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2015
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Page
60
Honor
From page 59
Captiva. His sprawling and elevated home
faces Pine Island Sound, evidence of a pas
sion for gardening, for keeping things tidy.
The grounds are very still and gentle.
Karel Aster at age 95 looks his age.
There’s a heavy bandage on his forearm,
for instance, because his papery skin tears
easily, he said. But he’s otherwise active,
moves well. He shot a hole in one last
summer using a hybrid 7 iron at Shell
Point. The certificate is in a drawer. He
also sips plum brandy, the Czech national
drink, and puffs half a cigar per day. He
drives to Bailey’s, occasionally over the
causeway in his Mercury sedan. But only
during the day. His wife Jana, herself the
widow of a freed Japanese captive, died in
2003. He mostly keeps to himself at night,
he said. There is artwork in his office of his
home village near Prague, a husky work
desk, family portraits, lots of books and
pretty rugs throughout the home. He likes
golf on television, it seems lonely, though.
Yet there’s amusement in eyes that
have endured much more than the rest of
us. He’s animated about golf (“golfink”
with his Czech brogue) and a brand of
Scotch whisky that arrived in his Chicago
office after the war. It came from an
English soldier and fellow detainee whose
family owned the distillery. It was prom
ised on a bet who could pick the date the
war would end. The other guy would’ve
gotten new shoes.
That luster in his eyes vanishes in voic
ing in Japanese his prisoner count number.
It’s feels odd to hear a man so damaged by
his captors recite catch phrases and com
mands in their language. But Karel Aster
long ago forgave them.
“There are no more nightmares,” he
said. “No more anything.”
The Czech Republic does not honor its
citizens or awardees posthumously. The
ceremony in Captiva is expected to bear
the dignity of a US Medal of Freedom. It
also ends a sad chapter in history.
In the final line of his memoirs, Aster
wrote: “And now I am the last one who
still remains alive to tell the story.”
It is dated Captiva Island, Florida,
December 25, 2005.
The Captiva Civic Center is at 11550
Chapin Lane.
SPECIAL TO THE ISLANDER ADVERTORIAL
G u r h a n c ra fts u n m ista k a b le je w e lr y d e s ig n s , P a r t II
Visiting Lily & Co. Jewelers on Sanibel
Gurhan jewelry is unmistakable.
Whether it is the unique design wrought solely in gold
or kissed with it in his tri-tonal sliver line, women around
the world seek out Gurhan pieces. Take the opportunity
to meet the famed designer during his visit March 27-29
to 1 .ily & Co. Jewelers. There w ill lie a cocktail party
Friday, March 27.
“We are delighted to he hosting a cocktail party in
honor o f a talented designer such as ( lurhan, said
I ily & Co. Owners Dan Schuyler and Karen Bell.
“Having him visit lor an entire weekend is a treat and
we invite everyone to meet the wonderful,
personable man behind the exquisite jewelry.
His fingerprint on each piece is the essence of the
brand - hand-nammermg and natural imperfections -
evidence that every piece is painstakingly crafted by
hand in ( iurhan s workshop.
However the gifted jewelry designer first had a
short career in music. It was in the
1980s when Gurhan combined
%
his technical knowledge with a
%
love of music. He delved into i
sound engineering and started a j
succession of nightclubs in |
lnstanbul. Bv the end of the |
decade
though,
Gurhan s 3
childhood love of tinkering had
*
translated into a fascination for 1
the inner-workings o f watches.
Inspired. Gurhan moved to
Switzerland to learn the craft of
fine watchmaking. He restored,
reassembled and remade old tab
watches into art pieces. Several of
his works were featured in
exhibits across Europe, and attracted a few
collectors who acquired these very limited
creations.
It was in the early 1990s when Gurhan was
handed a sheet o f pure 24-karate gold during a
casual trip to Istanbul. He was immediately drawn
to its warmth and sensuality. In a single moment,
Gurhan s life changed forever; he would create
fine jewelry using this unique material. Four years
later, his first C iiirhan pieces arc created. Before him, pure gold
jewelry had not been made since ancient times.
It was his distinctive design that drew the attention of
Australian-bom. New \brk-based investment banker Fiona Tilley,
who was convinced the talented designer’s pieces would be
successful in the United States.
Nearly 10 vears after first holding the sheet of pure gold,
Gurhan visited New' York accompanied by his new business
partner, Tilley, and launched his inaugural U.SHinc. It was quickly
embraced as a breath o f fresh air in tnc world of designer jewelry.
People were enchanted by the rich yellow hue of pure
gold and embraced the fingerprints left by Gurhan.
InSrylc magazine promptly heralded his designs as being
on the forefront or fashion.
A t the end o f the 90s, Gurhan and Fiona Tilley’s
unique business partnership was fueled by an equally
passionate personal relationship. They married in January
1999. Today, they are the proud parents of a wonderful
Yorkie. Tipsy. As the Gurhan mascot, Tipsy faithfully
attends every trunk show, exhibition and function.
The 2000s have held more success for
C jurhan, from awards to major public figures showcasing
his pieces. In 2005, Gurhan conquered the unique world
o f platinum - creating highly textural designs combined
with unusual stones like aquamarine. By 2008, Gurhan
had turned his attention to photography. Similar to his
work in jewelry, Gurhan is a self-taught photographer
\
whose inaugural exhibit was on the grounc i floor of Saks
_ _ Fifth Avenue.
j a g y Gurhan continues to defy the
boundaries of traditional jewelry
design, which
is especially
present in his 4/24 line that
Features a unique combination
of an early O ttom an alloy
containing
4
karats of gold and
24 karate gold, as well as a
proprietary new way o f setting
diamonds. He even returned to
\
watchmaking, earning first place
in the 2011 Couture Design
Awards.
M eet
this
famed
designer, who crafts elegant
pieces from pure gold, at Lily &
Co. Jewelers, 520 Tarpon Bay Rd.
About Lily & Co. Jewelers
TheJour-'
and Angel (f
Hell anajeweler. G JA . Gemologist D an Schuyler) ojjer the latest
jewelry trends and ttps a e ry week. Ldy & Co. is Sanibd's only
jeweby gallery. combining couture jewelry, fin e art andgiftu are
all i n
^
J
a t Lily & Co. Jewelers, Lily, Grade
their owners: Sanibel-Captiva Realtor Karen
The Lily & Co. gallery features a large selection o f fine couture
jewelry, loose G J A. and A G S certified diamonds, colored stones and is a full-service jeweler.
Services include jewelry repair and restoration, certified Rolex watch and dock repair, glass
and metal hand engravtngserviccs, bead andpearl re-stnnging. pewter repair and restoration,
and appraisal services Through the Positively Precious Program, b l y & Co. purchases
previously worn jewelry, stones, diamonds. Rolex watches andstemware from customers fo r
lujuuLitwn purposes
Lily & Co. has garnered several national awards: Voted.
“
CoolestJewelry Store
’’
in
the nation by I N S l ORT. mas lazine. They won the
5
Designer R e ta iler
"
award by
Jewelers Circular Keystone
(
JC K ) in their first year ofbusiness a n d also wonfrom 2006
2 0 I L J C K awarded them a
“5
S ta r S to re" in 2 0 0 9 and was given tlx lo p D oe
A w a rd " from Smart S im -in 2 0 1 1 in Chicago Locally, d x y have received “Best o f the
Islands" eight consecutive yean
Reading
From page 59
er than either one could have anticipated, pit
ting individuals against one another and
against the institutions meant to protect
them.. .a powerful tale of infidelity, account
ability, the allure of youth, the promise of
absolution, and the notion that madness is
everywhere, in plain sight.”*
“Jeeves and the Wedding Bells:
an homage to P.G. Wodehouse”
by Sebastian Faulks
“One B. Wooster, recently returned from
a very pleasurable sojourn in Cannes, finds
himself at the stately home of Sir Henry
Hackwood in Dorset. Bertie is more than
familiar with the country house set-up: he is
a veteran of the cocktail hour and, thanks to
Jeeves, his gentleman’s personal gentleman,
is never less than immaculately dressed. On
this occasion, however, it is Jeeves who is to
be seen in the drawing room while Bertie
finds himself below stairs - a role for which
he has no discemable talent and a situation
he doesn’t much like. The root cause of this
role reversal is love. Bertie, you see, has met
one Georgiana Meadowes on the Cote
d’Azur. However, Georgiana is spoken for.
Orphaned at young age, she is the ward of
the impoverished Sir Henry Hackwood. In
order to help Sir Henry maintain his beloved
Melbury Hall, Georgiana is engaged to
marry a man of sufficient means, one Rupert
Venables. Meanwhile, Peregrine ‘Woody’
Beeching, one of Bertie’s oldest chums, is
desperate to regain the trust of his fiancee
Amelia, Sir Henry’s tennis-mad daughter,
and has approached Bertie — well, Jeeves,
actually —for help. But why would this
necessitate Bertie having to pass himself off
as a servant when he has never so much as
made a cup of tea? Could it be that the ever
loyal, Spinoza-loving Jeeves has something
up his sleeve?” *
‘The Book of Strange New Things”
by Michel Faber
“It begins with Peter, a devoted man of
faith, as he is called to the mission of a life
time, one that takes him galaxies away from
his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in
the mysteries of an astonishing new environ
ment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation
known only as USIC. His work introduces
him to a seemingly friendly native popula
tion struggling with a dangerous illness and
hungry for Peter’s teachings — his Bible is
their ‘book of strange new things.’ But Peter
is rattled when Bea’s letters from home
become increasingly desperate: typhoons
and earthquakes are devastating whole coun
tries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s
faith, once the guiding light of their lives,
begins to falter. Suddenly, a separation
measured by an otherworldly distance, and
defined both by one newly discovered world
and another in a state of collapse, is threat
ened by an ever-widening gulf that is much
less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling
the needs of his congregation with the
desires of his strange employer, Bea is strug
gling for survival. Their trials lay bare a pro
found meditation on faith, love tested
beyond endurance, and our responsibility to
those closest to us.” *
“John the Pupil”
by David Flusfeder
“Set in thirteenth-century Europe, against
the backdrop of a medieval world where
beauty and violence, science and mysticism,
carnality and faith, exist side by side, this is
a masterful, mystery-laden novel from the
author of ‘The Gift’.. .Since he was a young
boy, John has studied at the Franciscan
monastery outside Oxford, under the tute
lage of friar and magus Roger Bacon, an
inventor, scientist, and polymath. In 1267,
Bacon arranges for his young pupil to
embark on a journey of penitence to Italy.
But the pilgrimage is a guise to deliver sci
entific instruments and Bacon’s great opus
to His Holiness, Pope Clement IV. Two
companions will accompany John, both
Franciscan friars: the handsome, sweet-tem
pered Brother Andrew, with whom everyone
falls in love; and the more brutish Brother
Bernard, with his secret compulsion for
drawing imaginary monsters. Neither knows
the true purpose of their expedition...a
medieval road movie, recounting the journey
taken from Oxford to Viterbo in 1267 by
John and his two companions. Modeling
themselves after Saint Francis, the trio treks
by foot through Europe, preaching the
gospel and begging for sustenance. In addi
tion to fighting off ambushes from thieves
hungry for the thing of power they are carry
ing, the holy trio
are tried and tempted by all
sorts of sins: ambition, pride, lust — and by
the sheer hell and heaven of medieval life.”
*
“The Asylum”
by Jeannette de Beauvoir
“Martine LeDuc is the director of PR for
the mayor’s office in Montreal. When four
women are found brutally murdered and
shockingly posed on park benches through
out the city over several months, Martine’s
boss fears a PR disaster for the still busy
tourist season, and Martine is now also
tasked with acting as liaison between the
mayor and the police department. The
women were of varying ages, backgrounds
and body types and seemed to have nothing
in common. Yet the macabre presentation of
their bodies hints at a connection. Martine is
paired with a young detective, Julian
Fletcher, and together they dig deep into the
city’s and the country’s past, only to uncov
er a dark secret dating back to the 1950s,
when orphanages in Montreal and elsewhere
were converted to asylums in order to gain
more funding. The children were subjected
to horrific experiments such as lobotomies,
electroshock therapy, and psychotropic med
ication, and many of them died in the
process. The survivors were supposedly
compensated for their trauma by the govern
ment and the cases seem to have been set
tled. So who is bearing a grudge now, and
why did these four women have to die?” *
* Book jacket/publisher description
—
Senior Librarian Ann Bradley is
branch manager Captiva Memorial Library