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After graduation from Nevada High, I went off to Joplin Junior College on a football scholarship with Roger Marquardt and George Hagerman. After 2 years of a lackluster college career, I got married to the love of my life, Marie Baysinger. We moved to Kansas City where Marie went to Pharmacy School. I went to night classes for a year and worked for Ronson, get this, as a cigarette lighter mechanic. Marie persuaded me to take a portfolio of my drawings to the Kansas City Art Institute. I was accepted and felt I had found heaven. There I migrated toward Sculpture, where I studied with internationally renowned sculptor, Dale Eldred. Also while there I had the opportunity to meet and work with many world class artists. I realized "I can do this". I received a BFA in Sculpture in 1968 – Marie had finished Pharmacy school- and our son, Med, was born. We moved to Norman, Ok to the Univ. of Oklahoma where I got an MFA in Sculpture in 1970. I had several shows and some commissions in Oklahoma City and worked as a carpenter- which is real handy now. I taught foundations art classes at the Univ.- Marie worked part-time as a pharmacist – and our 1st daughter, Melissa, was born. |
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In 1971 I accepted a teaching appointment at Buena Vista College – now Buena Vista University- in the beautiful northwest Iowa town of Storm Lake. Our 2nd daughter, Marcy, was born that fall. I retired this last spring after thirty years. My cohort in the Art Department also retired after 31 years. As a retirement gift the University ask us to give the commencement address. They awarded us honorary doctorates. Can you believe it, a coon hunter farm boy from Nevada. We had 30 years of building an art department of reputation. Many of our graduates have gone on to graduate school and 2 of our students have won the "one of the top 10 graduates students" at the International Sculpture Conference. My sculpture and the University have made it possible to travel all over the world- Europe, Mexico Guatemala, and China. I have been very fortunate to build a lot of sculpture – check my web page at: www.hornecker.bvu.edu. My last large piece was in the International Sculpture Exhibition at Chicago’s Navy Pier through the summer and fall. Marie and I are enjoying retirement and have relocated to a warmer climate in Arkadelphia, AR. We’re spending our time designing and building our dream home- with our own hands. Golf is close by as well as lakes and rivers, with good canoeing and fishing. I have been asked to teach sculpture at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. It’s nice to be part-time, no committees or politics- just sculpture. I also still have a large studio in Iowa when it gets to hot in Arkansas. I want to do more traveling. Our kids live in Duxbury, MA; Cincinnati, OH; and Norman OK, which keeps us on the road. We have one grandson in Norman. He is almost 4, and the love of our life. It is great to have time to just pack up and go- retirement is great! Hi Doug McRenolds - warm weather, think about it!
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