education.  After graduating from high school in 1948, he was in his sophomore year at the University of Maryland when he was drafted.  He had the opportunity to enter the Air Force and was subsequently stationed in Japan which, according to Jack, "Really changed my life and allowed me to see a very different culture."

Following his stint in the service it was time for Jack to get back to mapping out his future. He enrolled in the Pratt Institute of Design in Brooklyn, NY where he studied industrial design.  Upon graduation in 1959 he went to work for General Motors at their technical center in Michigan.  He was assigned to a small studio staffed by four men whose job it was to envision the design of products 10 years in the future.

"After I was there a year I was one of nine designers selected to work on building the (General Motors) exhibits for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair," said Jack. Having attended the 1939 World's Fair when he was eight fueled his inspiration for his design of the underwater scene at the 1960s fair.

Jack began honing his skills in photography early in life. "I got interested in photography at 14, reconditioned a darkroom and did my own printing.  It has been an ongoing interest," he said.
His interest in metal working came a little later in life.  Jack and Betty moved their family from Michigan to suburban Paoli, PA when he was recruited by the Philadelphia College of Art to develop its industrial program. 

"I took the kids to Hershey Park one day and watched a blacksmith working. I said to myself I'm going to do that. 

"I needed an anvil and saw one on top of a restaurant.  The owner didn't want to sell it to me so I told him I'd make him a gate," said Jack.  The owner finally agreed and Jack made the gate though when he sealed the bargain he knew nothing whatsoever about blacksmithing, eventually teaching himself. 

Jack has since published a book about the subject entitled "The Edge of the Anvil." When the original publisher did not sell all of his books, Jack bought the remainder. He started his own publishing company, Skipjack Press, which publishes books about blacksmithing and metal arts.  Jack's book is still in print and has sold 85,000 copies to date.

Since moving to Ocean Pines upon his retirement in 1994 Jack volunteers his skills at Furnace Town. He was instrumental in the effort to get a contemporary forge built (where you can have electricity and power saws) which, in conjunction with the original forge, helps in teaching blacksmithing.
That Jack Andrews is a busy man is obvious.  But three cheers for this guy who is still available for a set of tennis with friends.

And there's no doubt they will all be there at a reception in honor of Jack's photography exhibit at the Berlin WCAC on Friday, April 11 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The reception is open to the public.