Douglas Lynch is 95 years old. That alone is worth reporting. If his name doesn't immediately ring a bell, it should. Lynch is one of our region's most treasured design resources; a book designer (of thirty plus titles), teacher, mentor, critic and communicator of considerable skill. And one of the last remaining artists of FDR's Works Progress Administration.
This past Sunday, Lynch was honored by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission along with friends and collaborators of the Portland designer; an opportunity to look back on Lynch's early works for the WPA at Mt. Hood's Timerberline Lodge and to provide further insights on his long and storied career in design. Sadly, health issues prohibited Lynch himself from attending Sunday's event and yet, his considerable spirit was certainly present. The gathering roused about 250 people, including our friend (and Lynch contemporary) Byron Ferris, Lynch's grandson (and Pinch client) Ben Walsh, and an entourage of regional arts and culture luminaries. Designer Mel Ulvin, Oregon Historical Society curator and editor Lois Mack, and writer Spencer Hill (Lynch's partner at Artwork Associates) were among those who took the podium.
Ms. Mack provided a retrospective of Lynch's design and illustration work for The Bosn's Whistle, the newsletter of the Oregon, Swan Island, and Vancouver shipyards that churned out "Baby Flat Tops" during the second world war. Henry F. Kaiser, the industrialist shipbuilder (and founder of Kaiser-Permanente) was the driving force and profiteer behind that effort and he clearly understood the value of visual communications in maintaining worker morale, and in reminding them about the grave importance of efficiency and safety in "waging the war on the home front."
Most entertaining were Lynch's own submitted notes, which expressed his gratitude for being noticed during this time as he believed his relevance "was of another time." Of particular interest were Lynch's written recollections of his working and personal relationships during the golden era of Cole & Weber, with Ira Keller (who pursued Lynch while at Container Corporation of America prior to relocating to Portland), with Lillian Hellman, Charles Haney, Lloyd Reynolds and C.S. Price, among many, many others.
In the weeks ahead—if his health allows—we will aim to sit down with Mr. Lynch for our upcoming interview series, The Straight Six. In addition to Lynch, we'll be also be interviewing sustainability and design consultant Marc Alt, ideasonideas' Eric Karjaluoto, Type Desk's Theodore Rosendorf and Celery's Brian Dougherty.