Malcolm Davis

There was a lovely obituary in yesterday's Washington Post about Malcolm Davis.  I met him in the early 80's at Penland School of Crafts.  My brightest memory was when one time he came into check on an electric bisque firing of his porcelain (which surely should have been cooling by then) and the kiln was still going.... hours and hours later to cone????? 25 ??? who knows how hot it got.  When the kiln finally cooled and he was able to pry loose one of the melted pots from the shelf, it was so hard that you could throw it across the room, and it wouldn't break.  This year I had the opportunity to participate at the Pottery show at the Old Church in Demerest N.J.  Perhaps the only reason I was there, was because for several years Malcolm had been campaigning for me to be included.  It took a while but his enthusiasm, passion, and ability to persuade prevailed.  He later wrote to me, after I had been accepted saying, "you owe me a pot now"!!!! jokingly, but I would have happily given him a pot had his life not been cut short.  I felt badly not to have told him about my experience at the show, I was just about to write to him the week after the show ended to thank him when I heard about his death...... So, better late than never, Thank you so much Malcolm, wherever you are.  Thank you for your support, and for your amazing positive spirit, that will endure in memories, and all of your pottery that is out there in the world.  I learned a lot more about him in this article:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/a-local-life-malcolm-davis-74-pastor-turned-potter-ministered-through-clay/2012/01/12/gIQAV3HRzP_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines