Over the course of four evenings earlier this month, more than 500 friends and family members of Tomie dePaola gathered for a celebration of the late children’s book author-illustrator, marking what would have been his 89th birthday (September 15). He died in March 2020 of complications from surgery after a fall.
Organized by Bob Hechtel, dePaola’s long-time assistant, the set of memorials were held at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H., which currently has a small exhibition of his children’s book art. The museum also provides opportunities for budding artists through its Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund, which offers art classes, art camps, and school tours for children and teens.
Many attendees deliberately wore scarves as dePaola did, and which can be seen in some of his self-portraits. The memorials started off with food and drink and a chance to share memories with others who had known the artist. This was followed by a 40-minute film, titled The Complicated and Wonderful Tomie dePaola, produced by Pellet Media, which combined clips of dePaola dating back to childhood, and footage from 26 interviews conducted by Hechtel on Zoom. Among those included in the film were Maria Modugno, executive editorial director of Random House Studio, who called him “the most remarkable children’s book creator I ever worked with”; John Briggs, former Holiday House owner; Doug Whiteman, dePaola’s agent and former publisher; and Jarrett J. Krosoczka, children’s book author and illustrator, and his wife, Gina.
The events concluded with more food and drink, along with singing show tunes. The closing piece was a dePaola favorite, “On the Good Ship Lollipop,” which he sang on the Stranger Than Fiction album (1998), which included other author/musicians such as Stephen King, Norman Mailer, and Maya Angelou.
