RRK Award: Lucia’s Acceptance Speech
First, let me thank the Award committee for this honor and for all the hard work it has taken to establish this Fund. When Tucker called to inform me of the award, my first reaction was, ‘If you stay around for 80 years, things like this are apt to happen.’
Second reaction, ‘What took you so long?’
But this gathering is about Rowena — and how she has influenced three generations of designers.
When I attended Pratt, the I.D. department had 66 students, 63 men — many of them returned GIs from WW II, some with families, commuting to N.J. with 3D problems from Rowena’s class — and three women, one of which was me. The competition was formidable and invaluable.
I took Rowena’s classes in 1950 and 1951 — more than a half a century ago. She established a way of understanding form and space — another way of looking at a problem, another way of seeing. Once I learned to SEE, it secured my confidence after graduation in the ability to take on any project — product, interiors, exhibit, tradeshows, graphics. Some of which, designed 15 or 50 years ago, are still current. What Rowena taught us takes our design to another level — above style and “The Current”— and imbues it with a sense of timelessness. THAT was the gift that Rowena gave ME.
Again, my thanks to the Committee. Let's PARTY !”
