Today we received word of the death of my paternal aunt Grace
Dalles Clarke, (September 5, 1924 - July 18, 2018), in New York City.
Those of you who have been faithful readers of my blog down the
years will remember that I wrote a profile of her, and her work, back in March
of 2012. She lived a long and full life, and made fantastic contributions
to the world of publishing - both as an illustrator of children's books and as
an executive at several notable publishing houses. Along the way she was
able to work with many creative and insightful people, including Sarah, Duchess
of York (the Budgie books), and President Jimmy Carter (Habitat for Humanity's
"The President Builds a House").
She grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from Carnegie Tech, was a
personal friend of another Pittsburgh native and Tech grad, Andy Warhol, long
before he was famous, and she "made it" in Manhattan in her chosen
field. To her family she was always "Bae" or "Aunt
Bae", a nickname from childhood days. We loved her and relished
hearing her recount stories about her work, and some of the amazing things that
happened to her. Usually we would end up rolling on the floor with
uncontrollable laughter; she was such a great raconteur.
Her timeless children's book illustrations have that same ability
to bring warmth and joy. And here is a not so secret secret: many of her
family members are depicted for all time in her illustrations. If
you have a moment, please...
Follow this link to read more: Grace Dalles Clarke
Above: Photo of Grace Dalles Clarke as a young girl. Below: Illustrations by Grace Dalles Clarke
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