After exhausting all the
leads I could find locally, I decided to take a trip through the state of
Georgia to see what else I could discover about Jack. During my spring break, I
rented a car and traveled to several locations that had a connection to Jack’s
life. With only three days to complete my tour, I had to keep a tight schedule.
I learned through
subsequent conversations with Penelope that Jack was sent to military school. I
contacted Georgia Military College in Milledgeville. According to records, this
is where Jack attended high school. I arranged a visit to the campus and a meeting
with the Librarian of Special Collections, Jane Simpson. We had a lively
discussion about the traditions associated with the military school. With some
hunting around, Jane found a few of the rosters and yearbooks that included
Jack’s name, as well as his graduation record.
Penelope said, “I can’t
think that most children want to go to military school. I mean, I think they
get sent.” Roy must have decided it would be best for Jack’s upbringing to go
to military school. There is no evidence to suggest Jack was sent to military
school as a form of punishment. However, this could have been the case.
Jack was listed as a
member of Band Company. Records indicate that Jack graduated in 1933, at the
age of 17. However, he also shows up on the roster for academic year 1934-35.
By 1932 Georgia Military College had added a two-year college program to its
curriculum. He likely returned for his first year of college before transferring
to the University of Georgia.
Not much is known about
the specifics of Jack’s life in military school. However, there were many
traditions that he would have encountered as a cadet. At that time, the school
was an all-male institution. If a cadet were on a date with a girl from Georgia
State College for Women (presently Georgia College and State University) the
young man had to have a date slip filled out in triplicate. One copy went to
the Guard House, one copy went to the House Mother of the women’s college and
the third copy had to be in the cadet’s pocket. If a cadet were walking
downtown he could be approached by campus security patrol at any time and asked
to show the permission slip. If a cadet had a date with a girl from the women’s
college, he would go to her dorm and stand on the opposite side of the street.
When the young lady came downstairs, she would walk on the opposite side of the
street until they reached the movie theater. Then they met, went inside and
watched the movie. When the evening was over, they walked on opposite sides of
the street back to her dormitory. The cadet would wait outside until the lady
was inside for the night.
Cadets had to travel in
pairs if they left campus and remain in uniform at all times. Every weekend there
were inspections and parades. Throughout the year there were drill competitions
between the companies. The most highly motivated cadets from each company would
compete to see who could out-drill the others. There were also class plays and
musical events.
I found myself closely
relating with some of what Jack must have experienced. I, too, had gone to
military school for high school. I went to Marion Military Institute. Similar
to GMC, MMI had a sister school, Judson College. I imagine MMI cadets followed
a similar dating protocol in the years before the school became co-educational.
GMC and MMI are approximately the same age, they both have similar traditions
and they both have had to make some fundamental changes in recent years to cope
with a lowering demand for a traditional military school experience.
Mary and Evelyn grew up
and went through high school in Boston. They must have enjoyed a certain social
status, attending cotillions and dances. Mary Adams wed Earl Thomas Mayo by
1938. Together, they had three children— Tommy, Mary Ann and Jimmy Mayo. In
1943 Evelyn married Thomas Coke Penland, a descendant of Thomas Coke, the first
Methodist Bishop and Father of Methodist Missions. Together they had two daughters, Penelope and
Deanna Penland.
In 1936 Jack enrolled in
the University of Georgia at Athens, having been awarded a scholarship from the
Athens Art Association. As one of only a handful of art students, he was
mentored by Annie May Holiday. During the same year he also drew Manhattan Morning, as well as portraits
of actress Gail Patrick and President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is unclear whether Jack drew these for
class assignments or whether he did them on his own.
By the mid-1930s several
universities were participating in the Extension Program of the Department of
Agriculture, part of the WPA (Works Project Administration). John Steuart
Curry, Paul Sample, Frank Mechau, Dale Nichols and Thomas Hart Benton were
installed in art programs around the country. Hugh Hudgson, from the University
of Georgia, invited Lamar Dodd to be an artist-in-residence at UGA in 1937.
Hudgson promised to raise the budget for the art department and allow Dodd to
grow the department as he saw fit.
When Dodd arrived he found
the art department was housed in the basement of an old building, and there
were three different art teachers spread out in three different academic
divisions. One was in the Division of Agricultural, one in the Department of
Home Economics and another was working as the fine arts teacher in the
Department of Art. There were only nine students with art as their declared
major.
In his second year
teaching at the University of Georgia, at age 27, Dodd became the head of the
Department of Art. He consolidated the department and brought in the three
other teachers. He also brought in well-known guest artists to speak,
demonstrate and lecture. Jean Charlot, Thomas Hart Benton and John Held are
just a few of the artists he invited. Boardman Robinson, Dodd’s former teacher,
came to lecture in 1938. After a few years he started an art auction of student
work as a fundraiser for the department. Dodd also arranged for student work to
be hung in local businesses. He later secured internships for students to
design bedspreads and bath mats that were produced by the local textile mills.
Dodd did not allow any
copying from pictures or casts in his classes. Drawing and painting were taught
using only live models, still lifes and plein air. Drawing from life was taught
as the foundation of all other artistic practice. Dodd organized weekend
sketching trips. He began the practice of painting and drawing alongside his
students.
“Drawing is before all
else.” –Lamar Dodd
Among the many drawings in
Jack’s sketchbooks were rural scenes from around Athens. Giles Country Store,
perhaps a location in Athens when Jack was in school, was found in one such
drawing. Factories, strip mines and old houses were also the subjects of many
of Jack’s drawings. So, too, were his fellow students. There are also two
sketches of a man painting a watercolor. One of them has the word “Poon”
written off to the side. On one quirky page, the name Gladys Lantz is written
backwards in cursive. This was likely something Gladys herself did to amuse
Jack. There are two renderings of a graduating class in the midst of being
photographed. The name
of his half-sister, Evelyn Adams, appears several times throughout the
sketchbooks.
Several items found in the
sketchbooks suggest that Jack took a trip to New York as a student. One drawing
of an amusement park included a sign with the name Palisades. This likely refers
to the Cyclone found at Palisades Park in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. A couple
of sketches of people riding the subway and two sketches of a city market were
in the same sketchbook. A pamphlet from Robinson Galleries, 126 East 57 Street,
was tucked between the last few pages. There was a crudely drawn map on the
cover. It was to a jewelry store at 36 E 65th Street.
I traveled to Athens to
visit the campus of the University of Georgia and the Georgia Museum of Art,
but first I stopped by the Athens Public Library to review its records. With
assistance from one of the librarians at the circulation desk, I found a shelf
stacked with UGA Pandora Yearbooks dating all the way back to when Jack was in
school at the university. In them I found Jack’s class pictures, fraternity
profile and listing in the art department.
Jack graduated in 1938
with a Bachelor of Art Degree. According to the yearbooks, from 1936-1938 he
was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. During his last two years, he was
also a member of the Kappa Pi Honor Society for art students. Officers of the
Kappa Pi organization included: Henry Maddin, President; Raymond McMahon,
Vice-President; Mary Paul Glenn, Secretary; Gladys Lantz, Treasurer. Lamar Dodd
was the faculty advisor.
I arrived at the
University of Georgia Special Collections Library in the morning, shortly after
it opened. I had to complete several online forms in order to request the
documents I wanted and gain access to the viewing room. After nearly an hour of
that process, I was finally granted entry. Once inside, the formalities
continued. My document request form was sent down to the vault. From the
basement, by elevator, a man pushed a flatbed cart loaded with archival boxes
and folios. The cart was wheeled to the front desk, at which time I was
summoned. For reasons of security I was only allowed access to one box or
folder at a time.
The ritual of it all made
the experience more profound. I sat in the sterile room for several hours and
combed through a treasure trove of artifacts relating to Lamar Dodd, from
letters and photos to exhibition announcements and catalogues, piece by piece.
It was exhilarating to sift through all the remnants of a long life well lived.
Unfortunately, I only found a couple of documents that directly related to
Jack, including one paragraph in a letter to Dodd from Alan Kuzmicki. In the
process I learned so much more and gained a greater appreciation for the art
and teaching methods of Lamar Dodd.
Throughout his long,
distinguished career, Dodd inspired many of his students to become professional
artists and art educators. More than half of Jack’s fellow students went on to
have regional success as artists and teachers.
Alan Kuzmicki began his
master’s degree studies in ceramics during summer school at The Ohio State
University in 1939. A letter he wrote to Dodd, found in the UGA archives, is
rich with descriptions of his studies. He even included six wallet size
photographs of campus life. There are also reflections on what Dodd had taught
him. In one passage Alan writes, “Making a pot is just as much a creative act
as working in any other medium, provided it too is approached in the same
spirit.” His letter continues, “It’s just as you say, art is the same no matter
how you take it. There is only the good and the bad.”
Mary Paul Glenn became a
lifelong teacher. She was a professor of art at Limestone College in Gaffney,
South Carolina. She taught in the city school system in Birmingham, Alabama.
She later taught in Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville, the
sister school to Georgia Military College. Glenn also published several works
on art education theory.
Augusta Oelschig taught at
Auburn University during World War II. In 1946 she opened her own art school in
Savannah, Georgia. She moved to New York, where she exhibited for several
years. In 1962 she returned to Savannah. Later in life she received commissions
to create public artwork.
Julia Ann Gilman was
originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee. After graduating from the University of
Georgia, she married and moved to Montgomery, Alabama. By 1940, Gilman stopped painting and focused
on raising her children. In 1963, after her youngest son, Gil, left for
college, Julia began painting again. On their property in Montgomery, Alabama there
was a pastor’s study and guest lodge, which she converted into a studio by
1963. She began painting again and joined several art associations in
Montgomery, Troy and Fairhope, Alabama. With the support of her husband, Julia
traveled to workshops and retreats all over the Southeast. She taught classes
and exhibited her work extensively. Julia was primarily a portrait and
landscape artist.
Gil is now a dentist
living in Florence, Alabama. As it happens, my wife, Lori, is a native of Florence.
On a trip to visit Lori’s family I met with Gil to see and talk about his
mother’s artwork. He shared several notebooks full of photographs and newspaper
clippings from her long life in art.
Perhaps the most
successful of Dodd’s students from those early years was Reuben Gambrell.
Reuben began his studies the year after Jack graduated. During his time as a
student, Reuben also received a commission to paint a mural for the post office
in Rockmart, Georgia, after winning Honorable Mention in the Federal Mural
Exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC. The commissioned painting
was entitled “Kiln Room, Cement Plant” and was installed in 1941. That same
year Reuben received the first Master of Fine Arts Degree ever awarded at the
University of Georgia. In 1942, Reuben was drafted into the Army.
Dodd arranged an exhibit
of Reuben’s drawings and watercolors sent back from the jungles of the Pacific
theater in World War II. The exhibit was held in 1944 at the Corcoran Gallery.
After the war, Reuben taught for some years at the University of Georgia before
relocating to Columbia, South Carolina, where he taught privately and continued
to exhibit his own work.
My breath that fogged your window
The last light slipping behind
treetops
A lamppost on an empty street
Lamar Dodd encouraged his
students to join the local and regional art associations after they graduated.
This was a good way for them to be in touch with other artists and to have
consistent exhibitions of their work. Jack took the advice and was a member of
three such organizations: Association of Georgia Artists, Athens Art
Association and Southern States Arts League.
“Strive to engage the
public in art as a matter of civic duty.” –Lamar Dodd
To backtrack for a moment,
before driving from Milledgeville to Athens I took a detour to the Macon Public
Library to visit the archives pertaining to the Association of Georgia Artists.
I scrambled through all the materials looking for any mention of Jack. The
archivist was extremely helpful, fetching boxes and arranging materials for me.
In those records I learned more about the extent of Dodd’s influence on art in
the state. There were also exhibition records that included Jack’s work. It was interesting to see how many of Jack’s
fellow students were also involved.
The Association of Georgia
Artists, based in Macon, was an active group during the mid-20th
Century. In October of 1939, a list of artwork submitted to the 11th
Exhibit of the Association of Georgia Artists included Jack as having his
painting “Grain Elevator” accepted. Another list of rejected works listed the
title “Factory” by Jack Adams. A roster of the active members of the
Association of Georgia Artists for 1940 lists Jack as living in Athens, at 332
Milledge Hall.
Notable members of the
Association of Georgia Artists who exhibited with Jack in the 11th
Exhibit included: Edward Shorter of Columbus, who became Director of Columbus
Museum of Art; George Beattie, Jr. from Macon, who studied at Art Student’s
League and Yale, and was commissioned to create mural for Macon Post Office;
Emma C. Wilkins, of Savannah, a prominent artist and educator who studied at Academia Coarossie in Paris; Hattie
Saussy from Savannah, who worked at Friedman’s Art Store; George Cress, who was
born in Anniston, Alabama, later taught in Chattanooga before moving to Athens,
Georgia.
As it turns out, after
showing me the collection of Pandora Yearbooks, the librarian at the Athens
Public Library had also directed me to bound copies of records from the Athens
Art Association. In the minutes of the September 1939 meeting the following
upcoming events were listed: the November meeting was scheduled as a reception
for the exhibit of the 11th Exhibit of the Association of Georgia
Artists, in which Jack took part. The December meeting was scheduled to include
a lecture by Lamar Dodd. The meeting in January of 1940 featured an artist
demonstration by Alan Kuzmicki and Reuben Gambrell.
After my time at the UGA
Special Collections Library, I was hoping to walk through the current exhibits
at the Georgia Museum of Art. I also planned to visit the art department,
situated next door to the museum. I drove from the library to the fine arts
area of the campus. After circling right past the entrance to the museum
parking deck several times, I was finally able to spot it.
I had an appointment with
Paul Manoguerra, Chief Curator at the Georgia Museum of Art. We met for nearly
an hour. I showed him some of the documents and letters I had gathered from my
trip thus far. He was extremely accommodating. In our conversation he did much
to expand my understanding of Dodd’s legacy. Paul shared what he knew about
some of the names of Jack’s contemporaries who kept appearing in my research.
Before he left for another meeting, he gave me copies of several books that had
been published by the museum. One of the books was a thorough examination of
Lamar Dodd’s art and influence.
It was interesting to
compare my notes from the archives to what was written in the book. One detail
in the book was particularly exciting. Partly as a way of engaging his
students, and also to appease gallery demands, Dodd began painting portraits of
many of his students. In 1938, Dodd painted a portrait of Jack entitled simply,
“Jack”. It received a special award in portraiture at the 17th
Annual Art Exhibition of the McDowell Club in New York that same year.
“Portrait of a Graduate Student”, a painting of Reuben Gambrell seated with an
open book, was also painted that same year. A portrait of Mac Richey, painted
in 1944, was later sold to a private collector.
Penelope had told me about
the painting prior to the exhibit of Jack’s work. She had included a photograph
of it in the materials she sent to me. After some investigating I tracked down
the location of it. Much of the reason I was heading to LaGrange was to see the
portrait of Jack for myself.
I waited until the evening
to drive to LaGrange. Since I knew I would be passing through Atlanta I wanted
to avoid the rush hour traffic. It was nearly 10 o’clock by the time I finally
reached the outskirts of the LaGrange. I found a cheap hotel by the highway and
settled in for the evening.
The next morning I met
with John Lawrence, Director of the Lamar Dodd Art Center at LaGrange College. He
spent several hours with me talking about the history of the art center. He
walked me through an exhibit of Dodd’s later paintings from Monhegan,
Maine. Compared to Dodd’s earlier work,
the paintings of seascapes and fishermen were loose and wildly expressive. He
used gobs of paint to create a thick impasto on the surface of his canvases.
The subjects became abstracted into fierce shapes charged with dynamism.
John explained that in his
first year at LaGrange College, he was asked by the president of the school to
approach Dodd upon his retirement from UGA and ask him to donate a painting to
the school. Dodd enthusiastically obliged and ended up donating more that one
hundred works. Through generous support of local organizations, monies were
secured to build a center fit for housing the extensive collection.
After our tour through the
art center John and I caravanned to the LaGrange Public Library to visit the
portrait of Jack. We found it hanging in the conference room behind the
circulation desk. John mentioned that, in fact, he had been asked to clean and
restore the painting for the library some years earlier. He helped me take the
piece off the wall and photograph it.
At the UGA Special
Collections Library I had run across a series of four letters addressed to Dodd
from Hatton Lovejoy, dating from June to July 1940. They were in reference to
Mr. Lovejoy buying the portrait of Jack and subsequently donating it the LaGrange
Public Library. This was a special honor since LaGrange was Dodd’s hometown.
The letters also outline the arrangements for Dodd to meet and stay with Mr.
Lovejoy over a weekend during which their painting would be ceremoniously
bequeathed to the library. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dodd were scheduled to attend.
The image of the painting that
Penelope had sent for the exhibition was a scan of a faded black-and-white
photograph of the portrait of Jack. I did not expect to see a painting so
vibrant and colorful. It was lustrous and rich with earth tones. The details of
Jack’s outfit were exquisitely rendered. The stretched canvas itself sat in a
gold frame with a small brass placard for the title. I could see why this
portrait won an award when it was exhibited in 1938.
After graduation, Jack was
offered the opportunity to teach the following year at Shellman School through
the Extension Program at the University of Georgia, funded by the WPA. He was
expected to teach art to all primary and secondary grades in the school.
The last place I stopped
on my tour through Georgia was the tiny town of Shellman. When I arrived in the
little town I was initially rather bewildered by the lack of people and
functioning businesses. I couldn’t find anyone to ask for directions. I finally
located the City Hall. The receptionist was able to draw a crude map to the
grounds where the Shellman School once stood. I also found the building that
originally housed the post office. The receptionist also directed me to
Cuthbert, a town about ten miles away.
At the Cuthbert Public
Library, I met a woman named Barbara. She took the time to put me in touch with
Ann Bynum, her friend who lived in Shellman. From Ms. Bynum I was able to find
out more about Jack’s short stint as a teacher.
According to Ann Bynum,
Jack stayed on the second floor of a boarding house at 3559 Pearl Street in
Shellman. He lived with another male teacher who has not been identified.
Daisy Crittenden lived
across the street from the boarding house where Jack stayed. Four of the female
teachers lived in Daisy’s house. She earned a little money in those days by
boarding and preparing meals for the teachers in town. Daisy had a housekeeper
and cook, named Em, who worked for her. Jack and his roommate would take their
evening meals at Daisy’s house with the other teachers. Daisy loved
entertaining. Her guests would stay for hours. Lively discussions and music
would carry on into the evening.
Daisy’s son, Carter
Critenden, was in the 4th grade and was a student of Jack’s. Carter
told the story of a time in class when Jack drew a picture of a train. The
class all said, “That’s a daytime train. Now draw a night train.” Perhaps the
day and evening trains carried different goods, or one was shorter than the
other. Whatever the differences were, Jack obliged and drew another train.
Ann also gave me the name
of Sarah Curry, one of Jack’s students, who was still alive. Sarah remembered Jack as a good teacher. She
was a young girl at the time, probably in eighth. Sarah recalled a fellow
classmate of hers, Richard Stewart. Everyone called Richard by the nickname,
“Monkey”. Richard got his nickname when he was a toddler. One time when he was
about two years old Richard pulled one of the straight-back chairs in the
dining room over to the large table. He somehow managed to scale the chair and
hoist himself on to the dining room table. It was there, in the middle of the
table, where his mother discovered him holding her white ceramic sugar bowl,
polishing off the last of the sugar. When she found him on the table she
exclaimed, “You little monkey!”
Monkey’s cousin, Fred
Stewart, was also in Sarah’s class. One time Fred drew a picture of the
Shellman Peanut Mill. Jack apparently really liked the drawing and showed it
off to his other classes. Some years
later, Fred committed suicide in the middle of the grocery store where he was a
manager.
Charles Ward was another
student who showed a talent for drawing and painting. He later became a doctor
and located his practice in Dawson, Georgia, not far from his hometown.
According to his wife, Mary, Charles continued painting and also took up
woodcarving. Later in life, he liked to carve and decorate the stocks of his
hunting rifles.
From these interviews I got
a pretty good sense of what Jack’s life would have been like while he was
teaching. In some ways I could see why Jack decided to quit his teaching
appointment after only one year. It must have been grueling trying to teach
every grade with limited resources and little space. The tiny community, no
matter how welcoming, must have felt suffocating. He was a young man with big
dreams fettered to a place so far from everything he wanted.
The letters written by
Dodd that Penelope had sent to me for the exhibition also held many clues to
Jack’s life after he graduated from UGA. Most of the letters are addressed to
Jack while he was in Shellman. They reveal some of the details of his life as a
teacher in a small rural community.
In his first letter to
Jack, dated August 31, 1938, Dodd encourages Jack to find his own way and make
a difference in the community. Because Jack’s appointment was made possible
through the Extension Program at University of Georgia, he received funds for
materials and supplementary items along with a living stipend. Dodd wrote, “I imagine that these will come
in handy, but do not depend too much on other people’s notes. You have a good
mind and use it.” As a final note of reassurance, Dodd concludes his message,
“Needless to say, I know that you shall enjoy your work next year. You can and
will do grand things there. I am bettin’ on you old man.”
This letter, like all the
ones Dodd sent to Jack in Shellman, was simply addressed to Mr. Denzil Roy
Adams, Jr., Shellman, GA. Jack would have gone to the post office to collect
his mail. There was no need for a street address at that time.
Dodd’s second letter,
dated September 6, 1938, seems to suggest Jack is enjoying his appointment. He
wrote playfully, “You will pardon the informality of not addressing you as
Professor, won’t you?” Dodd mentioned letters that Jack sent to him. “I am
delighted you like it there. Many times during the day I have thought of Jack
and his first grade students.” Later in the note there is evidence that Jack intended
to continue painting. Dodd wrote, “Glad to hear you intend to start your own
work. You can’t afford to drop it.” Dodd follows up by encouraging Jack to join
the Association of Georgia Artists.
In his letter from
September 16, 1938, Dodd mentioned an exhibition of his work scheduled at the
High Museum, in Atlanta, from November 15-30, 1938. He also mentioned the
growth of the art department. Jack was among the first students Dodd taught at
University of Georgia. By the time Jack graduated, the department was already
growing exponentially. Dodd wrote, “I have a wonderful student from South
Carolina. He finished S.C. last year and will be here for a year to carry on
his studying.” The student he was referring to was Reuben Gambrell. Dodd continued, “Mary Paul is helping with
freshman registration and Alan is on that Education Conference at Lakemont.”
More evidence that Jack
was continuing to engage in creative work and teaching comes as Dodd assures
him, “I had those hand-ground colors sent to you.” He added, “I think I sent
you one or two new colors, including Prussian blue. You will like that, and it
is safe to use.”
After little more than a
month into his teaching, Jack seemed to be getting great results from his
students. On September 27, 1938 Dodd wrote, “The drawings arrived yesterday and
I must admit they were encouraging. The textile patterns were all good.” Dodd
goes on to say, “I liked the lightening picture, the little red truck and the
playground scene.” To keep Jack abreast of his fellow students, Dodd mentioned,
“Eleanor is opening a studio in Savannah and is assisting the Supervisor of Art
in schools.”
Jack visited Athens during
his Thanksgiving break. On December 6, 1938, Dodd wrote him to wish him well
during his second semester. At this time, Dodd was gearing up to curate a
select group of artists from Georgia to represent the state in the Regional
exhibition of art at the World’s Fair Bulletin. Dodd encouraged his students to
enter the jury selection. Evidence from throughout his life suggests Jack
probably did not take his art making as seriously as he could have. Dodd
insists, “Jack, won’t you ever learn to do anything on time? If you will read
the World’s Fair bulletin you will discover that the paintings are to be in
Virginia by the 10th of December, not the 15th.” There is
no evidence that Jack’s work, if he managed to send it on time, was juried into
the exhibition. What is known is that Dodd was accepted. Dodd continued to
support Jack’s efforts in teaching, “Mr. Webb, the Binney and Smith man, can
aid you in many ways I am sure.”
In the previously
mentioned letter from Alan Kuzmicki to Lamar Dodd was the following passage,
“With Mac, Henry and Jack all there it must feel like old times, eh? I’m sorry
about Jack, but this gives you a good chance to see who’s worthy and more
interested.” The letter was dated July 6, 1939. It seems probable that Jack
quit his teaching appointment in Shellman after one year. Jack likely moved
back to Athens to work and continue to surround himself with the influence of
Dodd and others. Indeed, the document from the Association of Georgia Artists
lists his address in Athens at this time.
Nearly a year and a half
passed before Dodd wrote another letter to Jack. No envelope accompanied Dodd’s
letter dated July 15, 1940. Jack’s location at that time is unknown. However,
the letter was probably sent to Boston.
This suggests that Jack moved back and forth between Athens and Boston
after leaving Shellman. In the letter, Dodd mentioned the portrait he had
painted of Jack in 1938. Dodd wrote, “You shared glory with me in my home town
the past week for I sold the portrait of you to Mr. Lovejoy for the Library and
they had all the functions described in the paper I am sending.”
Dodd concluded this letter
to Jack with a curious message. He wrote, “Let me know how you like Sternberg.
Make notes of worth while things— I believe you will be glad of this in the
future.” There is no other mention of a location or person by that name in any
materials.
The last letter that Jack
received from Lamar Dodd was dated October 8, 1940. It was addressed to Jack
Adams, c/o Company I, 121st Inf. (Rifle), Camp Jackson, Columbia,
South Carolina. The letter suggests that
Jack left Athens some months earlier. Dodd opens his note, “I had wondered what
had become of you and needless to say the information in your letter proved
surprising. From what you said when you left Athens, I imagined that you were
painting this year.” In a display of compassion, Dodd follows, “I know that the
Army will prove interesting though it does take up much of your time. In all
probability most of us will be there before too long.”
Later in the letter, Dodd
mentioned that John Held, the nationally recognized illustrator, was working as
a guest artist in the budding art department.
He also included news that Jack’s former classmates, Henry, Mack and
Mary Paul were doing well in their artwork.
Dodd concluded this final
letter with a brief mention that his painting, “View of Athens” won second
place at the World’s Fair. This is particularly interesting because all current
scholarship only includes Dodd’s more famous work, “Copperhill” in the
catalogue of art that was exhibited at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.
Conflicting details about
Jack’s life have made it difficult to pinpoint the timing of certain events.
After he left Shellman, Jack likely spent time in Athens, and back home in
Boston. What is known is that Jack joined the Army sometime in late 1940 or
early 1941. The last letter from Dodd, dated October 8, 1940, was addressed to
Jack c/o Company I, 121st Infantry, Camp Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina.
However, his service records indicate he enlisted March 1, 1941. Jack may have entered training at Camp
Jackson, and then officially signed on for service afterward. In either case,
Jack entered the service before the Unites States was involved in World War II.
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an airstrike on Pearl Harbor, after which
the United States declared war.
