BIGE NEWMANOccupation: Retired from Farmers Chemical and BASF.Family: Wife Roberta, three children, seven grandchildren.Unusual materials used: Snakewood, pink ivory.People would be surprised to know: He has made 20,000 walking sticks over 20 years.
Forty years ago, Frank “Bige” Newman picked up a pocketknife and began whittling for a hobby. Starting with little hammers and whirligigs, he carved a path into more intricate pieces until he had his own shop to make household items and furniture.
Now every room in his home is filled with bowls, tables, candlesticks, vases, chests, dining tables, goblets and furnishings. His work spills over into two barns behind the house on his Harrison property, one of which also holds his shop.
But Newman’s claim to fame is his walking sticks.
More than just functional staffs for support, these canes are intricately worked with spirals, beading or combinations of woods, before they’re lacquered to a gleaming finish.