David Hammer
Died
David Cameron Hammer May 19, 1923 - September 19, 2019Artist, designer, musician, craftsman, Stevenson-Democrat, Dave was the second of three sons born (at home) in Indianapolis to Russell Hammer, an American naval veteran and his Scottish bride Elizabeth Findlay. They met at a dance in Inverness some 100 years ago. She and her mother came to America two years later. Just off the boat in New York she and Russell were married.
Dave interrupted his engineering studies at Purdue University to enlist in the Army in 1943. He served as a pipeline engineer on New Guinea. His unit was one of the first to enter Japan after the war and was engaged with rebuilding. Several months there gave him a deep and life-long appreciation of Japanese culture, art and architecture.
He returned to civilian life and his studies (helped by the GI Bill) in early 1946 with wife Eleanor and toddler son David at Indiana University, where veteran student housing was a (cold) trailer in the football stadium. He studied later at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles after the family had moved there in 1951 with youngsters David, Bruce and Steven. Dave obtained his BA in Art from UCLA in 1962 and taught an Extension course in Human Factors. Architecture, interior and furniture design and ceramics were his subjects.
Dave joined Victor Gruen and Associates as a model builder (the young Frank Gehry was on his team). Later he worked as a graphic designer with John Follis and Associates. He and Follis wrote the book Architectural Signing and Graphics, published in 1979.
Always wanting to be his own boss, and supported by Eleanor, he became a free-lance designer of chairs and hospital waiting room furniture as well as remodeler of the family home. He and Eleanor moved to Palo Alto in 1993 to be close to grandchildren Tessa and Toby. When napping he hung his affectionate "Grumpa is sleeping" sign on his door. Dave and Eleanor moved in 2004 to the Sequoias, a retirement community in San Francisco. His home until the end.
Dave's tenor voice was beautiful and powerful and he shared it often. He sang Nanki-Poo in the Mikado in high school. He sang with Unitarian Church choirs in Santa Monica, Palo Alto and San Francisco, and in Hammer Family Musicales with Eleanor, Steven and David from 1994 to 2012. Accompanied by Eleanor, he sang Schumann's song Widmung at family weddings from 1947 to 2006. His numerous watercolors, avidly painted in retirement, were often of birds and Japanese subjects: ikebana scenes and bento boxes.
He is lovingly remembered by Eleanor, his wife of 75 years, David and Katie, Bruce and Cecilia, Steven, Tessa, Toby, his sister-in-law Alice and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Dave's life will be held at the Sequoias, 1400 Geary in San Francisco, Saturday October 26th at 3pm.
Dave interrupted his engineering studies at Purdue University to enlist in the Army in 1943. He served as a pipeline engineer on New Guinea. His unit was one of the first to enter Japan after the war and was engaged with rebuilding. Several months there gave him a deep and life-long appreciation of Japanese culture, art and architecture.
He returned to civilian life and his studies (helped by the GI Bill) in early 1946 with wife Eleanor and toddler son David at Indiana University, where veteran student housing was a (cold) trailer in the football stadium. He studied later at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles after the family had moved there in 1951 with youngsters David, Bruce and Steven. Dave obtained his BA in Art from UCLA in 1962 and taught an Extension course in Human Factors. Architecture, interior and furniture design and ceramics were his subjects.
Dave joined Victor Gruen and Associates as a model builder (the young Frank Gehry was on his team). Later he worked as a graphic designer with John Follis and Associates. He and Follis wrote the book Architectural Signing and Graphics, published in 1979.
Always wanting to be his own boss, and supported by Eleanor, he became a free-lance designer of chairs and hospital waiting room furniture as well as remodeler of the family home. He and Eleanor moved to Palo Alto in 1993 to be close to grandchildren Tessa and Toby. When napping he hung his affectionate "Grumpa is sleeping" sign on his door. Dave and Eleanor moved in 2004 to the Sequoias, a retirement community in San Francisco. His home until the end.
Dave's tenor voice was beautiful and powerful and he shared it often. He sang Nanki-Poo in the Mikado in high school. He sang with Unitarian Church choirs in Santa Monica, Palo Alto and San Francisco, and in Hammer Family Musicales with Eleanor, Steven and David from 1994 to 2012. Accompanied by Eleanor, he sang Schumann's song Widmung at family weddings from 1947 to 2006. His numerous watercolors, avidly painted in retirement, were often of birds and Japanese subjects: ikebana scenes and bento boxes.
He is lovingly remembered by Eleanor, his wife of 75 years, David and Katie, Bruce and Cecilia, Steven, Tessa, Toby, his sister-in-law Alice and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Dave's life will be held at the Sequoias, 1400 Geary in San Francisco, Saturday October 26th at 3pm.
Source: San Francisco Gate
Published on: 12-10-2019