The amazing sketch you see is by Eric Stafford. Eric is a good friend and an exceptional artist. Thank you, Eric.
Nobody could ever have ever imagined the arts community would lose two community theatre giants on the same weekend. We pause to share our personal perspective of two men who touched so many lives and influenced, if not defined the landscape of theatre as we know it in Hickory and surrounding areas.
A-ron
Aaron Lewis and I played several productions, but I remember our moments together outside the theatre more-so than in. I knew him as an actor, a director and a technical director. I didn’t know him well, but he knew everyone well. He had a gruff gift for cutting to the chase (something this Jersey boy appreciates). “A-ron” always took the time to catch up with me and make me laugh. He was never short a joke, a story, good-unsolicited advice or a compliment. What I admired most about Aaron was the time he took to connect with you. He never made you feel as if you were wasting his time. He was the life of the party and his notorious laugh was second to none.
I can only imagine the production that’s brewing up there with Charles, his wife Suzie, Aaron, James “Buzz” Atwood, Leesa Schoeberle, Jimmy Best, Ginny Donohue, Steve Bean, Louis Nunnery… the list has grown too long, too quickly. God graced us with such an amazing, artistic community. I value the time I was personally able to spend with and learn from each of them. The seeds they planted continue to grow in all of us.
Aaron did not want to have a traditional funeral, but rather a celebration. So, this Sunday, June 14th from 4 pm ’til 6 pm at McGuire’s Pub in Hickory there will be an informal Celebration of the Life of Aaron Grady Lewis. Come on down and share your stories and enjoy a beverage or two in honor of the man with the great laugh.
Aaron “A-ron” Grady Lewis
Courtesy of Dear Friends
Aaron Grady Lewis of Conover died Sunday, June 7, 2015, after a long illness, at Brookdale Assisted Living, formerly Hickory Manor, in Hickory. He was born Aug. 29, 1949, the son of Hurdle and Donna Lewis of Mebane, N.C., and came to Hickory in the mid-1970s to work in the partial hospitalization program at Catawba County Mental Health. In 1980, he enrolled at Lenoir-Rhyne College where a small part in a play ignited a lifelong love of theatre. He graduated May 6, 1984, with a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts.
After college, he founded OBIE Productions (Our Business Is Entertainment) where he produced and presented several dessert productions (have dessert, see a play). He is Technical Director Emeritus at Hickory Community Theatre where he was on staff in that position for many years. He acted in and directed shows at Foothills, Catawba Valley Community College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Green Room and other theatre groups for the remainder of his life. In 1996, he was employed at Broughton Hospital as a drama therapist and later in administration, with volunteer services and later with staff development. He retired in 2011.
In addition to theatre, he was a Civil War buff and had visited many southern battlefields. He was also an avid poker player, and not sissy games like “follow the queen” or “Dr. Pepper baseball” with every other card wild, but “seven-card stud”, nothing wild. He played regularly with friends and hosted games at Brookdale up until a couple of weeks before he died. He also enjoyed visits to Harrah’s in Cherokee and made several pilgrimages to Las Vegas.
He had his faults. He smoked like a chimney and had a command of profanity that made some friends blush. He loved a good joke and was rarely without one handy. He had a distinctive laugh such that you could realize he was present even in a crowded room. He tended bar part-time at McGuire’s Pub because he enjoyed it as much as anything. He was as thoughtful a human being in conversation as your basic saint.
A lifelong bachelor, he is survived by his mother, several cousins, nieces and nephews, and many dear friends who admired his talent, independence and courage and now mourn their loss. During his extended illness many stepped forward to assist in his care and some new friends were made who contributed as well. Among them were: C. Jane Johnson, Joy Mease, Joy McManus Rodgers, Joyce Reid, Tom and Joni Coppinger, Dick and Norma Frank, Dana Biehler, childhood friend John Jarrett and, Charles Jeffers.
Others too numerous to mention came to his assistance during crises and helped with his move to Brookdale and other tasks. These include Mark Rose and Lisa Kemerait, Bob and Cindy Whittiker, Bob Bamberg and Ruth Farrington, Ray Mills, the wonderful staff at Brookdale, and Palliative Care/Hospice of Catawba Valley. So many helped that someone was surely left out of this list. Our sincere apologies and sincere thanks to you.
A celebration of the life of Aaron Lewis will be held at McGuire’s Pub, 46 3rd St. NW, Hickory, N.C., Sunday, June 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. Please come and share memories with those who knew and loved Aaron.
Jeff
I first wrote of Charles “Jeff” Jeffers’ kindness soon after I started getting involved with HCT in ’97… view
Jeff has been a great inspiration to me. His family made it possible for us to marry on the Jeffers mainstage at Hickory Community Theatre with our reception in The Firemen’s Kitchen. HCT has been such a huge part of our lives and we can’t imagine it without him.
I was fortunate enough to sit down and record his and Tina’s stories for the 60th anniversary videos. They’re priceless. He joked, “To have someone sit and listen to the ramblings borders on the erotic.”
My favorite note from Jeff… “Stop acting.” — The Foreigner, 1997
He asked me to sound design for him on more occasions than I can remember. His trust in me as a volunteer means mountains to me.
In August of 2010, Charles selflessly helped me and my father resolve a personal, family crisis. The peace Jeff brought to my father prior to his (my father’s) unexpected passing in January of the following year, is immeasurable. My father never had the opportunity to personally and directly thank Jeff for his help, but he passed with the highest gratitude for Jeff’s role in that whole chain of Godly events.
My favorite comment after The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] in November of 2012… “You are shameless (with a grin).”
On May 30, 2014, he took the time to write, “Having been out of the country since May 4th, I am one of the few people in Hickory who hadn’t seen Les Mis’ until last night. And all the word of mouth, I found, was right. It is a marvelous production with all involved in top form. Leading the way for all, were you and Carol Anne. Your performances were of the highest order. Polished and sincere. Being a part of this production must be of great pride for you. Rightfully. For it will be recognized as a benchmark in HCT’s history. Sincerely Jeff.”
I wish I could say I knew Jeff as well as others, nevertheless he had a precious way of making you feel like family. The real value of his legacy lies beneath the beauty of the near-century of art he showered our community with—the personal relationships. The last thing he personally said to me in the rehearsal hall in December of 2014 with a handshake and that sweet smile of his… “Hello, old friend.”
Goodbye, old friend.
He said to me, “When you can, pass the favor on.” I founded Hickory Arts on that advice. Needful to say, if it wasn’t for “The Other Jeff” (as he often liked to sign his emails to me), I wouldn’t be the “Jeff” I am today.
Hickory Community Theatre | Artistic Directors Reception
The Firemen’s Kitchen
April 15, 2010
I’m not sure how or why I have audio from this evening, but I’m not complaining. It’s priceless. It begins with Jeff’s (Charles’) infamous laughter. You’ll hear stories from colleagues, family and friends honoring Charles Jeffers and Pamela Livingstone. Carol Anne and I are still humbled to have been personally requested to be a part of that very special reception in the wake of so much history, in the company of so much esteem.
Jeff Mingus once said to me, “You are a true artist and great friend… You are very special people to me even though we don’t see each other nearly enough.” We very much feel the same way about him and our HCT family?true artists and great friends we don’t see nearly enough of, especially beyond the hustle and bustle of a production and the twists and turns life presents us with. Raising three boys is a full-time job, so the artistic time we’re able to share with HCT is precious.
The most valuable example Charles set for me was that raising a family can be a part of and the greatest part of your artistic journey.
This simple audio file speaks volumes. If I may echo Mingus’s sentiments at the end of the track, that cherished gathering and demonstration of love and respect… “I only have one last thing to say and that’s what I say best, sometimes. Thank you.”
Our “harts” ache for the arts community. Standing ovation for two lives well lived.
“Keep it going, okay?” — Charles Jeffers to the HCT Staff, June 3, 2015
*The raw, unedited audio is also available on our YouTube channel by clicking here.
Jeff Hartman
Artistic Director, Hickory Arts
June 8, 2015
Charles “Jeff” Jeffers
Courtesy of the Jeffers family
Hickory lost one of its iconic citizens on Saturday, June 6, 2015.
Charles “Jeff” Edward Jeffers of Hickory died after a short illness.
He was born to the late Dorothy Jones and Harl Jeffers on May 9, 1933 in San Diego, California, where his family was associated with the Old Globe Theater, a landmark in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Jeff was educated in San Diego schools, graduating from San Diego High School and attending San Diego state University. After two years at San Diego State, he was awarded a Violetta Horton scholarship to pursue a degree in dramatic arts at a college of his choice. Choosing to come to the east coast, a friend told him about the Carolina Playmakers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. It was North Carolina’s good fortune – and Jeff’s — that he chose UNC to matriculate.
While at UNC he met his future bride, Suzanne Kramer, daughter of Ted and Estelle Kramer of Hickory, also studying in the drama department at UNC-CH. They were married in Hickory in 1956 just before he was drafted into the Army interrupting his college career. After two years in the Army at Fort Carson, CO and Fort Huachuca, AZ, he and Suzanne returned to Hickory where Jeff became a manager at Kayser-Roth Hosiery Co. Leaving the hosiery business in 1976, while Suzanne taught English and Shakespeare at Lenoir-Rhyne College, Jeff finished his dramatic arts degree there, then completed his Master’s Degree in dramatic arts at UNC Greensboro.
A motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, once described the challenge of leadership as “to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” Charles Jeffers could be the model for this quote. His leadership, as a community leader, as a theater director, and even on twenty consecutive years of vacations he took with Suzanne, his brother-in-law, Ted, and his wife, Dorothy, personified these characteristics. His loving devotion to Suzanne and his daughters, Tina and Ellie, and all of his family, matched his dedication to his city and profession.
Jeff was a long time Hickory Rotarian, serving as president in 1974-75 and recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow. He also served on the Advisory Board of the Hickory Library, was a past President of the Hickory Arts Council and past Chairman of the Hickory Board of Education. He volunteered at Hickory’s Habitat for Humanity Restore for 12 years.
But even as a hosiery manufacturer, the dormant theater arts major in him kept surfacing. Craig Noel, the Founding Director of the Old Globe in San Diego recruited Jeff to take a leave of absence from Kayser-Roth and direct a play at the Old Globe in San Diego. As a result, Noel pressured Jeff to return to his California roots permanently to join the Old Globe formally, but Jeff opted to remain where he was – Hickory’s gain, San Diego’s loss.
Jeff began working with the Hickory Community Theater in 1957, later becoming its Executive and Artistic Director. Under his tutelage, the HCT became one of the foremost community theaters in the state, its volunteer and audience base the largest per capita in North Carolina.
His active association with the theater group continued until shortly before his death. He directed and acted in more than 200 productions. At the 1993 North Carolina Theater Conference (NCTC) Festival of the American Association of Community Theaters (AACT) he won Best Actor for his performance in “Walk in the Woods”. In 2000, he received a received a Distinguished Merit Award “for promotion and development of the highest standards for Community Theater” by the (AACT) and in 2004 was named “Outstanding Director” in Community Theater by the Southeastern Theater Conference. He received a Marion H. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the NCTC in 2006. He has served as Chairman of NCTC’s Community Theater Division and named to the North Carolina Arts Council’s Community Theater Panel. But perhaps his proudest award was having the Hickory City Auditorium renamed the “Jeffers Theater” in his honor.
He was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Suzanne; his sister, Sue Brownie Guiles; and his son-in-law, Brian Hall. He is survived by his two daughters, Bettina Jeffers Batson and husband, Mitchell, of Winston-Salem, NC, Elinor Jeffers Hall of Pittsburgh, PA and their children. Also surviving are his brother-in-law, Capt. Ted Kramer, Jr., USN (Ret) and his wife, Dorothy, of Cornelius, NC and several close cousins, nieces and nephews and their offspring.
A service honoring Jeff will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at the Church of the Ascension, 726 1st Ave. NW, Hickory, NC, with the Rev. Karla Woggan officiating. Following the service, his ashes will be interred in the church memorial garden, next to his wife, Suzanne. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.
Memorials can be made to the Hickory Community Theater, 30 3rd St. NW, Hickory, NC 28601, or Habitat for Humanity, 722 4th Ave. SW, Hickory, NC 28602, or Catawba Regional Hospice, 3975 Robinson Rd., Newton, NC 28658.