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March 23, 2005

Medieval craft lives on in Harpers Ferry studio

Most people would not recognize the term 'illuminated letters.' But if you own a more expensive copy of the Holy Bible, or a well-illustrated copy of a book of traditional children's fairy tales, you may have seen them. Illuminated letters are elaborately decorated initials, often done in a beautiful script that decorate the first word of a sentence on a page. Illuminated letters have lit up the pages of books since the creation of some of the very first handwritten manuscripts in 400 to 500 A.D. But you don't have to go to a major European museum to see them. Marilyn Etchison, a Harpers Ferry area artist, creates them in her home studio using most of the same materials and methods that medieval artists used, and sells them. Marilyn and her husband Jim moved to the area about three years ago from Indianapolis, Indiana, where Marilyn taught courses in painting and calligraphy at a local university. The more she learned about the history of illuminated letters the more she wanted to know. "I really got interested in the history. I started doing a lot of research on it, I wanted to know how these artists made their paints, what kind of paper they used and how the books were constructed." So Marilyn took a special course in Texas and learned many of the hands-on techniques to create her own paints and dyes just as medieval artists did. Spread out on her studio table are items that bring to mind ancient potions. Tiny jars of brightly colored raw pigments to mix paints, a small tablet with pages of real gold leaf, chunks of bark to make dyes and even pure powdered lead ‹ all the ingredients needed to historically accurate illuminated initials. The letters are painted on vellum, a very thin piece of goat skin that was used in place of paper. Etchison mounts a piece of vellum on a small block of wood, about three inches square. Then she draws the outline of her letter and the accompanying design on the vellum. Next she paints a base of jesso, a fixative, on the initial itself in preparation to applying the gold leaf. The gold adds a special richness to the piece. "People like it. Gold is a fascinating visual experience," Marilyn says. After the initial is gilded, she paints the decorative elements on it, such as flower or leaf designs. Finally, when the piece is complete, she frames them. Everything about them is hand-crafted. "We make the frames, we make the whole thing ourselves," said Marilyn referring also to the help she gets from her husband with some aspects of the work. Etchison does not have an entire alphabet of letters on hand, however. She noticed immediately that people are more interested in certain letters. Customers usually buy the letters of their first or last names, or the initials of friends and relatives as gifts. The letters C, S and J are popular, but she's never sold and X. While the letters are beautiful to almost any observer, Etchison recognizes that if people understand a little bit about the history and the artistry behind them, they have greater significance. "Once people know what these are, then they are interested," she said. She also feels a certain connection to those letter artists of the past, most of whom are unknown, as they were not allowed to sign their work. "We really aren't separated from those people," she said. "There is a continuity in their work that ties things together," she adds.

The illuminated letters are not the only type of artwork Etchison does, but she uses letter arts and calligraphy in other aspects of her painting. She also makes prints, drawings and watercolors.

But she remains engaged with the history of her craft. She notes that the letter arts of different time periods vary. "Each time period has a certain characteristic to it," she says. For example, a letter style known as Carolingen, was popular during the reign of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor. The Roman conquerors brought their books and letter forms with them to places like Ireland, where the famous illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, was created in about the year 900. "It is simply fascinating," Etchison concludes.

PdC City Administrator tenders resignation 
On Tuesday, March 15, longtime Prairie du Chien city administrator Gary Koch submitted a letter of resignation to the city's Personnel Committee. Koch's impending retirement from the position became official at a special City Council meeting Tuesday, March 22, when the council accepted his resignation. "I would like to thank everyone who has made my time as a public servant in Prairie du Chien so interesting and gratifying," said Koch in an excerpt from his letter. "I have had a great staff throughout my career here and they have been more responsible than I for any success our office has experienced. The city currently has a very good staff, from department heads on down, and it's a staff you should be proud of and rely on. I would also like to thank the mayors and council persons I have served. And finally, I would like to thank the general public for their understanding, support and cooperation." Koch went on to say, "Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the sacrifice and support of my wife Kathy. It's not easy to be the wife of a public official, but when times got tough, she was my strength and it made our relationship even stronger." "It has been a great experience, and I look forward to new opportunities in the private sector and volunteering my time to make the city of Prairie du Chien a great place to live, work and play." Koch will retire from his position as City Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer on Friday, Jan. 6, 2006. He said that he was giving notice now so that the recruitment process to find a replacement can be done in a timely manner. By giving notice now, it gives the city time to study its options and to possibly have the new administrator work with Koch for a time in order to ease the transition, Koch said. "It's a big decision," said Koch, who noted that employees in the Wisconsin Retirement System can retire at age 55. Koch will be 55 on Jan. 4, 2006. By the time of his retirement, Koch will have served the city of Prairie du Chien for more than 26 years. He was hired as the Clerk-Treasurer in 1979. In 1992, Koch became the City Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer. Koch was the President of the Wisconsin Treasurer's Association in 1998 and over the years has served on several state committees and organizations concerned with the functions of clerk-treasurers. Koch graduated from U.W. La Crosse with a bachelor of science degree in sociology and came to Prairie du Chien in 1974 to work at Wyalusing Academy, which he highly recommends, saying it helped give him "a basis for how to deal with all sorts of people." Koch has lived in Prairie du Chien for 30 years and said that he is not thinking of moving upon retirement. "I'm certainly not going anywhere. Prairie du Chien is a very nice place to live," he said.

PdC attorney asks council members to make City Administrator an elected position 
After City Administrator Gary Koch announced his retirement to the Personnel Committee on March 15, attorney Mark A. Gillitzer of Gillitzer Law Offices of Prairie du Chien sent a letter to City Council members dated March 18 asking them to consider making the City Administrator position an elected position. Gillitzer's letter states in part, "In light of the recent announcement by the current City Administrator that he is "tentatively" tendering his resignation, it would be a perfect time to amend the City Code such that the position would be elected for a two or a four-year term like the county officials." The letter also states, "Currently, it is next to impossible to remove a city official because not only does it require a majority of the council vote but it also requires "good cause" which is obviously open to much interpretation and litigation since it is undefined." "There is no accountability to the general public by having the current position structured the way it is and for the substantial salary that goes with it, all taxpayers should decide who sits in that position. We currently have many highly qualified elected county officials which negates the argument that the city would never get a qualified individual to run for that position. I would also be interested in knowing why ordinance 92-3 was enacted in the first place." The City Council created the position of City Administrator as an appointed position on Jan. 7, 1992 and the offices of City Administrator, City Clerk and City Treasurer were combined. When interviewed Tuesday morning, March 22, City Administrator Gary Koch said that he believes that whomever becomes the new City Administrator should be someone who has been trained as an administrator and that the position be an appointed one in order to maintain continuity. Koch said that much has changed since he was hired as Clerk-Treasurer in 1979, with the duties of such offices as Clerk-Treasurer and City Administrator becoming much more involved and complicated, thus it would be prudent to hire someone who is "trained in the profession." Koch also said that it would be detrimental to the continuity of the position in running the day-to-day operations of the city should a person be elected for only two years and then be defeated. "Continuity is important," said Koch, who noted that it would be difficult to have potentially a different person in the position every two years. Koch also said that it is unlikely that a person would move to Prairie du Chien with their family if there was a strong possibility that they would be out of a job in two years. Currently, there is no city in the state of Wisconsin in which the City Administrator is an elected official.

March 21, 2005

MPC award and expansion
As anyone who has driven on Vineyard Road, or possibly Marquette Road, has seen, Miniature Precision Components (MPC) is expanding its plant in Prairie du Chien. Plant Manager Joe Faust said that the latest MPC expansion will be 25,000 square feet and is expected to be completed by the end of April. Faust said that 20,000 square feet of the new expansion will be for manufacturing space and 5,000 square feet will contain offices, a conference room and a training center. "Due to MPC's 15 percent per year growth within the last 10 years, the company has decided to expand the facility in Prairie du Chien," said Faust, who explained that the expansion is due in large part to the World Thermostat Project for the Chrysler Corporation, which will increase the annual sales at the Prairie du Chien plant by $13 million. With the new addition, of course, the plant's workforce will also expand from its current number of 320 employees. "I would expect it to increase our employment by about 50 people," said Faust, who noted that the addition will be the fifth addition to the Prairie du Chien facility in the past 10 years. "The reason for our growth is the quality and dedication of the Prairie du Chien employees in their efforts to manufacture quality automotive parts day in and day out," Faust said. "I am very grateful to all of our employees." Faust said that another reason for the continued growth of MPC in Prairie du Chien is the 18 pieces of new automation equipment that has been added over the last several years. "Success through automation has made us more globally competitive," Faust said. In addition to increased automation, Faust also noted that MPC has added 32 injection molding machines over the last decade, with three more such machines expected soon. Faust said that once construction is completed on the new addition, the public will be invited to an open house in celebration of the plant's expansion. "I'm ecstatic. This new addition is something I've been trying to get for the last two years," said Faust. "It's always nice to hear good things about manufacturing in Prairie du Chien." As for the future, Faust said that he looks forward to continued growth at the Prairie du Chien MPC facility, which manufactures several high-volume products. The Prairie du Chien plant ships out two million oil caps each month, along with two million check valves, one million emissions quick connects and 300,000 PCV valves. The plant also manufactures many other products.
PROCESSOR OF THE YEAR
In addition to continued growth and expansion, the company's success has also been reflected by the fact that MPC recently earned the Processor of the Year Award from the trade publication Plastics News. The award was presented by Plastics News on March 1 at its executive forum in Phoenix. The judges, who are Plastics News reporters and editors, gave MPC high marks in all of the seven award criteria, including consistently strong financial performance, technological innovation, public service, solid employee and customer relations, quality and environmental performance. "MPC brings them all together in a bedrock plastics processor," Plastics News reporter Bill Bregar wrote in a recent article about the company. Customers contacted by the judges gave MPC glowing reviews. In recent years, MPC has won outstanding supplier awards from Eaton Corp., Saturn Corp., Toyota Motor Corp., Harley-Davidson Inc., Ford, Daimler Chrysler and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Other major customers include General Motors Corp. and Tier 1 suppliers. MPC, with Wisconsin facilities in Walworth, Richland Center, Prairie du Chien and Santa Ana, Mexico, is low-key, but is a solid leader in its sector, with 1,600 employees and 2004 sales of $167 million. Steady sales growth, along with consistent profit, have allowed MPC to invest millions of dollars regularly to expand its factories and get into the exotic technology of suction blow molding. The company has a tradition of innovation. For instance, when Ford started having a freezing problem on one of its engines, MPC came up with the first electrically-heated PCV valve, which is manufactured at the Prairie du Chien plant.

MPC was founded in 1972 by Jay Brost in his garage in Walworth. Brost had invented one of the first plastic check valves for automotive engines. By the end of that first year, MPC was molding more than 100,000 check valves per week. In winning the 2005 Processor of the Year Award from Plastics News, MPC beat out 17 other firms, including 10 injection molders, three extruders, three blow molders and one rotational molder.

Work on new county building continues on schedule
Work on the new county office building is moving along pretty much on schedule. The exterior of the building is nearly completed, with some work remaining on the east and west sides of the building, as is clearly visible to passersby. The interior, too, is progressing. According to project architect Paul Kardatzke of JGS Architects of Spring Green, interior work is progressing from the lower floor upward. Drywall paint and trim are currently being installed in the first floor of the structure. On the second floor, walls are roughed in and mechanicals such as electrical, heating ductwork and plumbing are being installed. Kardatzke is optimistic and says that he anticipates completion at the end of May or June. According to Allen McGuire, project coordinator for general contractor P.A. McGuire, work will begin this week on the masonry walls to enclose the stairwells that are exposed to the elements at the current time. "We were just waiting for the weather to break," he said. Along with completing the interior of the building, the parking lot must be paved and landscaping installed. The county plans to do that work themselves under the supervision of county highway supervisor Dennis Pellock. The asphalt is scheduled to go in early May. Work on the building began last January. The new building will provide space for most of the offices currently housed at the O.E. Satter Building, plus some that are currently housed in the courthouse building.

County Clerk Janet Geisler, whose office will be moved into the new building, says that although things seem to be progressing well, she thinks a May or June completion is a little too optimistic. She feels that August is probably more realistic.

Local horse breeders enjoy a "down-under" adventure
Charlene and Rodney Boom are fortunate to do a lot of travelling, much of it on horseback. The rural Prairie du Chien couple raise registered Quarter Horses and they like their animals to be versatile and well-rounded. Every summer the couple takes a month-long back country pack trips with their horses out west to the South Dakota Badlands or the mountains of Wyoming. But it's not easy to take a horse with you on vacation to Australia, so the couple left their farm in the hands of capable friends to make the 40 hour trip to Sydney in February. They were accompanied by Charlene's brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Sherri Waterman. The couples always spend their wedding anniversaries together, which are only a few days apart in February. "We just had the opportunity to go," said Charlene, and they were not about to miss out. After visiting Sydney for four days, they were ready to get out of the big city and see some country. Sydney is on the coast, so they headed inland to visit smaller towns with colorful Aboriginal names such as Katoomba, Wallarang and Mudgee. Near Mudgee they visited a Limousin cattle ranch. They knew of the owner, Barry Knott, through a horse business connection in Canada. Barry was happy to give the Booms a tour of ranch where they also raise Merino sheep. When Charlene asked if there was someplace they could go to see wild kangaroos, Barry took them in a four-wheel drive truck to the top of a steep, wooded hill. They could see a few "roos" in the distance, but Charlene was determined to try and get closer with her video camera. Mindful of the many poisonous snakes that inhabit the area, she set off down the other side of the hill from where Rodney and Barry were standing. "I stalked down the hill all the way to the bottom," said Charlene. Since she didn't see anything, she headed back up. As she neared the top of the hill, Charlene heard a loud thump, thump, thump, and there was a kangaroo! The animal was only about forty feet away where it had run up behind her, while keeping an eye on the men at the top. Charlene said she was so surprised she screamed and jumped and the kangaroo took off before she could catch it on tape. The thumping sound was made by the animal's tail as it hopped through the woods. Being riders and fans of the film "The Man from Snowy River," the Booms had to visit the Snowy River Mountain Range, southeast of Sydney; the tallest mountains in Australia. Charlene said the mountains are lovely, but not nearly as tall as the Rockies. The highest peak in the range is Mount Kosciusko, at 7,316 feet high. Driving a small rental car, which Charlene called "the little red tomato can," Rodney and Charlene tackled the rugged mountain road for 40 kilometers up to the remote mountain cabin known as "Craig's Hut." The last two miles of the road were only a track meant for four-wheel drive vehicles. The view from the cabin was breathtaking, just as they were in scenes from the movie that were filmed there. They stayed about an hour to enjoy it. They hadn't gotten far heading back down the mountain when one of their tires was punctured by a rock. "We thought we were going to have to use some of our mountain camping experience," Charlene said, because at first they could not find the spare tire. They eventually got down safe and sound. Later in their trip they went north to Brisbane, where they met up with Kylie Bryant, who had been an exchange student in Prairie du Chien in 1996. Charlene had befriended her while she was working as a librarian at Prairie High School (she retired in 1999). Kylie took them to Toowoomba, where she lives with her husband, Mark. Toowoomba has an large horse racing complex, so the Booms enjoyed watching the horses exercise at the track in the morning. Surprisingly, people keep racehorses in their back yards in this city of 200,000, and ride them to the track in the morning to exercise them. They also visited a horse farm where they raise Australian Stock horses. "They were so excited to have American horse people visit their farm," said Charlene. "I bet they took our picture with every one of their horses!" In all, their journey lead them through big cities, high mountains, plains, rainforests and ocean beaches. That made coming home to five degree Wisconsin weather in early March a little tough. But it's the time of year when the Boom's mares begin having their little foals. They are expecting 12 this year, so there is excitement at home too. Rodney Boom at "Craig's Hut," one of the locations where the film "The Man From Snowy River" was filmed. The cabin is located near one of the peaks in Australia's Snowy Mountains.