Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center Gift Finder |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| NewsMonday, October 22, 2007 9:42 AM CDT |
 Comments (0) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Construction retiree continues to build but on smaller scale
BLOOMINGTON — Roger Dyson savored the feel and smell as he ran his fingers over a large piece of wood in his workshop. Dyson comes into contact with a lot of wood as he makes boats, trains and wagons. It’s a hobby that keeps the 90-year-old mentally and physically sharp. He sometimes works until midnight. “He stays very busy,” said daughter Judy Archer-Helbling, who lives in Normal. Dyson’s wife, Dorothy, also 90, lives in a McLean County nursing home. Dyson has lived in Bloomington since 1996 and has energy despite two back surgeries and a heart bypass. He once owned a commercial construction company in Wisconsin, where he built churches, schools and government buildings. Making things on a smaller scale helps keep the North Dakota native challenged. The models have minute details and are built from scratch, often from a picture of the original. Dyson favors pine and birch, which he typically finds in household furniture discarded at the curb. “If there’s a problem, I like to solve it,” he said. There’s plenty of challenge in his favorite boat model — tugboats — because of the detail of towing and rescue equipment. He uses a variety of saws and sanders to complete his work, and apparently does it well. “I have all my fingers,” he pointed out jokingly. Dyson personalizes his tugboats, giving them names such as Roger’s Toy and Jolly Roger. The boats, which weigh from 15 to 40 pounds, have motors and can be propelled through water. He’s passed down his love of working with the hands. His daughter builds miniature doll houses. A Florida grandson paints and displays railroad cars built by his grandfather. Dyson has no idea of the value of his models, but that’s not an issue as they are all going to grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In the meantime, Dyson continues to build. “I look at wood and wonder, ‘What can I do with it?’ ” E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
||||||||
|
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
