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Millard hits the big time

12 Comments on Millard hits the big time

Our friend Millard Harrell of Emporia has published an article in a nationally-distributed magazine, Woodcarving Illustrated.

Millard wrote a piece called “Making a Traditional Santa Ornament” and it is a 6-page show-and-tell article complete with photographs and illustrations.

Congratulations, Millard!

Millard usually carves Santa Claus ornaments, but this year he’s carving elves.

In 2009, Dave photographed Millard as he carved a Santa Claus from start to finish. Follow this link to a slide show of the process.

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This is a photo I took of Millard several years ago during Emporia’s Art Walk as he explains his process to an interested audience.

12 Comments

  2. That’s wonderful Millard! I remember that day you were in Dayton’s. Onnalee and I had talked online a lot, but that was the day we met. You two were having lunch in your car in front of the store at the moment we walked up.

    You have great talent. We are so lucky to all be here and know each other. Such interesting people our FOP are!

  3. The name Millard Harrell looked familiar when I saw it; then I read that he attended Ft Hays. I am thinking we were there at the same time (’62, ’63) and acquainted. Wonder if that is possible?

  5. Thank You for the nice post, Cheryl. This has been a very exciting time for us. It started a year ago when they asked Millard to do an article, which he finally completed at the first of the year. We knew that since it was a Santa article, it wouldn’t be published until the Holiday Edition – if they did choose to publish his article. In Oct. one of the editors sent an “Author Proof”. We thought that meant that there was really a chance that it would be published this year. 🙂 Then, a couple of weeks ago, they published on Woodcarving Illustrated the photo’s of the runner’s up for the Holiday Edition. They even have Millard’s runner-up cover on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Woodcarving-Illustrated-Magazine/117713670934#!/photo.php?fbid=483170480934&set=a.118189800934.133917.117713670934
    When we saw the cover with Millard’s santa, realization set in and we were pretty sure that his article was in the magazine. Duh!
    The magazine comes from Pennsylvania, so all of Millard’s woodcarving buddy’s between PA and Kansas was congratulating him (Millard) on his article. We didn’t receive it until yesterday. That was a long week for Millard.
    Frank, Millard graduated from Ft Hays in ’63 with a music degree. He is locked in the basement until 4 today, as he is frantically finishing a consignment order of 50 elves – which have to be completed by Dec. 1st. When he comes up 🙂 I will share your comment with him. Feel free to email him any time.
    Again, Thank You for the post and for the comments.

  6. The above link didn’t come through as the complete link. However, if you click on that link that shows up, you can scroll down to the 2nd Oct.27th and see the runner-up photo with Millard’s woodcarved Santa – the larger Santa. However, the cover that Cheryl posted is the actual cover.

  8. Yes, he was a vocal major! He taught music for 10 years – started out Vocal & Instrumental (grades 1-12). He taught in Luray and I taught the same thing in his home town in Paradise. That is how we met. We then moved to Kit Carson, Colorado and he was the instrumental teacher – I was vocal. We then moved to Tribune (teaching the same), then we moved to Elkhart and he was the Jr. High Music Teacher (Vocal & Instrumental) and we started our family of 2. It didn’t take Millard long to decide he was through with that. 🙂 He was a funeral director in Elkhart, KS for 32 years – a wonderful one, at that. We moved to Emporia in 2002 to be closer to our children. He works part time at Graves Drug Store here in Emporia and enjoys being able to wood carve in his spare time. However, it is frantic carving right now.

  10. Frank, Millard remembers you – especially after he looked you up in the Ft Hays annual. 🙂 Millard is very fond of Flyover People – he reads it and loves their meals together, however, so far he hasn’t contributed to any comments. Perhaps he will tonight, but don’t hold your breath. He is wondering where you live now. His email is millard@foundwoodcarvings.com

  12. LOL @April – I am a very gabby one (cheerleader), aren’t I? Frank Thompson certainly got way more information than he asked for, didn’t he? With Millard carving all the time, I talk for both of us.

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