Day 345: Tom Curtis

A few days ago, my daughter and I attended a fundraiser for the Josephine County Food Bank called “First Crush.”  It was held at the Josephine County Fairgrounds and at this event there were a number of wineries offering tastings, a wide variety of food vendors, live music, and a silent auction.

While we were sampling the goodies that were offered, I ran into a woman I knew named Tracy.  We met a few years back because Tracy has been involved in Rotary First Harvest for a while and I volunteered to help with a few of the events that they held at Harry and David.  Tracy has also come out to the Ashland Rotary club’s garden to see what we are doing and share her enthusiasm about feeding people good food.

At the “First Crush” event I told Tracy about my pie project.  She then mentioned that her husband, Tom, loved sweets of all kinds… and if I ever wanted to gift him a pie, she thought he would be delighted.  Today I made an Apple Blueberry Crumb Crust Pie for Tom… and only then did I learn what he does for our community.

Tom has worked for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as the Stage Operations Manager for the past 11 years.  He, and a crew of about 30, makes sure that the sets are ready for the plays that are to be performed.   And those sets change quickly and often!   The thirty or so stage hands are responsible for five changeovers a day!  The work is intense and is critical to the success of each show.  But Tom and his crew do it with the practiced precision that they have developed over time.  This work that they do is almost as much a play as the play itself!  You can read more about Tom here.

Today, I honor Tom for his tremendous work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival… and I would also like to honor his lovely bride who does so much to bring good, healthy food to the hungry.  They both deserve our thanks and admiration.

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”  William Shakespeare