Shouting Out to William Kolb of Louisville, Kentucky

In my last year at the J. Graham Brown School I had the fortune of occasionally bantering with William Kolb who, at the time, was a middle school student. The third child of Susan and George Kolb (I taught with Susan, knew the body parts she collected from artwork thrown to the trash, and first witnessed the image of a messiah in their downstairs bathroom) was actually introduced to me way before he started school. My friend, Sabine Pircher (oh we were so young), lived across the street and often baby sat for the Kolb crew. Even at a young age my sense of humor and wackiness resonated with the "corniest" of the Kolbs. One of my greatest regrets for leaving the Brown School was not having William as a student, but I knew he had others at the Brown School to keep his spirit alive. I am so glad we've stayed in touch online and hope this will continue.

William recently won numerous awards for his photography with the Alliance of Young Artists and Writers, a contest sponsored by Scholastic. His photography has amazed many (including the brilliant eyes of Christi George and Alice Stevenson) and his future is tremendous. Yesterday, I learned that JCPS celebrated his achievements in a Jefferson County magazine (copied to the right).

William is destined for Western Kentucky University. Despite making me feel old, it makes me extremely proud that his work, much of which has aimed to keep the Brown School mission and shared values alive, has been recognized in Louisville and across the nation. Today, I post this as recognition of each and every one of the communities he enhances with his photographs.