Renaissance Man

WHEN YOUR CLIENTELE INCLUDES HOLLYWOOD'S ELITE AND SOME MEGA ROCK STARS, YOU MIGHT BE HEAVY IN THE TALENT DEPARTMENT ALL ON YOUR OWN.

PHOTOS BY ANDY TERZES TEXT BY GRETCHEN SOUTHWELL

A true artisan, David Winick's interior creations of Airstream trailers garnered him worthy acclaim. But, as his friends will attest to, his best role is just being himself.

David grew up in East Grand Rapids in the ’50s and loved re-enacting war scenes with his friends from the neighborhood. Most of his buddies had a family member or two who came back with memorabilia, stories of bravery, and tactical plans leading to victory which made the play feel real. Playing pretend grew his already creative brain, which led to many great adventures both real and imaginary.

A high IQ, quick wit, an advanced vocabulary, and a dry sense of humor make it really fun to hang out with Winick. Whether it be strolling Art Prize or listening to the Moon Rays play surf rock at Rocky's — or just hanging out in his workshop drinking beer, talk will easily lead to re-building vintage BMW motorcycles, well-made vintage tools, new inventions, Airstreams, anything wellmade, his love for Black German shepherds, his beloved Otis in particular, and Rock and Roll.

A FRIENDSHIP BEGINS

Ironically, my friendship with David Winick began six years ago when I read an article about him in a local news site. My happy, hippie heart has always loved VW Beetles and Buses. Maybe it's their roundness and fun lines or the faces I see when I look at them from the front. Maybe it's my fond memories of driving my 1990 VW Vanagon Syncro around the country ... there’s something similar with Airstreams. I just love them and when I read the article and realized David lived in Ada, I had to meet him. We hit it off, and I was thrilled that he agreed to give me a tour of his incredible workshop. It reminded me of a smaller version of my father’s factory from years ago, and how I fell in love with torching, welding and creating metal art. The metal artist in me was blown away by how many cool tools David had in his shop, and I was utterly impressed by how a “creative sort” was so incredibly organized. He is totally unique — intelligent, creative, kind, compassionate, full of humor and likely has both sides of his brain absolutely on fire. I knew then and there that we would be life-long friends.

AIRSTREAMS & DAVID WINICK DESIGNS

David’s affair with Airstreams began 13 years ago. And, like so many other passions in life, when you fully immerse yourself and fully commit, you dramatically increase your chances of success. Not only did David renovate his first Airstream to his own satisfaction and high standards, others took notice including rock stars, movie stars, and the CEO of Airstream himself. “Fully commit” may not be a strong enough term for David and his efforts. He literally wrote the book on Airstreams: Airstreams Custom Interiors. The book is rich in writing and photographs as David generously shares the steps he took to bring certain Airstreams back to life. It's not just a "DIY How-To" book — although it would be a great one — it's a passion-filled coffee table book meant to document his work and inspire others. The photos are lit with the expertise of a movie set art director and you feel like you've time-traveled back to a brilliant era in American history.

"I began to haunt E-bay like a stalker. In mid-June, a 1968 Caravel was listed on E-bay. It's a small, relatively lightweight trailer that I thought would be good for road trips." He played with the trailer for about a year before he considered making some modifications. "One thing led to another and I decided to totally disassemble the interior. I had a blast." No expenses were spared in either time nor materials, and David sourced out era-specific, and appropriate paint, wood veneer, fabric and linoleum that were not easy to find, let alone work with. The space was tight, most angles were rounded and curved from top to bottom, fixtures and appliances were miniature…” (David Winick, Airstreams Custom Interiors, Schiffer Publishing , Ltd., 2010)

David’s perfectionistic nature was certainly challenged, and one look at his hands tells you this work is not for the weak.

DAVID AND HIS FAMILY

Dave’s love for vintage and all things creative certainly rubbed off on his daughter Rebecca Gohl. Rebecca Gohl Hair and Makeup is an amazing outlet for her passions and creativity and she has built quite a following. She embraces an era gone by in her personal style from head-to-toe, stem to stern, inside and out. Her style is all her own and I’m sure the weekend trips to vintage flea markets with her dad and sharing their love for vintage decor, fashion, tools, gadgets, and toys cemented a truly special bond between them. If you want to see David really light up, just ask him about his granddaughters! http://rebeccagohl.com/home.html

Lori Tauer is Dave’s true love and they recently celebrated five years together. Collectively, you’ll not find a friend of Dave’s who is not entirely thrilled that the two of them found one another. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and both are filled with appreciation for the other. Their warm smiles when they look at each other are a sure giveaway, and they are one another’s biggest fan.

Since Lori moved from Minnesota to join forces with David, and there is a lot of “mutual missing” going on between Lori and her friends and family, the current Airstream being worked on is Lori’s very own. Since David designed the special 75th Anniversary Airstream for the CEO, he can ask a few favors of the company. There will be only 75 Limited Edition 75th Anniversary Airstreams made, all lovingly designed by David. For his efforts, he may now purchase brand new Airstream “shells.” He is the only person on the planet allowed this special privilege...pretty cool!

These two crazy lovebirds are having a ball working on Lori’s Airstream, going for evening rides in David’s vintage Scout convertible, raising chickens, cooking fabulous meals, gardening, listening to cool music and making hard cider.

ACME CIDER COMPANY

Personally, when I first heard about their hobby-turned-business endeavor, and heard the name Acme, my mind conjured up visions from the old Looney Tunes Cartoons: Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn ... it made me grin. Acme is synonymous with pinnacle — the best, which is why they chose the name. Just for fun, this awesome two-some entered their home brewed ciders in local, statewide, national and international competitions and won prestigious awards in all of them. It became obvious to them that they really enjoyed making cider together, and they were really good at it. Time to take their hobby to the next level. Because of their rich friendships and connections with talented film-makers, their “Kickstarter Campaign” was darnnear perfection. For online viewing, please check out the video on their website www.acmecider.com get a fun glimpse of this dynamic couple and their award winning cider.

People like David are truly one in a million, and great things have been written about him over the years. His humility is one of his most wonderful qualities, and we’re grateful that he opened up to us with an honest interview with some “off the beaten path” questions. We tickled his brain and learned more about what makes David, David.

Favorite Book? At 50, he read About Face- A Soldier’s Odyssey of an American Warrior, and others by Col. David Hackworth. He was quite possibly the most decorated soldier ever and David gets teary eyed wishing he could have shaken his hand. Col. Hackworth lied about his age and joined the military at age 15. He died at an early age, and David’s comments included: smart, genuine, courageous, leader, respect.

Treasure Island was a story he absolutely loved as a child, and has read it several times. Each time he was moved by the pure adventure and fun of the classic story that opened his mind.

While he was an only child, his mom had many sisters and he had a lot of cousins. One of his aunts had a camp in upstate New York, and at age 10, David traveled to the camp on his own by train from Grand Rapids. The Porter was given twenty dollars to “keep an eye” on David, but he became a worldly adventurer at an early age. He laughed heartily when I asked, “Was it like the movie Dirty Dancing?” In looks, yes, but it was a camp for children of wealthy families. Age three was the youngest of the campers, and David thoroughly enjoyed going back each summer for the next five years. His favorite parts were catching turtles, frogs, snakes, and salamanders in the woods and hunting for special rocks. The area was known for natural quartz to be hiding in special spots. These summers were so profound, that David started a Facebook Group Page dedicated to re-connecting with his old friends from camp.

Were your parents strict? His reply was sweet...he was a good boy...until his teenage years! “They should have locked me up from ages 14-17!” The music may have had something to do with that, and David still enjoys a variety of music genres. Rock is still his favorite. His voice was his instrument along with the harmonica. Rock was a new era, and he believes there was no better time to be a teenager than the mid-sixties. “It was a new way of looking at things...rebelling against everything!”

After high school, David wasn’t ready to go to college and he took off for adventures overseas. Luxembourg was his first stop, then Frankfort, Rome and landing in Tel Aviv, Israel. His Jewish faith came to life as he lived and worked there building a cattle ranch in Golan Heights with a handful of others. They lived on a farm and made very little money, but all of his needs were met. He learned the value of teamwork, gained confidence and became self-reliant. His work ethic was fully developed there and he really understood the value of being a hard-worker.

Six Day War hero Col. Shimon “Katcha” Cahaner was David’s leader, and all of the men that were in charge of the project went on to be passionate Statesmen in Israel. To David, they were family. When I asked, “What brought you back?”

He replied, “Drafted.” It was a somber and emotional reply. David continued that had he stayed, he’d likely be dead. The soldier that has always been in him would have been passionately fighting in Israel along-side of his Iconic and extremely brave friends. His heart was torn, but legally, he had to return to the U.S. His number was never called up for battle, and at this point, he decided to be a designer. Next step, Kendall College.

“David Winick, a West Michigan native, has not been the seeker of fame and glory, but following his passions and a commitment to truly excellent craftsmanship has allowed David several brushes with fame- Rock Stars, Hollywood A-List Actors, and famous business moguls. He doesn't seek them out, it is they that find him. David doesn't pay much attention to popular choices, or following trends, he just does his thing to the best of his ability and follows his passions. He sets trends without realizing it and has created quite a following.” – Gregg Palazzolo of Palazzolo Design, A friend of David’s

Part of the magic of the interview came from intentionally rifling off random questions to pull from different areas of David’s brain. I asked, “If you were given a million dollars, and could only use it for charity, what would you do with it?”

His rapid reply, “Housing for homeless people and health insurance for those that don’t have it.”

Being an Airstream master keeps him thinking about solutions in housing. Quonset huts captured his imagination and he has friends nearby who have refurbished one recently. Quonset hut communities are popping up in Detroit, and they are strong structures, relatively inexpensive, and can be built quickly.

Then we played with the Million dollar question where he could use the money selfishly. His response: “Property in Utah. I love the four corners area out west.” He doesn’t care for the mud huts and straw/mud brick constructions. Steel is his clear choice. He also would love to take a large area of Grand Rapids and design really cool housing options, all very different and eclectic.

Bouncing again to the question, “If you were invisible for a day…?” Both David and Lori would like to be flies on the wall and listen to conversations in the executive branch of our government to hear what’s really happening.

“Cool” is a word that is often used to describe David. I brought up his many cowboy shirts that I’ve seen him in over the years. He just loves them and has quite a collection. “Levi’s?” I asked. He responded that he actually prefers Lee because they have more belt loops in better placement than Levi’s. The conversation then turned to a documentary on denim that David and Lori watched recently. You could say they were “riveted” and went on and on about the history of denim in the U.S., and how Japan bought the old looms and now make the best denim in the world. Words like “shuttle looms,” “projectile looms,” “picks” and “weft” were comfortably being used by both Dave and Lori, and it was all new to me! What makes you cry? was the next question, to which he replied, “Cruelty to something or someone that cannot protect itself.”

What makes you laugh? “Observational humor, quick witty responses, unexpected responses.” Both Lori and David agreed. Then David discussed a recent improv stint on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and we roared with laughter as he described the scene. So that took care of what he likes to watch on TV, but both he and Lori enjoy documentaries and love to learn.

Favorite Word? “Why” was his answer. A great word that when you ask it, you learn something new. Lori’s favorite word would be “Acknowledge.” It’s a respectful word and people need to be acknowledged, it’s a form of love.

Favorite Meal? “Anything Lori Cooks!” After the laughter, we had a beautiful discussion about Thanksgiving turkey. “Every week should be Thanksgiving! It’s something we grew up with and triggers great memories! And, everyone has their own way of making “Mom’s stuffing” and it’s just great!”

Opera? David couldn’t sing opera music, but there were other non-speaking parts and David enjoyed being part of the theatre. He won parts in five different operas and his favorite is Tosca. David and Lori enjoy going to the opera and they present as a truly elegant couple in formal gown and tuxedo.

Willing and receptive, David feels bad for kids who are not receptive. What he loves most about life is a curiousness and enjoying the benefits of wisdom that comes with age. Both David and Lori love their children and grandchildren ... and each other. A toast to their future chapters seems only appropriate. ❂

Acme Cider Company, Winick’s and Tauer’s hobby-turned-business endeavor, has received statewide, national and international awards. For online viewing of their “Kickstarter Campaign” please check out the video on their website www.acmecider.com