WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsStevens Point man sat for Rockwell

Stevens Point man sat for Rockwell

by Pam Warnke

WAUSAU (WAOW)-- Idealic Americana.  Norman Rockwell's art fits the mold. 

On the pages of The Saturday Evening Post he made a name for himself, but it's on the pages of other papers that the paths of Rockwell and Stevens Point's Don Simons cross. 

Almost 4 decades ago, the now 84-year-old Simons was Vice President of Little Yankee Shoe Company in New Hampshire.  

Rockwell was commissioned to paint an ad for the company. 

He picked Simons to be in the picture. 

Hanging at the Woodson Art Museum in the Rockwell exhibit this month, it's a moment Simons easily recalls.

"He was very, very nice.  A gentleman.  Very low key and very nice," said Simons.

Simons and his wife traveled about an hour west of Boston to Rockwell's studio for the sitting.

"Really a nifty studio.  Typical New England.  A little red barn," Simons said.

Simons perched on a shoe fitting stool, trying little Yankee shoes on a girl.  Her Mom and brother standing by.  Simons didn't know those posed alongside him.

"It was unfortunate at the time because he didn't know that I had a son and daughter the same age that these kids were at the time.  He would've used them which would've been great.  A good family portrait by Norman Rockwell,"  said Simons.

There was only that one day with Rockwell.

He said, "You went and you would sit down and he would take all of these pictures or that's what his photographer did.  And, Rockwell would set them up in different positions as you can see.  And, then he paints from the pictures."

The final picture ending up as advertisement for Little Yankee Shoes.

"We ran it in the New York Times and Atlanta and Los Angeles paper.  We sold the shoes nationally."

Simons keeps a copy of that final picture in his den at home.  Many don't know it's him, until he says so.

He said, "It's my claim to fame."

Simons only regret is that he never purchased the original copy.

He was given a chance to years back, but the owner wanted $35,000 for it.

Simons says his ego isn't that big.

In Search of Norman Rockwell's America opens Saturday at the Woodson Art Museum and runs through January 24, 2010.

Online Reporter: Pam Warnke