Stohlman Foundation -

2024 Barry King

Barry King began his career working with leather at the age of nine, when he made a tooled holster for his BB gun as a 4-H project. In the following years, he worked on a variety of projects, aided by the great leather tooler, Bill Gardner. Later, while working at King’s Saddlery in his hometown of Sheridan, Wyoming, he was fortunate enough to have some of the best leather crafters and teachers working beside him, pushing him to be the best he could be for his age. These included his legendary grandfather and 1998 recipient of the Al Stohlman Award, Don King, his father, Bruce King, Uncle John King, and 2018 Al Stohlman Award recipient, James Jackson.

2023 Annie Linbertini

Annie Libertini was introduced to creating leather while attending the Cleveland Institute of Art as a painting student. A roommate gave her some cast-off leather supplies and, as the old saying goes, “the rest is history”. My heartfelt thanks go out to her roommate. Annie went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and a Masters in Library Science.

In her own words, two big things happened for her in 2014. She won an award in the World Leather Debut and taught her first class on making leather masks. She says she always liked to teach, but didn’t realize how much she would love teaching classes.

Jim Linnell invited her to his studio to teach a class and encouraged her to teach at some leather shows and online. Since then, her creations, including her amazing masks, have been featured on multiple TV shows and in various music and theater productions.

2022 Chris “Slickbald” Andre

Chris Andre was introduced to working with leather by his mother, who had picked it up in college. He was curious and wanted to make something, so Mom bought him a comb kit to assemble, and he was hooked.

At age nine, he started 4-H with projects in horses and leathercraft. Being successful with his work in leather at county and state fairs motivated him to continue what had become a passion. It was about this time that he started to dream of being a full-time leather craftsman. But when duty called in 1985, he joined the Marines. He served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as sergeant of Marines and was honorably discharged in 1991. Thank you for your service.

He then worked for twenty years in the manufacturing of factory automation equipment, squeezing in leatherwork where he could. In 2011, he took his wife’s advice and went into working in leather full-time (thank you, Terri!). That’s about the time I was introduced to his work as a World Leather Debut judge. It has been a real join to watch his amazing progress over the years.

2021 George Fraker

G.K. Fraker, saddlemaker and leatherworker, is best known for his traditionally styled ranch saddles that reflect his heart for making the hours that the working cowboy of Wyoming spends on horseback as comfortable as possible. In 1957, at the age of five, Fraker remembers the first time that he was exposed to the smell of leather. It was in Sheridan, Wyoming, when his father, Martin Fraker, took a day off from his cowboy job to go to town and purchase a new pair of stirrups from Ernst Saddlery. In G.K.’s words, ‘I have been addicted to the smell of leather since.’

60-plus years after he first became addicted to the smell of leather, and almost half a century after he first started to apprentice under Jesse W. Smith, Fraker is still pursuing his passion. Some would say that it is building saddles and working with leather, but I argue that his true passion is building a saddle that is used and loved by the men and women who still work cattle the same way that they have for over 200 years. In doing so, Fraker can connect today’s cowhand with their western heritage, and at the same time, he is keeping an art form and a heritage of craftsmen alive.

2021 Machiko Matsuda

Michiko Matsuda says she has loved drawing since she was a child and wanted to be a designer of some kind. So, she studied at Musashino Art college to be an interior designer. While attending a Scandinavian furniture exhibition, she noticed leather inlays on a crafted chest. “I don’t know why I couldn’t take my eyes off it, and it seemed very attractive to me.” After that, she started studying leather work.

After she graduated from college, she continued learning about leather craft at a private community cultural center. She wanted more, so she independently became a leather worker, taking orders from friends and acquaintances. Interest grew and customers wanted to learn, so she rented a space near a public transportation station to start her school.

Michiko has exhibited her work since 1984. The Japan Leather Crafts Exhibition (Kawa Kogeikai) was the first to participate in a public exhibition in Japan. She received the Leather Material Association Chairman’s Award and then became a director of Nippon Kawa

2020 Jürgen Volbach

After finishing school at the age of 14, Jürgen was able to work and learn in the studio of Master Engraver, Professor Rudolf Niedballa. The Professor’s patrons included the Vatican, English Royal House, and European aristocracy. After completing an apprenticeship of 3-1/2 years, Jürgen spent the next three years becoming an accomplished goldsmith. During this time, he received international awards for his work and was entered into the Who’s Who” of artists worldwide. Leaving work as a goldsmith at a Cologne jewelry store, he opened his own store at the age of 26.

A passion of his during this time was also riding and working on Harley Davidson motorcycles. While attending bike events in the States in Daytona, FL, and Sturgis, SD, he met many leather artists and noticed a similarity in their leather designs to the works he had made in silver. Later on, during a trip to Kerrville, Texas, Jürgen met saddle and boot maker, Dan Atkinson, who showed him how to carve leather.

After returning home to Germany, he began making his first leatherworking tools using nails, screws and whatever else he could find at the time. A return trip to Texas for a workshop and 14 days of hands-on instruction in Don’s shop set his new hobby into high gear.

2019 Honghoa Cai

When I was just beginning to learn leather craftsmanship, I spent a whole afternoon making a leather carving belt on a small table in my own home. That was my first work of leather carving; all of the methods used by me to make it came from information I had found on the Internet. Back then, the art of leather carving was seldom known in Beijing; those few fans could learn from each other only by sharing their own experiences. At that time, by reading a large number of foreign books and online information, I began to learn and practice leather carving by myself. While beginning to customize leather carving, I also shared my experience with beginners so that they did not have to waste time in choosing tools, leather, etc. In the next few years, I summarized my understanding of leather carving creation and the skills I mastered as a systematic course, and began the teaching of leather carving. In addition to regular face-to-face courses, I also shared various cases of Leathercraft at home abroad with the students online and give them detailed analysis. At the same time, I also shared with them my own constantly improved art innovation craftsmanship.

In 2016, it was the first time that I took my work to the World Leather Debut in Sheridan. My work “Spring Deer” won the hearts of the judges who gave it the first place in the picture category because of its ingenious integration of Oriental elements and traditional Western leather carving techniques. From that moment on, I realized that if we want to inherit and develop traditional crafts and ensure them a sustainable development, we must use an international perspective to integrate the elements of crafts and culture and the elements of the West and the East, which will create infinite new possibilities, making itself an exciting job. I also encourage my students to try more possible combinations based on traditional leather crafts, such as materials, culture, forms and other possibilities, and constantly create exciting new works. I encourage and help my students to participate in international communication, so that their excellent works can be shown in exhibitions in Japan and the United States, hoping by so doing to add a different Oriental light to traditional leather craftsmanship.

2018 James Jackson

James (Jim) F. Jackson of Sheridan, Wyoming. He has been creating with leather all his life, learning the basics of “this rewarding and complex trade” by working with his father, head saddle maker at Ernst’s Saddlery in Sheridan, Wyoming. He credits Bill Gardner for giving him insight into the tools and methods used in designing and building leatherwork. He pursued a career in the Fine Arts, earning a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees at the University of Wyoming. While there, he taught design classes and was the curator of exhibits in the university’s art museum, along with tooling belts and doing special order leatherwork for King’s Saddlery.

Moving back to Wyoming in 1989, he spend 30 years working full time for King’s Saddlery, while continuing to create works of art in his home studio. The time spent working in the King’s shop he considers to have been a privilege and honor. Over the past 35 years, he has completed works for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, as well as for Anthony Hopkins, Ted Turner, David Letterman, Tom Seileck, Wilford Brimley, Robert Redford, Lyle Lovett, Tommy Lee Jones, and many more. He has conduced lectures and demos about the process of leather carving, taught classes and seminars at the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show, “Gathering of the Masters”, Los Angeles, the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and most recently in Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto, Japan. In 2017 he was named Master Leather Artisan of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. Jim has moved his workspace to the world-class Brinton Museum near Big Horn, Wyoming, where he continues to create and teach.

2017 Serge Volken

Serge “Bigfoot” Volken embodies all of the necessary qualities and more to become an Al Stohlman Award recipient: commitment, dedication, determination, passion, and a willingness to learn, then share, his knowledge with all.

His approach to leatherwork is fundamental in teaching the skills needed. They include addressing the work, giving it your skill and concentration, never giving up, always continuing to try new and different techniques, and when all is said and done, share your experiences, because it’s the sharing that helps us best move ahead and grow.

He has said – as he trained under many leatherworkers – “the more secretive ones were the one trying to hide what they didn’t know, rather than sharing what they knew”. Thanks go to teachers like those who taught at this year’s Southwest Leatherworkers Trade Show in Prescott, Arizona and the Rocky Mountain leather Trade Show in Sheridan, and the teachings of this year’s Al Stohlman Award recipient for sharing their knowledge. Serge “Bigfoot” Volken embodies all of the necessary qualities and more to become an Al Stohlman Award recipient: commitment, dedication, determination, passion, and a willingness to learn, then share his knowledge with all.

He has said – as he trained under many leatherworkers – “the more secretive ones were the ones trying to hide what they didn’t know, rather than sharing what they knew”. Thanks go to teachers like those who taught at this year’s Southwest Leatherworkers Trade Show in Prescott, Arizona, and the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan, and the teachings of this year’s Al Stohlman Award recipient for sharing their knowledge.

2016 Kathy Flanagan

Kathy began working with a 4-H project in leather in 1970 and continued developing her skills, completing a saddle in her final 4-H year. Her focus then and now centers around improving and adding to her skills and passing on her knowledge to others.

In the introduction of the portfolio submitted to the Al & Ann Stohlman Foundation, she commented, “Leathercraft is like riding a bicycle; once you learn, you never forget how.” She went on to say, “That’s a good thing, because there was a time in my life when raising two children was the only thing on my mind.”

As the kids grew up, she was able to – as she puts it – “hop back on the leathercraft bicycle.” For that, her many students and all of us who have enjoyed viewing her beautiful work will always be grateful.

2015 Bob Park

Bob, an Arizona native, began tooling leather after receiving a Lucky Seven Tooling Kit at the age of 12. From the mid 60’s to the late 70’s, Bob developed and honed his leatherworking skills in saddle shops, western wear stores, and ranches in the Phoenix and Wickenburg area. These included: N. Porter’s, Bill Porter’s and Wallace Stephen’s Saddle shops, as well as Clay Stapley’s Western Wear and the Rinecon Ranch.

Bob served in the Army from 1972 to 1975 as a Special Forces Airborne Combat Engineer. Then, with a new wife and the need for a steady income, he decided to pursue a future outside of the military.

After twenty years in the construction industry as a finish carpenter, estimator, project manager, and general contractor, Bob decided to get back into leatherworking full time. Along with his primary business (Bob Park Custom Leather), Bob devotes his time to teaching, promoting his excellent book, “Creating Western Floral Designs”, and producing many articles showcasing his amazing talent for the art of creating with leather.

2013 Wayne Christensen

Over the years, Wayne has taken classes with masters like Bob Beard, Peter Main, Chuck Smith and others. His passion for leather pushed him in 1990 to start a full time business. In 1995, another Tandy manager asked him to teach an advanced class, and he’s been teaching ever since.

The Al Stohlman Award is about excellence in leatherwork – excellence in all aspects of this form of artistic expression. In Al’s own words, “The most important of these aspects is the willingness to continue to learn, and then pass on what’s been learned to others.”

At home, in stores he’s managed, and now in his own store, Wayne teaches and continues to teach “beginners” to “advanced” classes – even offering free classes to school teachers and camp counselors so they can go back to their students and pass on the knowledge. He continues to have other instructors (including Bob Beard, Jeff Mosby and Al Gould) come to his store for teaching, and he encourages students to take classes from as many instructors as possible. Congratulations to this leather artist, entrepreneur and teacher extraordinaire!

2013 Akiko Okada

Akiko began to learn Leathercraft in 1982. Being a perfectionist, she almost gave up because of having difficulty drawing her own patters. Seeing the amazing art of Al Stohlman in the Al Stohman Museum in 1994, she was impressed and motivated to continue. Around this time, she became familiar with Sheridan Style Tooling. On her first visit to Sheridan in 1997, she met and later learned from the likes of Don King, Jim Jackson and Don Butler. In 2007, she added to her leatherworking skills when Clint Fay, with help from Jim Jackson, agreed to teach her saddle construction.

Akiko has accomplished an outstanding list of her awards and accomplishments of the years: 7 Best of Category wins in the World Leather Debut, participant and prize winner at the Japan Leather Art Exhibition in Tokyo since 1998, and Director of the same since 2007, exhibitor at the International Art Exhibition and UNESCO Art Education League in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and participant in a very successful week-long, “One Woman Leather Art Exhibition” in Tokyo 2011. Her willingness to pass along her knowledge to others is what makes her a deserving recipient of this year’s award as she has been teaching almost as a long as she has been doing leatherwork; from children to adults, beginners to masters in Japan, Australia and the U.S.

2012 Kay Orton

Kay Orton learned leathercraft at the young age of 10 through 4-H. She became a 4-H Leader while in college and has spent the last 39 years teaching leatherwork to young people all over Colorado. In 1974, she started a business known as “Kay’s Creative Leathercrafts.” She developed an interest in saddle making after her daughter, Ruth, made a saddle for a 4-H project. She joined the Colorado Saddle Makers’ Association, started publishing their Newsletter, took care of their website, and became a part-time CSMA employee.

Kay continues her work with the 4H, which includes organizing the Western Slope 4H Leathercraft Workshop in Parachute, CO and helping with the First Annual Front Range Leathercraft Workshop in Colorado Springs, CO. She also found time to serve on a committee to rewrite the 4H Leathercraft Manuals for Colorado AND teach weekly classes to her local 4H leathercrafters!

2011 Don Butler

Don’s leatherwork began when he purchased a set of tools with money earned from selling a couple of steers in 1959. Tools in hand, he signed up to take Leathercrafting as a 4-H project. Growing up, he’s had the good fortune to be exposed to the work and guidance of talented individuals – including Otto Ernst, Rudy Mudra, Ed Stock, Bob Douglas, Bill Gardner, Don King, and Lloyd Davis. After stamping belts for Otto Ernst to help put himself through school, he decided that his real future lay in “cowboying” for a living. Both were interrupted by a 3-year hitch in the Army, including a year in Vietnam. In 1972, he traded Bob Douglas a winter’s worth of stamping if Bob would show him how to put a saddle together. Then in 1976, after years of building saddles, making chaps, and stamping belts for extra money, he and his wife, Kitty, established the Custom Cowboy Shop in Sheridan and later expanded with another store in Cody. From then until now, working in leather has been his primary source of income.

His willingness to pass on knowledge gained through a life dedicated to defining and perfecting his many talents inspires us all. An “out-of-control gelding” tried to take him on his” last ride” several years ago, but fortunately, we still have him.

2010 Harold Bligan

Harold Bligan retired from Du Pont Company on January 1, 1984, after twenty-eight years of service. His going-away gift was a Tandy Leather deluxe beginner’s kit with three free lessons. This was the start of his leather hobby and exciting adventure in leatherwork, winning awards in many shows and state fairs. When joining The Association of Hoosier Leathercrafters Guild, he was encouraged to go to an IFoLG show, his first in 1989 in Bismarck, ND. He has missed only one show since.

His excellent teaching record speaks for itself. Harold started the workshops in the Perry Twp 4-H seventeen years ago because they needed someone, and Bea Wayman, the local Tandy store manager, recommended him. He helped beginning leather crafters on Thursday evenings at that store for several years until it was closed.

This in turn started other townships calling for assistance in 4-H, and since, he’s been doing 4-H workshops yearly for the last ten or eleven years in Lawrence, Perry, Warren, Franklin townships, Wayne County and Boone County. Even Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, day camps, free lesson classes, workshops for his church, and demos at the Marion County and Indiana State Fair have kept Harold busy teaching. The quality and quantity of Leathercrafters in Indiana have been and remain greatly enhanced by Harold.

For the last 15 years, every Tuesday evening he hosts a leather session for anyone interested in doing leatherwork in his home. (Wife, Aimee supports Harold in all of his endeavors.) The three Wardwell boys who received the Ann Stohlman Award were among those Tuesday night students for years.

2010 Bob Klenda

Bob owns and operates Klenda’s Custom Saddlery in Meeker, Colorado. He’s a farm boy from Kansas. He began working with leather in 1959, completing his first saddle in 1961. He was tutored by well-known and respected saddle makers, including Kermit Lyons, Duane Soderquist, and Bud Grant. Since then, Bob has 500 saddles and many, many chaps, chinks, and accessories to his credit.

This award is well deserved for his outstanding leather craft teaching record. He has unselfishly passed on to others all his leatherwork knowledge he’s accumulated over the last 50 years; share this knowledge by teaching 4H Leather Craft, many classes at events sponsored by The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal, Colorado Saddle Makers Association and more. When contacted, he will answer quickly or give a referral with much more information than was asked.

For the last 15 years, every Tuesday evening, he has hosted a leather session for anyone interested in doing leatherwork in his home. (His wife, Aimee, supports Harold in all of his endeavors.) For years, the three Wardwell boys who received the Ann Stohlman Award were among the Tuesday night students.

2009 Al Gould

Al’s leatherworking background started in the 3rd grade, when his grandmother gave him his first set of leather tools. His early attempts at tooling were, in his words, “awful.”

However, being a very determined person, he continued to progress until his work started to look, in his words, “pretty good.” He now admits, looking back to those days, his work was still pretty awful. Much time has passed since then, and today his leather projects show his excellent artistry and ability.

His teaching record is outstanding. He taught for seven years at Saddle Week in Sheridan, Wyoming, and three years of the same class at Wickenburg, Arizona. He wrote the curriculum for classes held during these week-long venues, served as coordinator, and even had time to teach other classes during these shows. Al has also taught at other events, including shows sponsored by the Colorado Saddle Makers’ Association.

2008 Cheryl McIntyre

Over the last 34 years, Ms. McIntyre has vigorously taught and encouraged leathercraft. She is a consultant and teacher throughout Queensland, New South Wales and all corners of Australia; organized and conducted workshops including six Dimensions in Leather, which are week-long teaching conferences in Brisbane; Cherryl McIntyre taught all levels of the craft from beginners to advanced to children, adults, hospital patients, correctional facility inmates, businesses and institutions.

This well-deserved award is the zenith one since having received over 40 awards for Leather work in Australia, including the Priority Community Area Program Award for sharing her skills and knowledge with remote area children.

2007 Pete Gorrell

Pete Gorrell indeed follows right along in the footsteps of the Stohmans. Pete and his wife, Helen, have been a team for almost fifty years. Helen supports Peter’s work wherever they travel as she shares his knowledge of leatherwork, both here and abroad. His dedication to the art of leatherwork to the industry, along with his contributions and ideas, is to be commended, along with his commitment to his students everywhere as he shares his leatherwork skills freely, withholding nothing. That is Pete Gorrell all the time, anxious to help. This, along with much more, qualifies Pete to receive this coveted medallion.

Pete and Helen developed a business building and repairing saddles and tacks. Pete is also a noted silversmith. Early in their married life, Pete went to college, where he studied business and took many courses in studying the human body. Later, he was to apply this knowledge to saddlery. He developed a new way to twist the fenders so that the pressure is removed from the rider’s knee, ankle, and hip joints and several other innovations that can restore pleasure in riding.

2006 Verlane Desgrange

Verlane lived on the east coast of Florida in Daytona Beach. Not much Western floral carving design was going on there at that time! But by second grade, Verlane was already riding a horse and learning about horses through plastic horse models and a plastic skeleton of a horse. Also in second grade, she discovered a book in the school’s library – “The Book of Cowboys!” by Holling & Holling. After checking it out several times, the librarian suggested Verlane purchase a copy. She found a new copy in a bookstore during third grade for only $2.00. She saved her allowance, bought the book, and continues to enjoy it today! She used to frequent the Farm & Ranch department of Sears & Roebuck, where they sold saddles and tacks and little bundles of leather scrap and model horses.

Traveling from Florida to Ralston, Wyoming, Verlane met and apprenticed under the tutelage of one of the top saddle makers in the U.S. —Cliff Ketchum. Cliff maintained a saddle shop near Hollywood for 30 years, where Cliff acquired the title, “Saddle Maker to the Stars.” He has done work for famous actors such as Dale Robertson, Clark Gable, and Gary Cooper. These are on display at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Cliff insisted on integrity, quality, and perfection. A “tough” instructor as he was, our recipient remains ever grateful to him. He insisted on “quality” even in the smallest detail, whether in “manufacturing new pieces” or in repairing work.

Establishing a saddle shop, South Fork Saddlery, Verlane made many Western and English saddles. Along with saddles, many pieces of fine leather craft were made and sold, mainly through galleries. Not satisfied with making and selling leather pieces, our recipient felt compelled to teach. So it was that wherever the recipient was located, all kinds of leatherwork were taught. Scores of how-to articles found their way to “The Journal”! – Yes, The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal.

2005 Chan Geer

Chan Geer began leatherwork as a young boy, helping his dad repair saddles. He and his wife, Mary, live in Sheridan, where he owns and operates Geer’s Custom Leather. Chan has written three books on Sheridan-style carving, made and compiled pattern packs, and is a contributing author in The Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal. In 2005, he was presented with the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft.

2004 Bill and Dot Reis

Bill Reis and his wife, Dot, a leather hobbyist, owned and operated a tire business when they decided to purchase The Leather Crafters & Saddlers’ Journal in 1991. The publication had traded hands several times previously, and its integrity had begun to diminish, leaving a void in the leathercraft community for a platform to share their leatherworking knowledge. Bill and Dot discovered a love for journalism through writing and editing the magazine, which helped it return to being a valuable resource for the world of leathercraft.

2004 Al Shelton

Al Shelton of Studio City, California. Al was a contemporary of Al Stohlman and, according to Mr. Shelton, they met on two occasions in the L.A. area. Their meetings were most cordial and they shared many ideas. Such was the nature of Al Shelton, for he carried this urgency to teach and share throughout his life. And that was also the basis of Al Stohlman’s life – to share. Thereby adding growth to the leather industry. Sharing knowledge and dedication are the keys to the Al Stohlman Award.

Our recipient’s crowded studio displays years of leather art and its evolution in the 1900s. He has always been willing to find the means to express those visions in leather and has been interested in advancing leather art and other expressions through the medium of leather.

Starting in 1943, as an apprentice at the Powder River Saddlery in Denver, CO. He then moved to Rowell’s Saddlery in Hayward, CA. The next move was to Dudley’s of CA. Later, he designed more tools, pattern packs and leather art books for Dick McGahen of the Craftool Co. of CA.

2003 Jim Lind

Jim was born in Green River, Wyoming. His Uncle John, a shoemaker in Green River, gave Jim a set of leather tools that belonged to an old saddlemaker who had passed away. Jim was only 12.

Jim took to leathercraft immediately. To have patterns, Jim studied old carved saddles and purses. His shoemaker, Uncle John was able to furnish Jim with leather. At the age of 18, he went to Denver, Colorado, to further his education at College. While there, he worked for a year at Mueller Saddle Company, where he worked piecework on carving saddle skirts, and then for Colorado Saddle Co. He started his leathercraft teaching by volunteering to teach the handicapped veterans at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Denver. After leaving Colorado Saddle Co. in 1952, he began his first business on S. Broadway, carving specialty items for several of the tourist shops in the area.

2002 Jim Linnell

The neighbor that had the ranch just west of us (about 7 miles away) did a little leatherwork and it was at his bench that I had the first opportunity to stamp on some leather. I was probably in the 2nd or 3rd grade when I got this first chance to try my hand at stamping.

At age 11, I received some instruction in leatherwork in a 7th-grade industrial arts class. The three projects I made during that class whetted my appetite for leatherwork, which I’ve had ever since. Soon after that class, I answered a small ad in Outdoor Life for a Spiral Line wallet kit from Tandy Leather Company. Along with the kit came a Tandy catalog, and I soon pestered my folks to buy me a Lucky Seven tool set. With my tools, I started making leather stuff for anybody who I could talk into buying me a kit.

After high school, I did some leatherwork on the side for friends and family, until one day I walked into Boyd’s Boot & Saddle and asked if they had anyone doing custom leatherwork for them. They said they had a lot of customers who asked for things, but no one was doing the work. They asked to see some of my work. I made a wallet and took it back up to them that afternoon. They liked my work and that I could quickly turn it out. I went home with a half dozen orders and continued doing most of their custom work for the next 3 or 4 years.

Over the years I spent with Tandy Leather Company, I have no idea how many demonstrations, classes, and workshops I have given. I’ve held leatherwork demos in elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, universities, veteran hospitals, occupational therapy clinics, nursing homes, 4-H camps, Scout camps, YMCA camps, and other venues.

2001 Jesse Smith

Jesse began leatherworking while in the Air Force making scores of billfolds, belts and purses. In 1963, he made his first saddle and by 1965, was working full time as a saddlemaker. In 1979, Jesse was asked to teach leathercraft and saddlery as a 2-year Associate Degree course at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, Washington. During his time there, he graduated over 130 students of which over 70 are into saddlery or some leather-related industry on a full-time basis. Five or six ex-students who were present at the banquet backed up this fact. In addition to his college duties, Jesse maintained his own saddle shop on the side. And yet, among all these activities, he still found time over the past 30 years to teach beginning leathercraft to 4th and 5th graders, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H clubs and other youth and church groups to introduce youth to this wonderful world of leathercraft.’

2000 Roz Kaohn

Throughout many years, Ms. Kaohn has demonstrated her dedication to the craft through her many classes and teaching engagements. She has also confirmed outstanding skills in the traditional aspects of leatherwork. Moreover, she has shown her skills and originality by going further, creating a unique style of leatherwork. This fantastic and award-winning style has required the creation of new techniques incorporated into her leatherwork. These new methods have inspired others to follow her example.

Roz was born and raised in Newark, NJ, and in 1970 moved to Palm Desert, CA, where she attended high school and college. In 1983, she took four lessons in Leathercraft at a Tandy store in Reseda, CA. Thus began her career in leather. From 1983 to 1989, Roz worked for and then managed the Reseda Tandy store. During this time, she taught scout groups, classes in grammar schools, high schools, and college, and adult night classes. She has judged leather shows, has published numerous articles on Leathercraft, and helped organize Orange County Leathercrafters.

1999 Tony Laier

Tony met Ben Moody (Al Stohlman award recipient, 1992) and was introduced to leathercraft. Then came college and service in the Vietnam war. Upon returning home, he once again met Ben and was advised to take a job at the local Tandy store. Tony rose through the ranks and became that company’s Director of Research and Development. Throughout the years with Tandy Leather Co., Tony developed scores of leather kits, hundreds of leather projects and lesson plans designed to teach the craft. While working for that company, Tony met his wife-to-be, Kay.

Tony Laier brings to leathercraft a substantial background of organizational skills and the capacity to communicate leathercraft skills to a wide range of people and locations. He has developed his expertise in leatherwork to the level of Fine Art. He has been involved with countless leathercraft classes and the development of their syllabi. His work is well known internationally, both east and west. Tony possesses the remarkable and marvelous balance of all these things with an overall burning desire, a heartfelt deep concern for the future of the craft, and is doing something about it.

1998 Don King

Don’s life with leather has been well documented in books on saddlery and a current volume about his life. He has received the Chester A. Reynolds Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Heritage Fellowship for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Governor’s Quality Business Award, and the Governor’s Excellence in the Arts Award of Wyoming.

Don’s history began in Douglas, WY. His father was a cowboy, a rough string rider, bronc rider, and horse breaker. Don went from job to job with his dad. First, he attended 6 or 7 different schools in Arizona and lived in line camps. By age 15, he had split up with his father and worked ranches, wrangling dudes, shoeing, and working horses. Also, at 15 years old, he worked for a riding stable in Phoenix, and on days off, he would hang out at Porter’s Saddle Co. He kept telling the old-time saddlermakers that he wanted to do that someday. Most of them wouldn’t show or tell him or even encourage him. But a young fellow was working at Porters, Cliff Ketchum. Cliff liked Don, so he gave him scrap leather and nails. He told Don to file them out and start stamping. Don began that night. It became his hobby, stamping and making belts and billfolds, anything that was small and could sell.

For over sixty years, Don has continued daily to improve and promote the leather industry through personal excellence, encouraging others through teaching, who, for the most part, have continued their leatherwork. A leader in innovation and design of hundreds of utilitarian leathercraft items, to some of the most outstanding examples of saddlery known. Don is a person of great vision and character.

Jim Jackson, a noted artist and leatherworker, once remarked, “Few people in history have, by their life’s example, changed the course of an Industry; Don King is one of them.”

1998 Peter Main

Peter Main got his start in graphic design in Sydney, Australia. For 25 years, he owned the highly successful Graphic Design Studio, from which he retired in 1995 to pursue his other interests more fully. He immersed himself in his art, leather design, and construction. Peter has diligently instructed others in these skills for decades. In 1999, Ann Stohlman presented Peter with the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft.

1997 Silva Fox

Silva Fox studied drawing, painting, sculpture, and all else art-related during high school. Then she met a most impressionable man in 1976, the manager of a Tandy Leather Store, Mr. Harry Resinger. “This is the man who influenced my future art pursuits.” Soon after, Silva began a graphic arts/advertising career that continued for seventeen years. Silva remarks, “The multiple, dimensional quality and texture of leather lends itself beautifully to life-like wildlife paintings and portraits. Exquisite details and the most holographic appearance of the sculpted images are impossible to recreate on canvas. The initial response to the pictures is that they are oil or acrylic paintings, but when seen from a proper distance, the depth of the images is discernible. Viewing the picture while slowly walking by it creates an illusion of movement in the figures.”

An innovative and remarkable approach to leather art has been Silva’s developing style for the blind. Her sculpted leather painting, “Laughing Zebras,” was influenced by attending “Accent on Access”, a tactile exhibit for the blind sponsored by the Illinois Artisans Shop. With leather tooling, Silva exaggerates through embossing, textures, and realistic features so a blind person can “see” the composition. Over 120 leather plugs were used to create the embossing. Silva is a master leather artist with numerous awards and the best of shows to her credit. The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal has published multiple articles and patterns, contributing to the teaching of other artists and crafters. She has dedicated her time and skills to preserving and advancing leather as a fine art medium through her educational contributions. This is precisely in keeping with the spirit of the wishes of Al and Ann

1996 Chuck Smith

Chuck and several other top crafters have established the Leather Artists of America. In February 1993, they held the first Leather Artists of America Seminar in Fort Worth, Texas. This was a week-long seminar of teaching, sharing, and refining the talent of crafters worldwide. Crafters from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States participated in this seminar. Chuck spent months planning and organizing this event, taking valuable time away from his livelihood and letting his own business suffer to make this seminar a success and a worthwhile investment for those who attended.

In May 1994, another seminar was held at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles. Almost 30 people attended, including some from as far away as Japan. On the last day of the seminar, a workshop for children was held, and it is said to have set attendance records at the Gene Autry Museum.

1995 Beth Berry

Beth Berry was born, raised, and educated in Wyoming. She married Jim Berry in 1946. They own and operate a large ranch north of Cheyenne, Wyo, where they raised their two sons – and also raised Herefords. Around 1955, when seeking a hobby, Jim bought his wife a beginner set of leather tools, a Lucky Seven book, and some leather. Thus, Beth began a fulfilling career in leatherwork, which continues today. Beth’s ability to create beautiful things in leather led her to do hundreds of commissions of leathercraft for awards at livestock shows, rodeos, and other civic functions. Beth entered her work at state and local fairs for years and won dozens of prizes. Beth has authored and successfully marketed her book of 25 leather projects, Custom Cowhide Creations (still available). Her ability with leathercraft soon led directly to judging positions in Cheyenne and other areas of Wyoming. Judging leathercraft, in turn, led to the area of leathercraft she likes the best – teaching. Year after year, Beth taught leathercraft to the 4-H and some scouting groups in the Cheyenne area. She still conducts classes, seminars, and demonstrations in Wyoming for half the year and the other half in Sun City, Ariz.

1994 Ava Ostrander

As a factory worker for over twenty years, Ava would schedule her vacations to attend prisons to do seminars. The effects of these labors of love have resulted from these men equally sharing their knowledge with fellow inmates. Shoe repair, custom boot making, saddle-making, leathercraft, and leather artwork make up the list of leatherwork these men pursue, and with Ava’s help, they enter their work at many area shows. “It is with pride that I watch these men gain self-esteem and self-worth, and thus, for many, a new life lies ahead of them as the debt becomes paid,” exclaims Ava. Her teaching also takes her to high schools, grade schools, cub and boy scouts, summer camps, and 4-H projects; young people and retired citizens alike have received teaching from Ava. Helping to start a leather guild, enabling some to become members of the Federation, such as a South African guild and the first prison guild to become a member, as was the case with the Harp City Guild. Over 700 ribbons won at fairs and shows in the U.S. and several other countries – all this added to her extensive charitable work, which has earned Ava Ostrander leatherwork’s highest award, the Al Stohlman Ward for Achievement in Leathercraft.

1993 Dick Giehl

Dick loved the outdoors and wildlife. While on a camping trip in Canada, he observed a lady constructing a pair of moccasins while seated on the river bank in Ontario. From that moment, Dick showed a devout interest in leathercraft. He was soon to visit a Tandy store and made numerous purchases, which began his work with leathercraft, leading to a rewarding career. So, that which started as a hobby quickly developed into a serious pursuit of art study and photography for subject material. These new skills were applied directly to Dick’s consuming desire to express in art form through the medium of leather.

A family trip to Fort Worth and Los Angeles was made in the early 50’s. They first visited the offices of Tandy Leather, then on to California and the Craftool Company. It was there that Dick and Margaret Giehl met Dick McGahen, owner and as luck would have it, a chance meeting with Lou Roth, Joey Smith, and Ken Griffin. Also, a meeting with a new and exciting author and artist with ten thousand ideas, Al Stohlman, was arranged. Lively discussions with these people concerning art, tools, and color ensued. Motivated with excitement and armed with new knowledge, Dick and Margaret returned home to Ohio with a solid direction as to what Dick’s leathercraft was to take. For the next three decades, a determined and detailed revelation of Dick’s leather medium, subject matter, and style developed layer upon layer, always with an inseparable eagerness to pass on this knowledge as quickly as it was gained. Large classes met weekly in Dick and Margaret’s home.

1992 Ben Moody

In 1940, Ben joined the cavalry and worked as a saddler. At night, he made belts, billfolds, and bridles. From 1942 to 45, he served in the South Pacific with a regimental combat team. On January 2, 1942, Ben married his hometown sweetheart, Daphne. They had a son and a daughter.

Then, for 15 more years of military service, Ben taught leathercraft primarily during his “off time” at the many bases he was assigned. He set up hobby and craft shops on many Posts, taught hundreds of men and women, and was always involved with Scout and 4-H groups. In 1949, Ben won first prize in the Worldwide Army Crafts contest and again in 1950. In 1951, he was transferred to Germany, where he did demonstrations and classes at many army posts’ hobby shops. He also won numerous contests in Europe. After that, he returned to the States in Cincinnati as part of the Corps of Engineers, teaching weekends and nights to 4-H, Scouts, and local schools. Ben even taught leathercraft in Seoul, Korea, before retiring from the army in 1960.

Since then, Ben has provided numerous Doodle Pages and patterns and served as a Tandy store manager for many years. He is teaching, always teaching. Ben was invited to conduct leathercraft seminars at Southwest Texas State University, 4-H, Scouts, Texas State School, Austin State Hospital, Travis State School, State School for the Deaf, VA Hospitals, and so on. His recognitions and awards are just as numerous, and Ben taught at 4-H, homes for the elderly, and places in and around Elgin, Texas.

1991 George Hurst

George started in leathercraft in New Berlin, Penn., in 1945 as a member of the local Boy Scouts. He continued to be active in the Boy Scouts and improved his leatherworking skills in high school until his graduation in 1951. While serving in the US Army from 1952-55, George continued his leathercraft, constructing many items. In 1955, he married his wife of 35 years, Emma Jane Kline. They have one son, Keven.

George soon began doing leatherwork seriously, even selling his work to friends and family. Soon after, his work was in demand throughout the region. Belts and wallets gave way to much larger projects, which eventually included saddles; one of his is on our cover. During these years, George started teaching leathercraft to friends and neighbors at a retirement center and the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

From 1955 to 1961, George had a very lucrative career in furniture manufacturing while operating his leather business as a part-time avocation. The leather business continued growing, and he decided to be in the leathercraft business for life. Tandy Leather Company had pursued him for some time, and George decided a change was needed. His burning desire was to pass his knowledge on to others; that is how he wanted to spend the rest of his life — advancing leathercraft.

1990 Karla Van Horne

Karla Van Horne was born in Kitchener, Ontario, in 1957. At the age of ten, she made her first wallet, a “Roughrider” kit, and soon followed up with other small kits. She bought her first beginner’s kit in 1971 and began to teach herself to carve leather.

Karla graduated from high school as an All-Ontario Scholar and winner of the Eastwood Collegiate Citizenship Award. She promptly enrolled in a science program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She also continued working with leather, becoming increasingly involved with it.

In 1979, she began teaching leatherwork at “Weatherworks Inc.” in Burlington, Ontario, and continued working there part-time until it became a full-time job in 1982. She joined the Canadian Society for Creative Leatherwork (C.S.C.L.) by joining the Hamilton, Ontario, branch. It wasn’t long before Karla began demonstrating techniques such as airbrushing, figure carving, and floral carving for both the Hamilton guild members and other branches of the C.S.C.L.

1988 Kat Kuszak

They say the “West” begins in Nebraska. In Omaha, Nebraska, something else had its beginning… a future awakening of the creative and aesthetic portrayal of that “West”… in the form of a girl child born to Pat and Chuck Leitch. They called her Kathryn. We know her today as Kat Kuszak, a world-class leather artist.

On her own, she began what she called the “learning and loving process that made leather a permanent part of my life.” Using common sense, trial and error, and her creative abilities, she began teaching herself leathercraft. As more and more projects reached their successful conclusion, she began to experience artistic satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment and self-worth never before experienced. The hook was set!

But the story doesn’t end here… let Kat say it in her own words, “IT has been essential to me to diversify and become as proficient at as many aspects of leathercraft as possible. I have big plans for the future as an instructor, as well as for experimentation and developing our craft. Leathercraft has made great strides since I began in 1976, and I hope I can be as good for leathercraft as leathercraft has been for me.”

1987 Robert Beard

Robert Beard began leather carving in a small South Carolina town in 1970. He feels that the isolation from other leather carvers allowed him to develop his own technique and style. It wasn’t long before he began teaching in the state mental hospital, where he was employed as a nurse’s aid.

In September of 1975, his first article for Make It With Leather was published. Soon after, he met master leather artist Al Shelton and learned more “tricks of the trade.” Christine Stanley also gave him many valuable lessons. Her encouragement caused him to join the Leather Guild and compete in the Leatherama in 1976. He won Best of Show and two First Place ribbons with his three entries. This recognition spurred him on to begin teaching once more. Some students commuted over 60 miles to attend his classes. To make it easier for students to come to him, he opened courses in various cities in California.

1986 Bill Gomer

Bill Gomer was born in Stockton, California, on August 14, 1940. He started leathercrafting at nine years of age in his father’s saddle shop.

From there, his career in leather has been vast, ranging from making and repairing saddles, recreational specialist in the U.S. Army, and teaching many others the art of leathercraft and saddle making. His involvement in leathercrafts has allowed Bill to receive numerous awards and recognition in the field. His inexhaustible commitment to the craft has influenced beginners and skilled craftsmen to pursue and achieve great things with their art. He has been instrumental in establishing leather guilds in several cities, including Anchorage, Alaska; Des Moines, Iowa; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Urbana, Illinois; Springfield, Illinois; Peoria, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; Springfield, Missouri; and Topeka, Kansas.

Recently, Bill received a commission from the National Endowment for the Arts to demonstrate “The Folk Life Art of Building a Western Saddle.” The commission will allow Bill to give extended leathercraft exhibitions in observance of the State of Kansas’ 125^th birthday.

1986 Rob Barr

Robb’s selection for the award was based on his expertise in the art of leather and his ability to overcome obstacles many never face. Robb, a former Colorado State Prison inmate, turned to leathercrafts to help him deal with his situation. Self-taught in the art, Robb began studying leathercraft in 1976. He continued pursuing the craft, and following his release from prison, he used his skills in his studio. Along with his studio work, Robb has been active in art shows, teaches leathercraft classes to mentally disabled persons, and is breaking ground for the beginnings of a leather guild in Bismarck.

1984 Roberta & Ken Griffen

Ken Griffin (1914-1988) was a key contributor to the birth of the modern age of leathercraft, helping bridge the gap between an era of vocational leatherworkers to a craft that is available and accessible to the leather hobbyist worldwide. A renowned master of his time, Griffin’s handmade stamps were models for many of the original Craftools. His books and his introduction of the Doodle Page helped teach the masses the love of leathercraft. His success in the leatherworking industry allowed Griffin to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a magician, earning him and his wife global notoriety in a second vocation.

1983 Paul Burnett

When he was a 12-year-old Boy Scout, the first recipient of the Al Stohlman Achievement Award began working with leather. The pastime led to a steady income and eventually became a way of life for this crafter. Yet, unlike many in the business, the techniques he’s developed have become knowledge to be shared, instead of secrets to be guarded. Paul Burnett, 44, of Memphis, Tennessee was selected by the judging committee as the recipient of the Al Stohlman Achievement Award based not only on his talent as a master leather worker, but his contributions to the craft as a whole through lectures, demonstrations, books, regular contributions in Make It With Leather, and, more recently, the author and administrator of his own correspondence course in leathercraft.

Throughout his career, Burnett has strived to provide the craftsperson with informative material in the form of Craftaids, Idea Sheets, and Doodle Pages. Recently, he published a project pattern pack featuring Game Animals. The designs in his latest work involve both traditional and contemporary looks. The designs can be adapted to many different leather projects. He also has another pattern pack in the works that will feature game birds. Burnett’s current endeavor involves the establishment of a leathercraft correspondence course. The course will allow Burnett to teach people worldwide, using techniques and methods he has developed for use in his studio classes.