Glass Etch and Pattern Gallery

Home\Elegant & Depression Glass Companies\Heisey\Heisey Gallery Dedication\In Memory of Joe of Cat's Whiskers Glass

Top images New images

In Memory of Joe of Cat's Whiskers Glass

The Heisey section of the Everyday and Elegant Glass Gallery is dedicated to the memory of Joe of Cat's Whiskers Glass, Joseph F. Burroughs. Joe was an exceptionally generous member of the site, offering countless photos, extensive knowledge, and most of all, himself. Kind, funny, and thoughtful, Joe was dedicated to the study of glass and to sharing the results of his research.

But Joe wouldn't want to have all the credit! His partner Muna was the other half of the team, and it was understood that Cat's Whiskers contributions could have come from either of them. Here, in Muna's words, is our tribute:

To Joe Burroughs

"Nothing I write could ever do the man justice because the space he filled was so large.
Joe, like most of us stumbled into the glass world by accident. The big difference is how early he stumbled on to it. In his teens when visiting a flea market he was drawn to a pretty girl at a glass stand, ever the observer, while charming the girl's mother who was the vendor of the stand, he also noted what was on display and at what price. When returning back to his school town he happened to notice the same items on sale at the local junk shop for a much lower price. And so began a little side trade for the young entrepreneur. He would purchase glass with his pocket money and sell it at flea markets for a profit. His interest in glass stemmed from these early trades. Being both very intelligent as well as very sociable, he was well liked by more seasoned traders who imparted their knowledge and experience to young Joe.

Although he went on to have a corporate career, glass always remained a passion. Throughout his corporate career he invested time in glass; his specialty areas being elegant glass with specific emphasis on Heisey. His private collection was in sugar and creamers as it was a means to collect and have examples of patterns in several blanks, colours, etches and cuttings.

Always generous with his knowledge and time he was an excellent teacher and a generous friend to all who knew him. Anyone blessed to have even the shortest conversation with him about glass would leave the conversation enriched with knowledge and impressed with his ability to not only retain, but also share the wealth of knowledge that he had accumulated over the years.

I could say so much more about this special and extraordinary person who is missed by all the people whose lives he touched. In June 2007 he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and too quickly, he was taken from us on October 15th 2007.You are loved and missed Joe, may your soul rest in peace."
- Muna, Cat's Whiskers Glass

Unlike Muna, I only knew Joe online, but I was still deeply affected by his illness and death. Joe was a truly good man, and over the course of our communication he became a good friend.

This is not complete without mentioning a wonderful gift to the gallery from Joe and Muna, and a perfect example of Joe being "generous with his knowledge." In the same email he informed us of his illness, Joe bequeathed to the gallery the use of all photos from their (former) website, Cat's Whiskers Glass, representing several hundred glass patterns and decorations. Thank you, Joe and Muna.

- Kristi Silber, on behalf of the members of the Everyday and Elegant Glass forum and gallery

Keywords:
Date:	22.01.2008 02:38
Hits:	2059
Added by:	Kristi Silber