Local Mountain Man Immortalized at Sedona Foundry

When Bill Pettit, artist and historical reenactment expert told Lee Henson, "I want to make a bust of you," Henson's answer was a flat out "No." But Henson's wife Ella Mae was there, and she gave the go ahead.

The three had gathered for the Williams Rendezvous Days which celebrates the rich history and lifestyle of 1800s fur trappers and Mountain Men. They were dressed in buckskins and authentic reproductions of the clothing of early frontiers folk.

Pettit desired to create a detailed bronze of a historically-accurate fur trader in trapper's regalia, and Henson had 'the look.' "In a week, he [Pettit] brought back a wax bust and set it on the kitchen table. He asked Ella Mae if there was anything that needed to be changed," Henson related. Soon the sculpture was on its way to the foundry. That was almost twenty years ago.

Last month Henson and his wife toured Artscape Bronze Casting in Sedona with Pettit's widow, Laurha Beveridge. The trio met with owner Rob Myers for consultation on reproducing the bust, entitled "Rendezvous." They were given a tour of the facility by Jeremy Ivy, an expert in bronze patinas, who explained the multi-step casting process.

"If I could, I'd still kill him," quipped Henson of the artist. He believes Pettit never did enough to promote his own art. "I appreciate his art a lot," added the living model. Pettit died of complications from Addison's disease in 2006. Pettit's last ante-mortem piece was cast at Artscape Bronze Casting.

Although the living model's face has lost some of its fleshy substance, the strength and confidence that Pettit captured of Henson's middle age will stand the test of time. Just as the Mountain Men of yesteryear.

Mountain Men were trappers, explorers and scouts who roamed the west from around 1810 to the 1840s. Most were involved with the beaver fur trade -- a demand that came from the popularity of the stove-pipe hat made of beaver felt. Many moderns celebrate the time period with historical reenactment of the dress and lifestyle of Mountain Men. Well-known Mountain Men include Bill Williams, Kit Carson and Jeremiah Johnson.

Photo: Youthful Jeremy Ivy describes casting process to Lee Henson, living model of historical bronze bust.
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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales is a marketing consultant who works with museums and artists. This article appeared in a 2009 issue Sedona Red Rock News. Wittig is based in Flagstaff, AZ and helps small businesses with internet marketing, social media and good ol' stories and news releases.

Using Less Toilet Paper During the Economy Downturn?

Are you using less toilet paper during the economic downturn? Have you noticed the empty roll at your hometown restaurant? Are you squirreling away toilet paper from home to use during banquets at local hotels or, gasp, the gas station advertising "Clean Restrooms"?

Maybe its time to complain, as this could be affecting your local economy. Today SCA Tissue North America announced that the shrinking demand for toilet paper and other paper products is causing lay-offs.

The Flagstaff plant supplies toilet paper to hotels and restaurants in Arizona, California and parts of Colorado.

A press release blamed the lay-offs on a “softening in customer orders due to the weakened economy.”

I suggest that hotel management starts buying local, not just for their gourmet chef, but also for their hosekeeping departments. SCA Tissue uses recycled paper to produce their sustainable products. By Local - Buy Recycled Toilet Paper?
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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter is a sales and marketing strategist based in Flagstaff, Arizona. She also enjoys writing about sustainable travel as a Flagstaff travel writer. Communicating from Flagstaff, AZ today.

Wittigwriter Returns from Tanzania

Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales returned from Africa earlier this month. The marketing strategist served in the village of Lyamungo Kati in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

"I was proud to be part of a team that facilitated a training seminar for Sunday School teachers," Wittig said. The team was invited by the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

"Sunday school teachers walked from miles around to attend the sessions. They were interested to learn new teaching methodologies to add to their already great curriculum. These folks have been teaching Sunday school for years, and we wanted to give them something that they could add to their tool box.

"I taught Bringing the Bible to Life, a segment that gets the teachers involved with drama, fabric stories and movement. We all had fun with the new materials," she added.

"Later, we had a chance to attend Sunday school at different churches and we were so blessed to observe the teachers using the methodologies we had shared earlier in the week," said Wittig sharing about the Kidz at Heart training session. Kidz at Heart is a non-profit organization whose mission is "Reaching Kidz Around the World for Christ."

The marketing strategist who enjoys teaching her clients about social media and the internet was one of the only business people on the team. Most team members were professional teachers.