Page 96 - The Decorative Painter Fall 2015

a special tribute
❝Let’s look for the good
in each painter and competitor, never mind picking away at each other’s flaws – we are all blessed with these. Let’s think and talk about the good. Let’s share our skills with those who need help. Let’s rise above the temptation to be ‘gossipy’ and petty. Let’s work
for a higher degree of
professionalism in ourselves
and it will automatically
occur within the NSTDP.❞
– Margy Wentz,
The Decorative Painter, July 1976, Issue #3
Margy Wentz, Executive Director, at work at her desk in the first NSTDP office in 1979.
Remembering Mary Margaret “Margy” Wentz
By Sherry Nelson
Mary Margaret “Margy” Wentz, a well-known leader in the field of decorative painting, was the first Executive Direc- tor of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters, Inc. (NSTDP), a position she held for 16 years. She served concurrently as the Executive Director of the Decorative Arts Collection, Inc., a corporation created for the purpose of col- lecting and preserving decorative art. Margy passed away on May 20, 2015.
In 1976, the NSTDP was struggling. The organization had little money in the treasury and was being held together by nip and tuck – by painters with perhaps more talent for art than business. Three exhibitors from the annual convention in Atlanta that year offered NSTDP a donation of several thou- sand dollars with words to this effect: “We all need this organization. Use this money to hire an Executive Director and let’s get this show on the road.”
The rest is history. Margy was hired that summer, and she quickly be- came a dynamic force behind the scenes of our beloved NSTDP. It is safe to say that we as a Society would never have grown to what it is had it not been for her leadership, her amazing insight, and her ability to see down that road to what was needed. She helped us transition from a bunch of ladies painting around our kitchen tables to the professional organization we are many years later.
In addition to being a top notch executive, Margy was a remarkable wom- an: brilliant, far-sighted, dedicated and witty. She had the knack to challenge the many Boards of Directors she served to raise the level and make the best possible decisions for painters around the world. Margy was an inspiration to those around her. I feel I speak for countless others when I say it was an honor to know her.
ABOUT MARGY
Margy was a graduate of the College of Emporia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English. She had also completed some graduate-level work at Kansas State College in Pittsburg. Her business experience was vast. In addition to have been a partner in The Stone Chimney of Newton, she worked as an English teacher, executive secretary, assistant to the President of a personnel firm, a director of publications for a mental health center, and freelance writer for a variety of brochures and professional newsletters.
When Margy was hired by NSTDP in 1976, she lived in Newton, Kansas. The first national office of the NSTDP was established in the basement of her family’s home, which had been built in 1881. Its quaint old charm was the perfect place for the office, bettering suited for tole painting than any everyday office building.
Former SDP President Sharon Dettling described Margy in The Decora- tive Painter, 1980, Issue 1:
“Margy Wentz has, as I’m sure you know if you have ever had the oppor- tunity to visit with her, a terrific sense of humor, which I believe helps her to keep pace with the demands of a Society like ours. She must be everything to everyone, administrator, negotiator, arbitrator, financial planner, travel agent, chauffeur, etc., etc. Any that have worked with her know that there is no such thing as an eight hour day or five day week to Margy. We are so fortunate
to have someone as efficient and dedicated not only to the Society and her work, but to tole and decorative painting.”
94 The Decorative Painter
• ISSUE NO. 3, 2015
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