2008 Woodie Awards
Flame delights onlookers at the ISU's Women's Club Holiday Fair
Diantha Leavitt
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Life
- Page 1 of 1
|
A flame projected its blue lips from a yellow mapp gas tank as Lon deftly twists a metal stick with molten hot glass on its end. She stands there for a about five minutes turning her metal rod until it is time to draw on the glowing glass with a thread of blue glass. She then fuses the design together in the azure flame. When the glass has melted together she swaddles the glass in a specially designed fluffy blanket and waits 30 minutes for it to cool.
Lon has been delighting community education students with glass bead making for ten years. And Friday she brought her skill to the annual ISU Women's Club Holiday Craft Fair. Local vendors brought their wares to ISU to earn some money and help pay for scholarships for ISU students. For the last five years, the Women's Club has earned approximately $10,000 each year. Three students receive a scholarship of $2,500 each and the rest is put into an endowment fund. The fund now boasts $100,000.
President of the Women's Club, Natosha Holmes, appreciates the club. "It gets me out of the house and gives me something I can do that is socially active and gives back to ISU," the homemaker said. "I've been a part of the Women's Club for the last four years. It's a great way to meet new people and also it is a good cause."
The purpose of the Women's Club is to promote friendship among members and assist in the growth and improvement of the university. To qualify for membership in the oldest campus organization, a woman must be an employee or wife of an employee of ISU.
As for students, they should watch for the scholarships to open during the spring semester around January or February, said Associate Director of Scholarships, and Women's Club member, Jody Finnegan. The scholarship has a need-based component but is primarily merit based, she said.
Onlookers gathered to watch Lon's skill. She patiently explains to them her techniques as she goes through the process of making a bead. Lon learned how to make jewelry metals at ISU but she had to go to Las Vegas to learn the art of bead making. With the assistance of School District 25, Lon brought back the skill to Pocatello. She practiced from six months and then began passing on her skill to others.
"It was Gary Kawamura who had the foresight to support me in going to (Las Vegas)," Lon said. "He just made the difference of whether I could do it or not.
Be the first to comment on this story