- Joined
- Jan 27, 2000
- Messages
- 615
The Moran Hammer-in at Frederick, Maryland this past weekend was a tremendous success. Many people worked very hard to get everything together and make things flow smoothly.
If I may, I'd like to take this opportunity -- at the risk of sounding corny -- to give Larry Harley a big thank you and commend him for the outstanding job he did to help make the Moran Hammer-in such a success. Larry and I were part of a team that worked in the Green Coal section of the Hammer-in. That's a section for new guys and gals to get some hands-on experience forging out a blade.
I was listening to and watching Larry give instructions as we were tutoring the newbies, and quickly became aware of his skills not only as a smith, but in the art of teaching itself. It didn't take long for me to start wondering what in the heck I was doing working beside him. It was apparent to me that I should not be tutoring, but instead should be a student of his.
The most touching part of the whole thing was when a little 6 year old boy came up to try his hand at forging. Larry set up a little anvil on top of a milk crate and began giving him instructions. The fact that it was cute was one thing. Larry's tremendous skills in dealing with little children made it all the more wonderous.
The thing that really drove it home was when we found out that the little boy was little Clayton Johnston. For those of you who don't subscribe to the ABS Journal, Clayton is a little fellow who at 4 years of age was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer. Little Clayton has endured 17 rounds of chemotherapy and an operation to replace 7 1/2" of his left femur. Before we get too far into this, let me say that Clayton's dad told me that Clayton's cancer is currently in remission. Clayton once again has a full head of hair and is looking very healthy, which is the reason that we didn't recognize him in the first place.
At any rate, once Larry and I did realize who Larry's student was, it became a very difficult task to fight back the tears. To see this giant of a man working so patiently, skillfully, and gently with the little fellow really put a lump in everyone's throat.
When little Clayton first expressed the desire to forge a blade (and before we realized who he was), I told Larry that I was going to run up to the Pavilion and get a photographer, and possibly get some nice publicity shots. Larry doesn't care one iota about being in the lime light, and immediately said something like "Screw a bunch of cameras. I don't care about getting any publicity". Well, I don't know if Larry is aware of it or not, but within minutes, photographers and a news camera crew were running to the scene to document the event.
I suppose that Larry has an image to keep up as a tough, bearded, devil-may-care mountain man, and he may well squash my head like a pimple the next time we see each other, for making this public. But so be it. Larry is top drawer in my opinion, and my old "hillbilly" buddy is welcome to break bread at my table with me and my family any time he cares to.
If I may, I'd like to take this opportunity -- at the risk of sounding corny -- to give Larry Harley a big thank you and commend him for the outstanding job he did to help make the Moran Hammer-in such a success. Larry and I were part of a team that worked in the Green Coal section of the Hammer-in. That's a section for new guys and gals to get some hands-on experience forging out a blade.
I was listening to and watching Larry give instructions as we were tutoring the newbies, and quickly became aware of his skills not only as a smith, but in the art of teaching itself. It didn't take long for me to start wondering what in the heck I was doing working beside him. It was apparent to me that I should not be tutoring, but instead should be a student of his.
The most touching part of the whole thing was when a little 6 year old boy came up to try his hand at forging. Larry set up a little anvil on top of a milk crate and began giving him instructions. The fact that it was cute was one thing. Larry's tremendous skills in dealing with little children made it all the more wonderous.
The thing that really drove it home was when we found out that the little boy was little Clayton Johnston. For those of you who don't subscribe to the ABS Journal, Clayton is a little fellow who at 4 years of age was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer. Little Clayton has endured 17 rounds of chemotherapy and an operation to replace 7 1/2" of his left femur. Before we get too far into this, let me say that Clayton's dad told me that Clayton's cancer is currently in remission. Clayton once again has a full head of hair and is looking very healthy, which is the reason that we didn't recognize him in the first place.
At any rate, once Larry and I did realize who Larry's student was, it became a very difficult task to fight back the tears. To see this giant of a man working so patiently, skillfully, and gently with the little fellow really put a lump in everyone's throat.
When little Clayton first expressed the desire to forge a blade (and before we realized who he was), I told Larry that I was going to run up to the Pavilion and get a photographer, and possibly get some nice publicity shots. Larry doesn't care one iota about being in the lime light, and immediately said something like "Screw a bunch of cameras. I don't care about getting any publicity". Well, I don't know if Larry is aware of it or not, but within minutes, photographers and a news camera crew were running to the scene to document the event.
I suppose that Larry has an image to keep up as a tough, bearded, devil-may-care mountain man, and he may well squash my head like a pimple the next time we see each other, for making this public. But so be it. Larry is top drawer in my opinion, and my old "hillbilly" buddy is welcome to break bread at my table with me and my family any time he cares to.
