Growing up in rural, Virginia in the forties and fifties had its challenges for Leroy. His loving Grandparents were sharecroppers and were hard-pressed to make ends meet for the eight mouths in the small home they occupied. He was thankful for the electricity but having no running water was at times difficult to overcome.
From six years old, he spent his days in the fields picking tobacco, corn, and wheat. Leroy says with regret that he could probably count on one hand how many days he spent in a school. He struggled mightily and eventually just dropped out.
He and his four sisters slept on straw beds and worked the fields to help earn the family living. Leroy always had a curious mind and he worked the fields but he knew that he didn’t want to grow old there. Leroy recalls telling his father, “I want to get a paycheck every week,” and his father said, “A paycheck? What’s that?”
Moving to Williamsburg, getting married and working odd construction jobs became his new life. Then a friend mentioned that Colonial Williamsburg needed someone for its maintenance crew. It paid more and so he applied. Soon after he was fixing streets and digging up pipes.
During his lunch, he would watch the hired conservators from New York repair and rework the furniture at the park. He volunteered to remove tacks and make slipcovers until he was hired onto the Conservation Department.
Meet Leroy Graves, the remarkable man who, for more than three decades, has kept Colonial Williamsburg’s renowned collection of 18th century furniture splendidly and correctly attired, and along the way has revolutionized how museums preserve and protect upholstered antiques. Leroy has won prestigious awards, Eric M. Wunsch Award for Excellence in the American Arts, and even the White House called him to do his magic there. He is a published author of the book, Early Seating Upholstery – Reading the Evidence.
Leroy Graves has become a master at making sense of furniture with a forensic approach through curiosity and focus on something that intrigued him. Paul Silva Ph.D. Psychology says, “The key to interest is that novelty for the beginner comes in one form and novelty for the expert in another. For the beginner, novelty is anything that hasn’t been encountered before. For the expert, novelty is nuance about the topic.”
Leroy Graves is the historical period upholstery expert and his methods, The Graves Methods, are used in museums all over the world. Graves gives his mother the credit for believing in him and always telling him, he was going to do great things. “She taught me a lot, but what stood out the most was to always do your best whatever you choose to do in life – whether it’s washing dishes or reupholstering furniture.”
To build interest to learn the content there are some things to consider. First, for the beginner, give encouragement and freedom to explore the content without fear of failure. Second, applause the small wins along the way as they learn more and more nuance of the topic. Third, give helpful criticism and corrective feedback so they know what direction to take to improve. Last, give them time to practice without rushing. Rushing to a beginner will bludgeon their budding interest.
https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/news/va-vg-leroy-graves-0523-story.html
Enjoy your weekend,
Rob
Superintendent
Redding Elementary School District
New Millennium Partnership
5885 East Bonnyview Rd.
Redding, Ca 96001