Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Remembering Alan Sedrish

Last night I attended the Sounds of the Garden benefit concert at the Midway Cafe.  Had a great time hanging out with friends, listening to cool music and poetry, and snapping lots of photos.  I hope to post a summary in the next day or so.  There was only one dark cloud over an otherwise joyful event.   Before he read an excellent poem he penned to celebrate the Minton Stable Garden and John Carroll's contributions, Joe Bergin delivered some sad news; Alan Sedrish, a longtime neighbor and Minton Stable gardener, had just passed away.

Alan ran a successful business, Stony Brook Woodworking, out of his studio at the Brewery in Jamaica Plain.  He built our bed frame, pepper grinder, and probably other items in our home that I can't recall at the moment, but he was known by a wider audience for his work on his theater sets for Sarah Caldwell and others, and for some benches at Doyles.  We always made it a point to stop by during Jamaica Plain Open Studios to admire his humidors, pen sets and other beautifully crafted items.

I often ran into Alan and chatted with him at the Midway back when I used to hang out with neighbors on Fridays, around ten years ago.  And since then, I'd see him in the garden, especially at the barbecues, and occasionally tending his plot.  I recall that he grew mostly tomatoes, and they too were masterpieces.  He struck me as a very reserved person,  yet someone who was confident in his competence.  And he always seemed to be smiling.  Despite some health issues in recent years, it's still hard to believe he's no longer with us.  He will definitely be missed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gardener turned farmer. Sally, I read your blog about the Minton garden and Alan Sedrish, and found myself recalling riding Renee's horses on the grounds of what is now the garden, and gardening across the street at 97 Williams.

Many people have come and gone from the neighborhood but I am sure they all recall the former stables, the garden, and Alan's work.
Regards,
Heidi - now a ground farmer on Martha's Vineyard

interrobang letterpress said...

I was surprised to find notice of Alan's passing in the program for Gypsy at the Footlight last night.

I'm unable to find an Obit on line, so wonder what happened. Alan came by my house on January 31st to speak about building some badly needed book shelves for me. He sent me a drawing on the 6th of Feb. and being not inexpensive, I had been modifying the drawing and waiting for my tax refund.

That said, when we spoke on the phone that last day of January, he sounded upset, and when he came by the house, his eye was terribly bloodshot, and he said he had been coughing.

This is a loss for JP. He was a craftsman, and the world needs more people who work with their hands actually making things.