Jon Gierlich embodied Cornish in a way few have. As a young man, he was drawn to the emerging work of Beat artists and folk doing cool and odd and wonderful things at places such as Black Mountain College, folk such as Merce Cunningham and John Cage. He moved to Seattle from the Midwest, mindful of the impact Cornish was having on culture, needing to be a part of it. To our great, manifold, benefit, Jon was to teaching born. Generations of Cornish students locate Jon at the very heart of their experience here.
Jon was free of cliché and he encouraged this in others. He was resolutely ethical and could be remorselessly, lucidly, delightfully, irreverent. He was a sweet man with considerable swagger. He swore beautifully, generally in praise or discovery or sheer wonder. For a man so challenged by several forms of advanced arthritis, he was remarkably restless, always on the move, unstoppable. He was a constant presence at events around Seattle, many obscure, but always the place to be.
He knew everyone, would pause to speak with anyone, thoughtfully, openly, sincerely. As many Cornish elevator commuters can attest, Jon was a master of hello. A two minute ride with Jon would leave you with hours of unpacking… He spoke many idioms fluently, but will be perhaps most remembered for his capacity for poetic compression.
Jon was sensitive to what he called his exit. He spoke of it from time to time, always with compassion (something we rarely extend toward ourselves), but never self-indulgently. Never that. I believe that for him, death was but one more thing to marvel at, though in this case, and without cliché, inevitable, encompassing, transformative, yet ultimately unknowable, except in death.
Ultimately, he may have passed on in the best, most timely fashion possible. In recent months, Jon was resurgent. He was moving forward from knee surgery so positively, so optimistically, literally impatient to have the other knee done so he could get on with things. He was more buoyant than I had seen him in a long time. And he was teaching. It is impossible to imagine Jon not teaching. And it is impossible to imagine the Design Department without him.
Jon, we adore you, respect you, and miss you well beyond the bounds of expression. PS - As I write this, I am imagining you taking Steve Jobs to task, so I am smiling…
Grant Donesky, Chair, Design Department
Jon’s family has created this site where they welcome memories and comments.
You may also share memories of Jon with the rest of our community on our Facebook page.
Photo: Winifred Westergard
