rick dave milt 1967

Thursday I found out who made that sewer tile project. 

 Milton Heinrich, 

1967 Tower yearbook, page 233

Milt Heinrich told me WHO the project was made for.

(It was) at First Lutheran in Omaha. It was at an English District church. It was with the Missouri Synod. A liberal branch within the Synod. The congregation chose to do the service in English rather than German. I think that church is now ELCA. Your dad did an OUTSIDE baptismal font in a garden setting. It is made of CLAY. You know the SEWER TILES?  How one end flanges out? Well, your father made a stand out of the tiles. He pushed one end in the ground with the flange end up in the air...I had your dad September 1966 to 1968. Milt Heinrich  (via phone interview, October 16, 2014)

Michele Herrick, the office manager of FLC Omaha, told me WHEN the project was used:

I did check with a family that has been here a long time (married 60 year!). They remember quite clearly the Baptismal font being here outside. I guess quite a few Baptisms were performed outside using that font!  As far as dates, they agree with you that it was in the late 1960's, although they did not have an exact date. As far as I can determine, the font no longer exists. The family I checked with is going to see if they have a photo of the font. Blessings to you in your research.  Michele Herrick (via email October 20, 2014)

 Harold Krach, page 233, 1967 Tower yearbook

1967 Tower yearbook cover

Rick Krach, who was also known as Harold Krach, FIGURED OUT the sewer tile creation. Double click on images.

"I had your dad as my favorite art teacher from 1966 to 1968, and I think that he and I got along very well; he even working with me and recommending me to make an outdoor baptismal font for an Omaha church."   Rick Krach (via email January 12, 2014)

"Karl, yup, I sure did!  The sewer tile part was your dad's idea and he left it up to me to design and figure it out. The most fun was getting the symbols and lettering sandblasted onto the tiles....You asked about Dave and Milt.  Milt was a pretty good friend as both of us had come from Concordia Ann Arbor....But, Dave, I've not thought of him in all these years and am thinking right now that he just could have been the person who threw the pots for me to use in that font."  Rich Krach (via email December 4, 2014)

Slides are found.

"I can't believe I found these slides, dated 1967. It looks like I or we took the pictures immediately after setting the pipes in the newly poured cement." 

"I took these digital images of my slides with my phone using a magnifying glass, and could surely get better images with a real scanner."

"Karl, your father was a real character all the way around. One of the most interesting conversations I had with Marxie was when I went back to Seward for my 25 reunion in 1993.  I was able to tell him at that time how one of my children had become a full-fledged artist while the second had become 100% scientist -- both of them inheriting half of my genes! Your dad surely had a full, god-pleasing life!"   Rich Krach (via email December 3, 2014)

Dave Kohl, 1967 Tower yearbook, page 89

 

Dave Kohl formed clay bowls on the pottery wheel for the lids of the sewer tile project.

"Yes, those look like my style at the time. I vaguely remember the project, but never saw the completed work....I think about that time I was the only person throwing anything of size at CTC - I had taken a good throwing class back in California during the summer of 1966 at what is now Cal State North Ridge. You got 25 lbs of clay and you had to use and re-use it every day for 4 hours for 3 weeks before you could keep anything. Good discipline!!! That's why Marxie would have me assist in the teaching of his night time ceramics class - he really didn't like throwing.      Dave Kohl  (via email December 4, 2014)

Below, Kohl throwing wet clay pot on wheel

Revealed Art series by Karl Marxhausen 2015
(sewer tile project photos courtesy of Rick Krach, Auburn, CA; student yearbook photos courtesy of Marxhausen Estate.)