Donal McLaughlin

Donal came into my life through my friend Susan Alexander, Donal's long time caretaker. Susan asked me to do a series of portraits of Donal. What began as an assignment for a friend has become a deep appreciation and friendship for a very special man. Now I feel very proud to be celebrating photographically, current inages of my friend Donal McLaughlin.

The story of Donal McLaughlin began long before I was born in the early years of our last century. Born in July 26th, 1907, he was to become a most remarkable person. Architecture and art have been the main stayes of his heart and affection, but it is his determinatim to produce beautiful works of art in both fields that have proven his worth to humanity.

However, beyond these talents and gifts, Donal is first and formost a people person. He loves life and most of all interacting with his fellow beings. He is beloved amoungst his community and by anyone who has spent even a brief period with him. His wry humor and sweet tenderness of disposession, as well as his wit and knowledge, make him a remarkable person to converse with. Even now at the youthful age of One hundred and one years old, there are a constant flock of friends , neighbors and relatives coming by to enjoy a drink and a chat on a daily basis. Happy hour has always been 5 pm but visitors arrive at all times of the day. Every day includes a little exeercise, morning ablusions and a couple of hours at the drawing table. His sign making for the recent presidential campaign is well known throuout his township of Garrett Park, Maryland. Calligraphy being on of his specialities, he is usually at some writing project or water coloing the ink drawings of his friend David Albie. No matterr whether he is writitng a letter, giving you a check, an invitation or just a note, your name will be beautifully inscribed in Calligraphy.

He loves his fireplace and has a fire well into the time most would forgo the pleasure indoors. His routine of two martinis, a white wine and a night cap of a White Lady while taken with herring and crackers have keep him both alive and alive mentally. It is his incredible spirit and love of life that move one the most. He does not move through life as in a fog but my experience of him is that he savors the time and the tides of life, as a connisour savors a good bottle of wine. His compassion and thirst for seeing the points of view of others makes him a perfect conversationalist.