Acknowledgements
Below are listed those who have had a direct impact on
the quality of my flies and their presentation.
There are also many, many others – family members, close friends, and total
strangers – too numerous to mention in full, who have been tremendously helpful
and supportive. To all
those people, my sincerest thanks.
God – I thank God for His infinite grace and beauty, tiny
measures of which suffice to inspire me for a lifetime. I also thank God for instilling in me a
desire to create and giving me the means to pursue it. It is my aspiration that this endeavor honor
Him.
Brenda Davis – I thank my wonderful wife Brenda for
loving me far more than I deserve. She
has been a constant source of help and encouragement to me throughout this
endeavor, despite my own periodic admissions that what I was trying to do was
probably impossible. Brenda is a professional photographer and is solely
responsible for the exquisite photography found on this site. Finally, she offers outstanding service to
our customers.
An Nguyen – I thank my good friend An, a gifted custom jeweler, for sharing with me many years ago his
vision of jewelry-quality hooks. I also thank him for his irrational confidence in my ability
to achieve that vision. I have benefited
from his immense knowledge and skill far more than I could possibly repay, and yet
he has never asked anything of me in return for his help.
Alex Perkins – I thank my cousin Alex, an IT Coordinator by profession, for his help in
designing this website. He has spent many, many hours helping me learn how to set it up and manage it, and he continues to help me troubleshoot problems on an ongoing basis. Alex is both
extremely knowledgeable in all manner of computer work and extremely generous
with his time and resources; he refuses to accept any payment from me for his
services.
Kiersten Perkins – I thank Kiersten, Alex’s wife and a professional graphic designer, for her tireless hours designing and customizing the logo for my
business pro bono. To the public, Kiersten makes her graphic
design talents available on a freelance basis.
She may be contacted at kc@tiswell.com.
Christopher King – I thank my cousin Christopher for helping
me procure rare molted feathers. He is a
true conservationist and bird-lover who has been gracious with his time and
energy. I hope that my flies demonstrate
a proper regard for the animals for which he cares so deeply.
James Thurman – I thank James, Assistant Director of Art at Penn State
University, for sharing
with me from his expertise in metallurgical art. Specifically, he is responsible for first envisioning the
ingenious leader construction I’ve developed for my flies’ final presentation.
I would also like to thank Duane Davis, Sara Niederhuber, and Mena Davis for their continued advice and encouragement. My brother Duane has significant business and flyfishing expertise, my sister-in-law Sara has a terrific eye for color and style, and my mother Mena is simply the most creative person I've ever known. I consult each on a regular basis, and their influence permeates my work.
To these and others who have helped and encouraged me in so many ways, my deep gratitude.