I LOVED the article on the chrinitoid, and have been equally curious over all these years as to what had happened to it. Thanks for the investigation.
I thought it was a "landmark" on campus as well...so much so that I started my own "memories of RPI" web pages with a picture I'd taken of it freshman year.

http://www.patmedia.net/jjbober4/rpi_fr.html

John-Joseph Bober '86

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Dear "Rensselaer",

Imagine my surprise at seeing my name in the magazine this month, and twice in the same article. Tom White and I authored the "Not the Rensselaer Handbook" back in 1985 as a parody of the real student handbook, and we included factoids about campus life that were relevant at the time. Alas, the Chrinitoid was just removed as we began our final drafts (well, truth is, we just stopped writing), so we left it in.

My obsession with the Chrinitoid is almost as strong as Tom Payne's. I've traveled several times back to campus and stood where it once was, trying to remember its massive panes delicately twisting in the breeze. The new sculpture is magnificent in its own way, but it's not the stunning accomplish that Two Rectangles, Vertical Gyrotory Up represented. I put up some images on early (mid-90's) web sites I created for my fellow WRPI alumni, and Tom found the image he uses there. I am sorry to say I didn't take many photos of the Chrinitoid when I was at RPI (1981-85), but the few I do have I'll scan and post on my website for all to see.

Remember that in NtRH, Tom White and I predict the return of the Chrinitoid ... the Swiss had better bolt it down tight ... Rensselaer pranksters are notorious for taking on heavy-duty challenges like this!

Steve "Skates" Staton '85

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Hello Tom,

My name is Scott Hunt and I graduated RPI in '90 and completed my masters in '92. That's not interesting I know but that entire time I lived at the George Rickey Worship! I didn't know anybody was looking for that particular sculpture and I too remember the threaded rods and nuts. I worked on the piece before it went to Zurich in 90. I would see the sculpture everyday when I left the workshop to go to school. I commuted to RPI and worked at the shop whenever I could. I started as a crate builder and made my way into the shop as a fabricator. George was great to work for and I was in like flynn because I was going to RPI.


I remember when the sculpture was to be installed in Zurich but I couldn't go because it interferred with my classes. George sent me that summer to Germany to adjust a piece in a bank in Munich and I stayed in his studio in Berlin. I greatly enjoyed my 5 yrs at the Rickey workshop. I built many sculptures from scratch and all were inspected by George. I wouldn't trade my experience at the Rickey workshop for anything and I do believe I learned as much there as I did at RPI. I now live in South Carolina with my wife and 3 children.

If I can help you in any way or answer any questions about the sculptures I would be happy too.
By the way , all the sculptures were made mostly of 304 Stainless and all bearing shafts were made of 416 SS. I know of no aluminum pieces other than a maquette or 2.


Tell your wife your not Crazy!!!!!

Hope you get to Zurich to see the Chrinitoid some day!!!

Sincerely
Scott Hunt

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Tom,

I do not know the exact conversation George had with the 'tute but I do know that he desired to keep it at RPI. $60K was a steal and the 'tute really messed that up. Since George has died the values of his sculptures would be considerable higher. In '90 I would have estimated the sculpture to be ~250,000 and about $500,000 today or higher. I fabricated one over the summer of '91 that was called 4 squares vertical eccentric that sold to a Japanese buyer for $250,000. That sculpture stood only 12' high. I guess I need to break out the welder again and build one for the school!!! Just kidding.

George always talked fondly of the school to me. He hired Roland Hummel who also taught at RPI to be his PE. Roland would size the bearings and shafts for various wind loads, spec out the proper base requirements to mount the sculptures too and many other calculations. I used to, after work, go through the files and check out the calculations. That Job was a tremendous asset to me as a prdouct development engineer with Michelin. I was truly blessed when George hired me. He knew that my goal in life at that time was to graduate from RPI and he helped make it happen. George was always pro RPI around me and expected me to keep him up to date with my grades and what I was taking for classes. He was of course a highly intelligent man and was to me a unique mixture of engineer and artist.

As to his death he was 93! He lived an incredibally productive life. I was never told the exact cause of death. I know in his last yrs he went to live with his son Philip in St. Paul. I know that as he got to where he couldn't weld he started painting again. He documented everything he ever did since a child. I used to read about his experiences as a child. He seemed to know that one day he would be famous at some level.

As to drawings for the Chrinitoid they should be on file at the studio in East Chatham. They contain multiple views and details and are fairly simple to understand. There is a lot on machine shop work that is required to produce the workings of a Rickey sculpture.

Hope that helped!
Scott



----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Payne
To: 'Scott Hunt'
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 7:14 PM
Subject: RE: Two Rectangles, Vertical Gyratory Up


Scott,

It's great to hear from you. I've gotten a lot of email as a result of the article, but none from someone who could be as "valuable" to the search as you. I never thought I would have the pleasure of corresponding with someone who actually knew Rickey. I have tons of questions, but here are some starters:

- People talk about bringing the Chrinitoid back to campus. My goal in finding the sculpture was to someday raise enough money to buy it back. Chances are not good that UBS would be willing to sell it, but do you have any idea what such a piece would get on the open market?

- Do you know anything about the removal? Rumor was that George wanted the 'tute to pay $60k to retain the loaner, but they claimed poverty. Is there any truth to this? From your email, it sounded like George remained fond of the school. Was this the case?

- I got an email from one of the professors who knew George (Heinrich Medicus) who doubts that he died of Alzheimer's. Do you know anything about this? (I reported Alzheimer's based on a website I read. I am curious as my father-in-law is suffering from ALZ and it creates an odd connection)

- Do any kind of schematics exist for the Chrinitoid? It would certainly make an RPI engineer's heart warm to see them.

That's it for now.

Thanks for writing

Tom

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Hello Tom,

I read your article in the Winter 2004 edition of Rensselaer and was intrigued enough to visit your web site. Just wanted to say THANKS for updating all of us RPI grads from the era who had the pleasure (and I really mean that...I LOVED that sculpture!) of passing by the "Two Rectangles, Vertical Gyratory Up, Variation III" every day on their way to and from class. I was surprised to learn that the sculpture was actually on load to the school and shocked that RPI let such an elegant and important SYMBOL slip through its technological fingers. Hopefully it was not because RPI didn't try as hard as it could to secure the dual multiple revolving axis monoliths for all ages, but Mr. Rickey's refusal to sell it for anything but the most inappropriate of prices. Maybe, just maybe, the Union Bank of Switzerland will someday...in an act of grand international good will, consider giving the statue back to RPI. For what goes around...comes around. Hopefully.

Again, thanks for the information and reviving some fond memories.

Lou Parry/Class of 75'

P.S. Now that I think about it, I don't believe I ever knew it was called the Chrinitoid during those blissful 4 years I was majoring in Physics at RPI from 71-75. Was it called that from the very beginning?

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