I wanted to write a note about the passing of another icon of our sign community. Fred Maurer of Wilmington, NC passed away on Sunday, October 7th after an extended illness. Fred began his career in the Delaware/New Jersey area and eventually made his way down the coast where he dotted around the Florida Keys lettering boats. He landed here in Wilmington and took over Port City Signs from it's original owner Foch Barefoot in the early 80's, where he met my dad, the late Art (Cookie) Baum, a fellow shop owner. I started working for Fred "on loan" from my dad and ended up staying on full time for several years. While I can say I learned alot from my dad growing up in the business, I must say that Fred was a great mentor to me in many ways so unique. He was left handed and so am I, so his style of layout and balance was easy for me to pick up, and his work ethic has guided me, and stayed with me to this day. Fred always knew how to make work fun, and there were those occasions when we actually hung up the "Gone Fishin" sign and would go out on a late afternoon boat excursion to plan the next day. Those were the days! He never failed to deliver an order for someone that "needed it yesterday" - it always seemed so easy for him! Ironically, I talked to Fred just two weeks before he passed and took the opportunity to share with him how much I learned from him when I was young and the impact it had on me. He was more surprised and pleased than I thought he would be so I'm glad for that. I thought I would be paying him a visit this week which didn't happen so I'm grateful that I was able to convey my thanks when I did. I'm sure there are some out there that had the good fortune of knowing Fred. I shall miss him greatly as will his family and all the great friends he made along the way.
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So sorry to hear the passing of another. The mentors we have all had in our careers made lasting impressions.
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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There are so many times we intend to visit our old ambassadors and things seeming important get in the way and then we find it just became too late. I'm glad you took the time to visit and express gratitude to him and to us. Thank you Sherye
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I am sad that you lost your friend and mentor as Dale is sharing that we all lose. We all have that special bond with our sign writer family.
My father may have known him but I do know that the signpainter that created the large "Jolly Roger Trailer Park" sign in Grassey Key was named "Gary" and if not it may have been a close friend of Fred since there were only a few icons of sign guys down there, in the 60's and 70's. I was truly inspired by the old Keys signs since 1966 I was back and forth there, and now your sharing of Fred has new meaning to me. It was the signage there that started me on to the sign painting world.
Please know that Fred and Gary's spirit will live on in us.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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