As a teacher, Dot's special joy to this day is the success of her many students . . . At Orme School, she was the advisor / teacher to many young women and men who graduated from Orme to embark on interesting careers all over the world. At Orme, the teachers served as models and advisors as well as teachers, and typicaly all of a teacher's skills were manifest, so that in addition to the normal History and Science classes that Dot taught, she also instucted in horsemanship (including polo, pato as well as drilling and equestrian teams), flying and art. The fact that Art became a part of the curriculum, both as art history and art instruction in ceramics, drawing, painting and enameling helped students on a 40,000 acre cattle ranch to imagine and see possibilities and value of such a career.
Gordon Ward, an Orme student, class of 66, went on to study art at university and is now a fine Ikebana ceramacist living in the San Francisco area.
From his website ( GordonWard.net):
"After a formal education in art at the University of Oregon and graduating with an MFA in 1974, I set out to try to make a living by making pottery. Success was achieved in creating highly decorative dinnerware and gift ware, many with personalized lettering and images. This work helped raise a family but after 20 years, a change was in order, and I began to explore aspects and techniques of ceramics that I had left behind, having been seduced by the potters wheel early on. My interest in ikebana led to hand building with clay and coaxed me to work and explore in completely new ways. I love exploring different textural possibilities, often inspired by things found in nature, and sometimes even using pieces of stone or wood to create those textures. I also enjoy slab building and extruding, making the kinds of forms that certain glazes can work their magic on best.As a continuing student of Sogetsu Ikebana under sensei Soho Sakai, and with input from my many friends who are also teachers of ikebana and the members of Soho Study Group, my containers for ikebana are continually evolving."