| Original Message: Austin Cooper |
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I just got hooked as a youth growing up in Southern California. My mother was quite an active bead collector during the late 1960s through the 1970s, and my interests were no doubt influenced by her excitement when opening large crates arriving from West Africa. Strands were everywhere throughout the house. I visited the Bower's Museum, Santa Ana, California, on a regular basis, where there was a small, revolving bead collection. I have fond memories of many of the avid collectors during the years that followed: Elizabeth Harris, Vesta Ward, Jamey Allen, Robert Liu, the Picards, Joyce Holloway, Carl Dreibelbis, Steve Messick, Elizabeth Bennett, Charles Delaplain, Leonard Kaplan (Laguna Beach, CA), Silva Neilands, Jan Skipper, David Arthur, and especially Jackie Little, a fantastic lady with a true Southern charm. I served a couple of years as the treasurer of the Orange County Bead Society, where I met many more folks. My bead interests are widespread, but focus mainly around early Venetian and the Islamic-period. I have never made a piece of jewelry in my life; and in fact, I own none. I just love my strands of beads for what they are, and I wish that each could speak, for there would be an interesting story told. Sometimes, bead collecting can be overwhelming, and I have to put it down for awhile. In 1999, I relocated with Boeing to northern Alabama (with its Chernobyl-like summers with sweltering humidity and one tornado warning after another), where I currently reside; and I am active in Boston Terrier Rescue (www.bhambtr.org), as their love is unconditional and unyielding.
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