Thursday, May 1, 2008
Dick Bock – the basics
He was born Charles Richard Bock on 8 Nov 1911 and died on 26 Mar 1972 at the age of 60. As a child at home in Sandusky, Ohio, he was called Dick so as not to be confused with his father, Charles Bock (1881 – 1947). Dick graduated from Sandusky High School where he participated in sports, prepared to go to college, and pursued his hobby of drawing. After graduation he attended Ohio State University for a semester or two, studying to become the [family recommended] engineer. But finding that his talents lay elsewhere, he switched to the Columbus Art School (I’m not sure, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_College_of_Art_and_Design ) and studied commercial art. In 193n he officially changed his name to Richard Charles Bock to reduce the confusion about what his name really was. In 1940 he married Hazel Mae Malkmus. They began married life in Marion, Ohio, but soon moved to Akron (1943) when Dick took a new job with Akron Advertising Art. Together, Dick and Hazel Mae raised a family of four children: Judy, Jim, Kathy and Rick. In 1950 (?) Dick was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He continued to work at [modified] art jobs with AAA but eventually had to take early retirement because of the severity of his disability. As this disease progressed he managed to stay mobile using a walker but in the spring of 1972 he fell and broke an arm. He was hospitalized at Akron General during the beginning of his convalescence but died there from a stroke on Palm Sunday.
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8 comments:
I believe Dad was dianosed closer to the year Rick was born - 1954.
If Dad has taught us only one thing, it would be how to handle such a life changing situation. He kept such a positive attitude - it helped us all to be able to deal with this disease.
Wonderfully his crazy sense of humor has been passed down to us and our children.
Kathy
Maybe... Not sure how to check out that date. I thought that we moved to Ido Ave because they gave up trying to save enough to move to a cute new house in the suburbs and just wanted to grab a house and get settled in while he still had a job and could get a mortgage. I would have said that he had been diagnosed for a couple of years before Rick came along. Just a guess. Judy
Thanks for typing that up - I knew some of it, but not all. I really wish I would have gotten a chance to meet him.
How many of his paintings are kept in the family? I've obviously seen the one at my parent's house and the ones that Kathy has for sure. I'm curious how many more are out there. :)
Also, where again is the church located where he painted (on the ceiling?)? And what was the story behind that? Did he do any other public pieces like that?
kevin
Kevin, thanks for the question! I had great fun trying to track down an answer for you. I’m thinking that Dad helped to restore the ceiling of Holy Rosary Cathedral http://www.rosarycathedral.org/index.asp during the Depression. I had great fun taking a virtual tour using this URL and reading a little bit of their history. I even found a place where I left a question asking if they had any record of some painting/restoration being done inn the 1930s. If I get an answer I’ll let you all know. Some time ago (15 years or more?) I visited Holy Rosary and walked slowly around thinking about Dad laying on his back and painting. Someone was with me but I don’t recall who. Was it you, Kathy? Or was it my friend Patty and we were on one of our infrequent visits to a mutual grade-school friend who joined a Toledo convent in the 1980s? Not sure. I tried to ask one of the caretakers if they knew anything about when or how the ceiling was painted but that person said they did not know if there was anything written about that so I gave up (until I sent an email today). By the way, I see the cathedral sponsors a concert series during the year. That might be something nice to do if we were ever in the Toledo area at an appropriate time.
That was the only "public" art of his that I was aware of. Aunt Judy
P.S. Aunt Kathy is in the process of taking inventory of his paintings - expect more on that subject next fall. :-)
Mom, Rick, Karen, Geoff, Kevin & I went to Toledo in the fall of 199? I know the boys were fairly young. We toured the church & Rick took some pictures of the painting on the ceiling. Can't remember how well they came out and I don't think I have a copy of those pictures. That was the first time I had been to Toledo. It brought back memories for Mom as she pointed out where they had lived and a few other places she remembered.
Kathy
I remember my parents going to see the church, but I don't remember being with them. It could just be that it was so long ago and/or I was only 10 years old or so. Hmm...
kevin
Judy, I remember it was said that Dad used to golf - and that Mom golfed some too. Did you ever go golfing with him/them.
I was probably pretty small but I remember them going out to dinner. Mom all dressed up - and one of their favorite places was Diamond Grill.
I also recall being in the back seat of the car when Dad took mom out to teach her to drive - in those days cars were stick shift.
Kathy
Oh Kathy, I had totally forgotten how old Mom was when she learned how to drive. Almost 40? It was only when they accepted that he would lose coordination and not be able to drive that they realized she would have to take over the driving. I'm pretty sure that about the same time and for the same reason she had to learn to do the banking, pay the bills, handle the check book, etc.
It is interesting how I think of them as being very flexible and accepting and contemporary in their outlook and personality, but in reality I guess they had very traditional ideas about the role of the man and woman in a marriage, didn't they? I remember that even though we lived on Forge Street (inner Akron, even back then), before MS and the need to save every penny for the slim days ahead, Mom had an "ironing lady" who came to our house every week.
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