About the Artist
Lawrence Bechtel grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, home of Wheaton College, an institution dedicated to “Christ and His Kingdom.” His father taught literature and wrote a history of the college, A Heritage Remembered. His mother was an elementary school librarian who encouraged creativity in her four children, Lawrence being the eldest. Favorite pastimes for him were cartoon drawing, with his friend David Bellinger, and bicycling out to Lincoln Swamp to catch Leopard Frogs and toads. During the summers of his high school years, Lawrence worked at Honey Rock Camp, the Northwoods Campus of Wheaton College in northern Wisconsin as an “engineer”— a dubious title bestowed by beloved Camp Director, Harvey Chrouser. The only qualifications were a willingness to work hard and stay dirty.
Larry graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in 1971. Perhaps in reaction to his feeling that he was destined to be a teacher, he did other things instead: backpacking through British Columbia with college roommate Ron Sorensen, picking apples in Okenagon, Washington, thanks to Brian (Ko) Blix, and working at Cape Foulweather Boat Company on the Oregon coast building strip-planked sailboats.
Larry graduated from Wheaton College with a B.A. in 1971. Perhaps in reaction to his feeling that he was destined to be a teacher, he did other things instead: backpacking through British Columbia with college roommate Ron Sorensen, picking apples in Okenagon, Washington, thanks to Brian (Ko) Blix, and working at Cape Foulweather Boat Company on the Oregon coast building strip-planked sailboats.
In 1980, he settled in Southwest Virginia with his first wife, Stephanie Wilhelmi and went to work for her father Adrian and brother, Kurt, building houses. Teague (who is now, shockingly, 40+ years old and lives in Denver Colorado) was born shortly afterward. On the side, Lawrence reviewed books for The Roanoke Times, and wrote a column on stockcar racing called “Inside Racing” for The News Messenger. From this last experience, he wrote his first (and as yet unpublished) novel, The Favorite. In 1983, Larry entered graduate school at Virginia Tech, writing his thesis on D.H. Lawrence. At the completion of his graduate work in 1985, Lawrence taught full time in the VT English Department — becoming a teacher like his father after all and happy about it, too. On the other hand, his marriage gradually broke down which led to divorce, the worse of this being the break he felt in his relationship with Teague. For therapy, he plunged himself into clay sculpting and wood carving.
Through a mutual friend Lawrence met Ann Shawhan, who lifted his spirits with gifts of banana bread and cassette tapes of her favorite music. They married in 1990, and he became a stepdad to Ann's daughter, Rose, then later the happy father of daughter Haley. They all did their best to keep their handsome cocker spaniel, Milo, from jumping the fence and seeking lovers. In 1991, after months of volunteering his time, Larry was appointed Virginia Tech's first Recycling Coordinator, which was a long jump from teaching English, but a mission which fundamentally involved communication. He also took up figurative sculpture and secured significant public commissions. Additionally, Larry had a wonderful time telling stories for children at the Blacksburg New School, and from that experience eventually recorded three CD’s of original stories. He was busy!
Larry retired from Virginia Tech in 2009, celebrating the occasion with the unveiling of “That I May Serve,” his bronze sculpture in honor of all police dogs killed in the line of duty in Virginia. Gradually, and with a purpose deepened from his friendship with Nannie Hairston, initiated from the Charles Schaeffer sculpture project for Schaeffer Church in Christiansburg, he at last turned his attention to writing of what became A Partial Sun, That Dazzling Sun, and now, A Slow Eclipse (due to be published in 2022).
Through a mutual friend Lawrence met Ann Shawhan, who lifted his spirits with gifts of banana bread and cassette tapes of her favorite music. They married in 1990, and he became a stepdad to Ann's daughter, Rose, then later the happy father of daughter Haley. They all did their best to keep their handsome cocker spaniel, Milo, from jumping the fence and seeking lovers. In 1991, after months of volunteering his time, Larry was appointed Virginia Tech's first Recycling Coordinator, which was a long jump from teaching English, but a mission which fundamentally involved communication. He also took up figurative sculpture and secured significant public commissions. Additionally, Larry had a wonderful time telling stories for children at the Blacksburg New School, and from that experience eventually recorded three CD’s of original stories. He was busy!
Larry retired from Virginia Tech in 2009, celebrating the occasion with the unveiling of “That I May Serve,” his bronze sculpture in honor of all police dogs killed in the line of duty in Virginia. Gradually, and with a purpose deepened from his friendship with Nannie Hairston, initiated from the Charles Schaeffer sculpture project for Schaeffer Church in Christiansburg, he at last turned his attention to writing of what became A Partial Sun, That Dazzling Sun, and now, A Slow Eclipse (due to be published in 2022).
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