The "Mr. D: Teacher, Artist, and Friend" Story

It was an ordinary day. Searching for new artwork to grace the walls of the "Beach House." I knew I had a few in our bedroom closet so I flicked the light and started to go through the dozen or so that I had placed in the closet over the years. Carol and I enjoy buying artwork while on vacation and at times we find that we don't have enough wall area to hold all the artwork, so we make some changes and hang the new artwork and place the old in the closet. Today, as I am going through the displaced work, I came upon two pieces that were done by my friend and artist Neil Dreibelbis. For years Neil, known as Mr. D to his students, and I taught in classrooms right next to each other. Neil taught two-dimensional art while I taught the graphic arts. We talked every day and became good friends. I can still remember the nights that he would visit for my wife's famous oyster pie. Never could find many people who liked oyster pie, but Neil really enjoyed it. A bottle of wine and pie were all that was needed as Carol, Neil and I talked hours about almost anything. Neil had at one time taught art at Conestoga Valley High School, but then took a year-long sabbatical to study acting at New York's HB Studios. Neil landed a non-speaking role as a doctor on the afternoon soap opera General Hospital. After the sabbatical he returned to Conestoga Valley for one more year, then returned to New York to study contemporary dance at the Nikolai Dance Theater Lab. During his second stint in New York he was chosen to model as none other than GI Joe. His image was on thousands of GI Joe figurines that year dressed in his Green Beret attire. It was at the end of that year that one of his best friends, Jim Gallagher, who was the chairman of the art department at Manheim Township where I taught, convinced Neil that he should return to teaching and come to Township to teach. Shortly after the conversation, I had a new colleague in room 306, next to me. Neil dressed like an artist! Always the latest fashions and he had this fantastic aroma that made his room smell of art. I know that sounds dumb, but his cologne filled the air in the room. I loved sitting with him in his classroom talking about whatever was the topic of the day. We talked about our families and what was important to us. Neil told me one time that when he a child he always looked forward to Christmas and visiting with his Grandparents, because they would give him a new coloring book and crayons every year. Immediately inside Neil's classroom door to the left was an easel that held his latest canvas he was working on. In his free time and after school he would paint. Students loved watching him paint. Hey, so did I. We all marveled how it was so easy for him to touch the canvas and the colors would magically turn to art. Neil got his Bachelor's degree from Kutztown University in Art Education and his Master's from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. After Jim retired, Neil became the Art Coordinator for the district. It was during this time that Neil had the entire rear wall of Convocation Hall the school's auditorium, covered with mirrors for the performing arts program he developed and taught. In 1999, over the summer, he was invited as a guest artist at the University of Alaska and, after his retirement in 2000, served as a Cultural Exchange Instructor at the Quinghai Normal University in China. Since returning from China, Neil is devoted to becoming a full-time artist and has created a studio in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He still teaches musical theater workshops at the Kimmel Center of Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The Performing Arts is still a part of him. I have copied a quote from an online article where Neal states: "My work is motivated by the life experiences I encounter through close observation of man and nature, and by a curiosity and need for constant discovery. My work is based on emotions and feelings, personal reactions to experiences. It is not only an attempt at self-expression, but also a reaction to the radical changes I see occurring in our culture. My art is constantly evolving in its outlook and representation. In response to the rapid changes in technology, I find my art to be a counter balance to what I see happening around me." Vision is just as important to Neil as he quotes Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Well done, Mr. D. Neil's work can be found in numerous exhibitions and collections, as well as in my home. For a house warming gift when Carol and I moved to the "Beach House," Neil painted a really large canvas titled "Panis Angelicus" which is the 6th stanza of the hymn Sacris Solemnis by Thomas Aquinas. Sometimes "Panis Angelicus" is employed as a separate hymn at Benediction. Well, the colors were perfect for our home and the content of the painting is inspiring. I also have a rather small painting titled "Sangre deChristo" which resembles Christ on the Cross as well as a signed proof screen-print of the "Witness Farm", which is based on the movie that starred Harrison Ford and was filmed in Lancaster County. Thanks for the memories Mr. D. I'll see you soon in Phoenixville. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top include: Neil as pictured in room 306 in 1989, Neal as he appears now with his studio address and phone number, and below, my artwork from Neal featuring "Panis Angelicus"/Sangre DeChristo/ Witness Farm.