Ken Liesse just posted this. Ken speaks for all of us in our appreciation of Gene Swanson
“It is with great sadness that I report the passing of my friend, Gene Swanson, MMR last Friday in Tacoma, WA. Gene was a fixture in 4D/PNR and had just won the President’s Award from the NMRA in June of this year. Gene ran the Tacoma Clinic for over two decades and was instrumental in building the popularity of that meeting. He was also a member of the Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers and built several of the structures on the layout, mostly from scratch. Gene preferred to work in wood, but would “stoop” to plastic on occasion when necessary.
My own association with Gene began when I started attending the Tacoma Clinic. Gene’s welcoming nature brought me into the group and made me feel at home. His layout was the first I assessed for MMR and I was very happy to be on hand when he was awarded this honor. He also invited me to help out with a traveling museum exhibit, which culminated with me doing the figures and animals for a traveling display depicting how the railroads tamed the west that visited several museums around the country.
Ever a high school sports fan, Gene was very encouraging to my son, who was a budding high school sports photographer when they met. They formed a friendship of their own, and Gene ended up commissioning my son to do a photo book of Gene’s layout, which ended up with four separate printings.
Gene will be missed by all in 4D and PNR.”
Thanks, Ken.
I have a beautiful castle I once bought at a miniature show. I have had it for years and just now am working on finishing the inside. I did the outside right after I bought it. It is built out of lightweight wall board although you can”t tell. Here is a photo of it, do you think your Gene Swanson built it? Joan Eickelberg ps darn it, couldn’t send the photo. if you send me your regular email, maybe it would work.
Hello…I don’t know why I did not see this before. Maybe so late now that you will not receive this. I am Gene Swanson’s wife. I wanted to let you know, so you are not always wondering, that Gene never built a castle to my knowledge. I would have known since he needed some assistance with colors as he was color blind and I never saw a castle over the years. That type of structure would not have been something he would have built unless someone asked him to do it for them.