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Clinton News-Record, 1974-05-23, Page 6• -" IFaingidegl 1 FARMER BILL'S • BOX PLANTS Extensive ,Vegetable Selection Open Daily 10 AM to 9 PM Sundays 2 PM to 9 PM Watch for Our large sign 1 1/4 miles east of Shipka, on the Ctedtton Road Sill and Melva Itaninieloo PHONE 237.,3228 DASHWOOD 4'77 *rin.i's7 ihis'Seilillers Shop Sunset Pro-Shop !Ames - wit ff;,i GOOENIGItiL 1.341,300004%• 3 11111311161iNG WEDGE BAG HEAD COVERS - REG. $389.00 SPECIAL $289 Clubs Only $220 MORE COMING SOON RAM MILADY WITH RED & BLUE VINYL. BAG & HEAD COVERS. REG. $321.00 Special $211 RAM - 7 PIECE SET KATHY KORNELIUS WITH BAG HEAD COVERS, CART - REG. $1713,30 Special $142 ;,-! ), LADIES - 7 PIECE SPALDING wire*.wirpreilitAGMHEAD COVERS -ZILE 002PeCiai $913 I 00N MEN'S RAM X41000 DELUXE BAG & CART HEAD COVERS - REG. $601.00 Special $537 Clubs Only $437 MEN'S GOLDEN RAMS WITH BAG CART & HEAD COVERS - REQ. 1681.00 Special $437 Clubs Only $299 MEN'S RAM TOUR WITH BAG & HEAD COVERS REQ. ,$354.00 '$271 MEN'S A LADIES' SPALDING STARTER SETS 7 PIECE, WITH BAG REQ. $81.00 $59 BUY YOUR MEMBERSHIPS NOW.AND RECEIVE YOUR FREE PRO SHOP BONUS Goderich Sunset 524,404/ Golf Save 20% on all Pro,- Shop Items 601,,INTQN TfiPliSPAY, MAY 1:974 The Duerns give up city "rat race" to create beauty in Clinton Gordon Duern uses one of the rooms on the second floor of his Rattenbury Street home as an art studio and design room. A man of many talents, he is also interested in landscaping ar- chitecture and designing In the area,(Photo by Muriel Trott) BY MURIEL TROTT Gordon Duern hardly looks like the kind of man who's stirring things up in Clinton: But he is. Duern is a quiet artistic man, not exactly the kind of man who whips a community into enthusiasm. But he has created more excitement in Clinton these days than anyone in a long .time. Like most towns, Clinton, which prides itself as the Hub of Huron County, is pretty quiet when it comes to politics. A "big" council meeting is one "Toronto here we come!" The tIong-A nticipatecil-egta de eight ! excursion to Toronto became a reality on May 9 and 10. The three supervisors were Miss Roney, Mr. MacLennan and Mr. Tremeer. The schedule was very worthwhile. The bus left Hullett Central at 8 a.m. Thursday morning, arriving in Toronto at 10:45. The first stop was Toronto International Airport where they were guided around the airport as well as boarded two planes. After lunch, they went to the Hockey Hall of Fame at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds, followed by a trip to Old Fort York. After the tour, the students boarded a boat to have an ex- cursion around Toronto Har- bour, Next, after being elevated up 54 flights to the top of Toronto Dominion Tower, they then walked over to the City when three people are in atten- dance. The May meeting of council, however, attracted some 30 people, all because of the proposal by Duern. Clinton, faced with having to either restore its old town hall or build a new one was presen- ted with a plan by Duern to have the best of two worlds, a new town hall that looked like an old building...indeed one that even used the old brick from the former building. But the plan went even fur- ther than that. He proposed restoring the whole main street Hall. After such a full day each grade eight student was starved for supper, so they all went to the Wallbanger Restaurant. LNexetheyqinloaded. sleeping 'bags from the bus into the Deer Park United Church, and before having a good night's rest, they went to see the movie "The Sting." Bright and early Friday morning, after eating breakfast in a restaurant called "Frans", they were off by sub- way to the Parliament Buildings, and next they all walked to. the Museum for a quick tour. " The Planetarium was the next stop where they saw a film on "Our Solar System" as well as touring the building. This was the final stop and it was back to the bus to return to the school. The grade eight class would like to thank Mr. MacLennan, Miss Roney and Mr. Tremeer for chaperoning their trip to Toronto, an excur- sion that was 'worthwhile, very educational and lots of fun. of the ,town to it's old time splendour. What's more, Duern who moved to Clinton to enjoy an easier way of life, volun- teered to donate his time, charging just .for his expenses as a qualified architect and designer to the project. The whole proposal was so startling it brought excitement to the whole town. The Clinton businessmen, who have had trouble in the past finding a common policy, immediately jumped at the idea of restoring the tow; Suddenly, a man who many Clintonians didn't even know existed, is the most in- fluential man in town. When Duern left Elec. trohome of Kitchener, in May, 1973, after 13 years as the com- pany's designs administrator, he exchanged what he modestly refers to as a "terrific" income for the free, relaxing life of this trii1ST eenfre."'We like it ' here...people are different in a small town...they are warm...more friendly ...the pace is very slow." For Gordon, who early in his career worked for Eaton's College St. Store in Toronto as an interior designer, decorating the 85 year old two storey Georgian-type house he had acquired in 1972 on the corner of Rattenbury and Gibbings Streets in Clinton, was like painting a picture of his life. The house is filled with mementos of friends, souvenirs from trips taken abroad with his wife, drawiny: of favourite imessmems. artists, furniture designed by him, some of his own Paintings- plus an accent of Spanish in- fluence in furniture and por- traits, a taste probably inherited from his ,Grand- Mother Duern, who was a direct descendent' of Spanish royality. Most important of all is that the spacious old home allowed for a studio not only for him- self, but for his wife Ruth, who is a designer in her own right. For while in the process of un. winding this past year, the couple are in the throes of building up a new business, to include landscape painting and floral designing. "We wish to make careers of our work", says Gordon, ex- plaining that they have the patience and the time. One im- portant factor in their favour is that they are not financially dependent on their new found business for a living. "Watercolours by G. Duern, Canadian Artist, who has cap- tured with his brush the nostalgia of the vanishing rural landscape in Ontario", id the calling card on what is a distinguished "kind of On- tario" quality to Canadian art. The word "rural" has more than ,begun to take on a new meaning--and so, the timing was right when Gordon started a year ago to sketch such ob- jects as old barns, forlorn houses, abandoned churches... in the Southern Ontario region. "People liked them and so it all started," says the artist. In fact, it went so well that Gor- don, not wishing to return to "that business world", contac- ted a salesman to handle his watercolours. Ruth is the floral designer. At the Doon School of Fine Arts, where she once studied arranging and fabricating, she now markets a portion of her crafts. Her ability in creating flowers from both fabric and paper is increasingly becoming widely known (she has given several courses in the Kit- chener area) thus enabling her to move her work on a consign- ment basis. Charm and charac- ter have been added to what was in former years a kitchen-- and is now her stddici—filled with' w.oi°: -' i lei! ritrPbti t" alWay4 • exquisite arrays of "• flowers. Duern is a combination ,of ' rarities...He has more careers chalked up than a good half dozen people experience in a lifetime. And he isn't finished yet. Perhaps the gifted craftsman started with Grandfather Van Duern, a silversmith and gold- smith designer who was brought to Canada from his native Wales by Henry Birks. (The Van or Von, the family is not sure of which, was dropped when he came to this country) Gordon's father, a cabinet maker and furniture manufac- turer Who held the contract for the refurbishing of Rideau Hall every four years, moved his family from Ottawa to the Niagara Peninsula when the depression hit in 1929-30's, It was shortly after this that Got,. don started as a commercial ar. Use after taking one year in art, One career he should pursue is that' of writer (he is the author of several books). Perhaps then his colorful life could be told of how he prepared himself through study to become a commercial artist, an architectural designer, an industrial designer, an interior designer--not to mention inven- tor. He holds at least 40 patents for furniture--and fix- tures that are related to fur- niture. He was discharged from the RCAF, in which he served as an air force artist, for the express purpose .pf designing the ex- terior plus the interior of all the new buildings for the first Canadian. National Exhibition to be held following World War II. His on-and-off five year period with Eatons took him to the West Indies where after designing hotels, hospitals and school houses, he sold the fur- nishings for the same. In the meantime, he designed an air- port at Fullerton, New Los Angeles, California. While there, missionaries who had a flying service. talked him into going to Quito Acquidoe, where he designed economy dwellings for living quarters for staff at a landing strip cut into the mountains. "I was the forerun- ner of the Peace Corps", recalls Duern, claiming that it was all a challenge to him. There was very little money, labour, other than native, or materials, other than cement. It was a matter of showing the native people how to do things....and in a little more than two months, 20 pre- fab dwellings were erected, each reinforced not with steel, but with bamboo. Glass was not available. In the '50 s, to use his own words, Gordon said--"Through some process, I became an in- dustrial designer." In 1981, by chance, he started.as a designer with Electrohorne--a decision he was never to regret. During his tenure of service he raked a number of outstanding awards for his designing. In 1967, he took the Design Canada award of excellence for an unique auditorium chair that facilitates installation, It was a two-fold 'type of award, in that he was awarded the Aluminum Company of Canada award for the aluminum castings of the chair. The same year, he won recognition by being chosen by Tredicesima, for his design of modern concept of radio. The competition is open to designers from across the world, and the awards are presented in Italy every three years. Two years previously, he picked up the Association of Professional and Industrial designers of Ontario award for his design of the upright stereo,. He has also taken a number of awards from this source for designs in TV, stereo and communication systems. For his design of furniture made from paper, - he received an achievement award from the Inventors and scientists of America. Gordon did all Elec. trohome's designing in ,1961, af- ter which he commenced to add recruits until the studio today is considered one of the top in. Canada. "My reason for getting out: that was a long time to he captive-4 went in as a designer, got caught up in the company's organisation and ended up as an administrator, I was not able to do the work I loved, and was hired to do," Electrohome, not wishing to • release him, have retained him on the basis as a consultant designer. Gordon's work with company he feels; has improved 200 per cent, Why not? It is produced at his home in Clin- ton in his studio which provides a relaxing, cheery at. mesphere—void of all pressures of city life. Hullett Happeniftgs Grade Eight Field Trip Now On Display Kitchens by Gregg Cabinets Ltd. Our Spring Paint Sale Continues $4" :re *interior Latex *Interior Semi-Gloss •Kem Coat' (exterior) eSherWill—WilliamsStain i4" G $L52 AL V & C $ao, GAL & C C J.W. Counter Builders Supplies 94 Albert St. (liwy. No. 4) Clinton 492-9612 Gordon and Ruth Duern stand outside of their 85-year-old home on, the corner of Rattenbury and Gibbings Streets, They are working, towards making the two-storey white brick Georgian house they acquired two years ago in as architecturally striking as it was in the 1800s. (photo by Muriel Trott)