Merry Christmas from the Dean

(This is an encore post from five years ago, December 20, 2020, that seemed appropriate to repeat. Happy Holidays to all from Divine Stone.)

In 1989, Dean Morton asked D’Ellis “Jeep” Kincannon to create an architectural drawing of the Tower of St. Paul. This was the tower being constructed and a symbol of the working stoneyard. Parts of individual construction drawings, stitched together, formed the entire new drawing. The result was one complete drawing of the west face of the southwest tower, to scale, with every stone numbered. It also shows the construction zones A (lowest) through K (highest) and FP, from elevation 239’3″ to 393’0″. Dean Morton sent the drawing out as Merry Christmas from the Dean. Signed at the bottom right.

The “card” must have amazed the recipients. It measured three feet wide and eight feet long. The detail and the precise joining of different drawings made for a beautiful presentation. “Jeep” Kincannon was justifiably proud of his work.

A Symbol of Pride and Love

The Dean was ever so proud of the stoneyard and the workers which is probably why he wanted to send this impressive statement to friends and colleagues. It was symbolic in many ways. A story he once told involved a question from one man to another. The question asked was “What do you give a poor man?” The answer:

You give him a dollar for bread, and another one for a flower.

Dean Morton knew the spiritual impact of the Cathedral building program on the community. At a time when the neighborhood was struggling in so many ways, some thought that all funds should be directed to social programs. In a way, the stoneyard was his flower to the community.

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• Thanks to Stephen Boyle for sharing his Christmas card with us and to Pamela Morton for the Dean’s photo.