08 08 09
Margaret, Steve, Barbara. and friends…
it is an honor to be here with you this morning.
it’s been twenty eight years and three months and seven days
since i worked under Bruce as his last full time employee at bruce beck design.
In those three and a half years, i had the life-changing privilege of learning
in the same studio with Bruce, his partners Hayward and Jack, you, Margaret,
and the many other young designers mentored by these seasoned professionals.
but it was my time with Bruce that holds the most undiminished pleasure—
one that I will never let go of, for you see, I know Bruce as a mentor
who’s gift of time illuminated a way of life for me.
today I really miss Bruce.
he was such an important yet undescribable life force.
on so many occasions i remember him coming out of his office,
holding his felt-tip drawing on a piece of tracing paper in his hands
and a big smile under his mustache.
it was clear that during all of the day to day office stuff of professional practice,
Bruce still delighted in the joy of making.
thank you, Bruce, for showing me how it should feel.
—-
a few years after working with Bruce we met in the city.
he had just produced his STA keepsake for Robert Vogele…
and he was obviously thrilled with his design — it’s craft, it’s simplicity—
especially the language he used to describe Bob.
and on that day, I could see that Bruce was rich
with the unique reward which comes from bringing respect to life.
another fantastic lesson…
thank you, Bruce.
—-
Bruce was a distinguished gentlemen in life and within design.
while he held high the values of craft, tradition, history,
he also embraced modernism.
he transcended service with friendship…
and delighted in the most current innovations.
today, Bruce just might have loved the connections found online
in the web of social networking
and simultaneously seen the whackiness of it all.
I know he would have loved this connection.
Here’s a little something from someone I have never met…
On 5 AUGUST 2009 AT 9:49 PM BRIAN SAUNDERS posted this on my website.
hi Rick,
i’m one of the recent graduates from Northern Illinois University’s
visual communications program, and having heard you speak on a few occasions
i recall you mentioning Bruce Beck’s name.
at the time his name held no special significance for me,
but it is only now, upon hearing of his passing,
that an interesting story revealed itself.
it turns out Bruce was my grandpa’s best friend in life!
they both grew up in harvard, illinois and knew each other from the age of three.
they served in World War II together and remained good friends
until my grandpa died in 1995.
my grandpa was even mentioned in the very nice obituary that was printed
(though not by name).
my Dad has fond memories of going over to Bruce’s house with his family
and being very interested in the printing press that he was running
from his basement, and just listening to the way Bruce talked and carried himself.
who would have thought?
it’s a shame I only found this out after Bruce’s passing,
because it would have been wonderful to meet Bruce and hear some of his insights.
i’m sure he would have been a wonderful help.
—-
yes, Brian, Bruce was a wonderful help.
on the day I first met Bruce he said to me after he reviewed my wanna-be portfolio,
“I really don’t like your work, but I love your (personal) style.”
ever since then I have asked, what type of person actually says something like this
to a young person upon first meeting?
the only answer I have come to live with is that this type of person
is brutally honest and one that sees himself in others.
if in fact, Bruce saw a bit of me in himself on that day—
i know for a fact that i see quite a bit of Bruce in myself everyday.
and for that I am a better person.
—-
once when I was thanking Bruce for all he had shared,
he told me the best way to say thank you
is simply to pass on whatever you were given to someone else.
and so I have, and will continue to pass on to designers of the next generation,
the spirit of Bruce Beck.
on this day, Bruce, let me say it to you once again…
thank you.
Rick Valicenti
2 Comments
Thanks Rick. I’m sorry to hear about Bruce Beck’s passing.
A short story:
One day in early January, I made cold calls to design offices in Chicago asking if anyone would be willing to host a field trip of college students from Trinity Christian College. After networking through several refusals somebody said, “Call the Design Partnership in Evanston.” And, of course, that’s where we were welcomed and hosted by Rick Valicenti for an “after hours” field trip. Later, I realized that The Design Partnership was a collaborative group with Bruce Beck.
The anecdote you told students, that evening, was while you were doing basically production work you went and showed your portfolio to Mr. Beck, who apparently, didn’t think much of your design work but recognized your potential by the way you presented yourself. Bruce said, “I can use someone like you.” From there we sort of know the rest of the story. (Please tell me if I don’t have your story right).
The point is that the great spirit of generosity, trade, value, art and craft that was the hallmark of Bruce Beck’s work carries on in your practice too.
Hi Rick,
I’m one of the recent graduates from NIU’s Visual Communications program, and having heard you speak on a few occasions I remember you mentioning Bruce’s name. At the time it held no special significance for me, but it is only now, upon hearing of his passing, that an interesting story came out.
It turns out Bruce was my grandpa’s best friend in life. They both grew up in Harvard and knew each other from the age of three. They served in World War II together and remained good friends until my grandpa died in 1995. My grandpa was even mentioned in the very nice obituary that was printed (though not by name). My Dad has fond memories of going over to Bruce’s house with his family and being very interested in the printing press that he was running from his basement, and just listening to the way he talked and carried himself.
Who would have thought? It’s a shame I only found this out after Bruce’s passing, because it would have been wonderful to meet him and hear some of his insight. I’m sure he would have been a wonderful help.