[TheForge] Re: [NEBList] bud oggier

Wed Oct 30 09:25:00 2002

Sorry to hear of Bud's passing. I remember him from the many Bill
Gichner Hammer-In's that he attended and was emcee for the
demonstrators. He was a very good match to Bill. Watching and listening
as he talked and worked, I learned many things about blacksmithing and
blacksmiths.=20

I send sympathy to his family.

Mark Williams
Snow Hill, Maryland

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]=20
Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2002 10:05 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [TheForge] Re: [NEBList] bud oggier

A crosspost from the New England Blacksmiths list, by request of the=20
author...

In a message dated 10/26/02 6:35:34 PM Eastern Standard Time,=20
[email protected] writes:

> As we all think back on our varying degrees of association with Bud
Oggier=20
> over the years, a lot of stories should be coming up about him. He was
a =20
> very interesting man and lived life "his way", retiring from "the nut=20
> house,"=20
> (the Allison Division of GMC) in the late sixties. He was a smart man
and=20
> had=20
> a lot of retirement years to develop his many interests. One of them
was=20
> blacksmithing. Machine work was his profession. He was a Master
Mechanic=20
> and=20
> as he once said to me when I naively asked if he knew anything about
some=20
> machine I was lusting for. "Dave, I've set up and ------ up every
machine=20
> ever made." In the sixties his signature could appropriate machines up
to=20
> one=20
> million dollars (when it was real money) and they had to pay for
themselves=20
>=20
> in 6 months. A year at the most.
>=20
> I first met Bud in 1971 when he and his wife Val visited my first shop
in=20
> Newfield Maine. It was a rickety old two car garage. You could throw a

> stone=20
> out through the cracks in the walls. When Bud walked in he introduced=20
> himself, looked around to take in the situation and made up his mind.
A=20
> work=20
> bench, grinder, wooden forge, good anvil and a hand blower. that's
all.=20
> "This=20
> guy is a nut, needs help and I wonder if he'll make it" is what he
must=20
> have=20
> thought. Good luck and goodby.
>=20
> Over the years our paths, of course, crossed often. He was a great
help and=20
>=20
> resource over the years and it was at the 1978 ABANA conference when=20
> several=20
> of us from NE, including Bud, decided to form up the NEB.  This last=20
> workshop=20
> Bud attended was the 50th event and our 25th year. There's only two of
us=20
> still around.
>=20
> One of my favorite stories was one he told about his journeyman's
migration=20
>=20
> to the Midwest. His intent was to work for any company for six months
or=20
> until he stopped learning, whichever came first, and then move on. One
shop=20
>=20
> he found himself at was a locomotive repair shop. There was an evident

> difference in perspective between the management and Bud. When he
stated=20
> his=20
> intent to move on (his six months were passed) they insisted he stay
on and=20
>=20
> increased his pay. This happened a couple of times but he didn't think
he=20
> was=20
> learning any thing new. So, while helping to lift a locomotive, he saw
the=20
> floor was clear, and dropped it. He was on the road again.=20
>=20
> We'll miss you Bud
>=20
> David A. Court
> Bay Hill Forge
> Northfield, NH.

   Bill Alleman
   Tavern Village Forge & Woodcraft
   Weare, NH

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