Wood-Finishing Gurus at DCTC

Don Williams of the Smithsonian & Tredway Childress of the U.S. Congress visit NIWF

Don Williams (left foreground) | Tredway Childress (right foreground)

On July 20–22, 2010, Mitch Kohanek, the college’s wood finishing technology instructor, welcomed his friend and mentor, Don Williams, to the National Institute of Wood Finishing on the DCTC Rosemount campus to teach a two-day workshop. The senior furniture conservator at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Materials Research and Education, Williams focused his hands-on, high-level workshop on the restoration of veneers and their finishes, covering in depth the nature and technology of the world’s finest veneer work.

Mitch Kohanek & Don Williams from the March 2010 workshop at the NIWF

Tredway Childress, a 1998 graduate of the DCTC Wood Finishing Technology program, attended the workshop and talked shop with old friends. Childress works as the senior restoration specialist and finisher for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. He presented Kohanek, a wood finishing legend in his own right, with a copy of a recognition speech delivered by Rep. Dan Lungren of California on the House floor. Here’s an excerpt:

“Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. Childress for his outstanding service to the House of Representatives over the past 7 years and thank him for his dedication to make the furniture in my office, and many others’, look more capturing than its original state. His commitment to preserving important symbols of our Nation’s history will be greatly appreciated for many years.”

• Recognition of Tredway Childress, House of Representatives Employee
• National Institute of Wood Finishing Blog

For more info on the DCTC Wood Finishing Technology program, contact Mitch Kohanek at 651-423-8362