Feathers for Father's Day

This is an especially special tie for a special day. I'm posting it on father's day in honor of my father, William Glenn Stuivenga, who passed away just over a year ago, on March 23, 2005. Born on October 20, 1921, in Tillamook Oregon, he was 83 years old at the time of his death.

This is one of the ties that he had owned and worn in the 1940's and 50's and which he passed along to me when I asked him for them. I posted his blue and red paisley tie back in January when I started this vintage tie blog.

But not only is this tie especially meaningful at this time because of its having been my Dad's, it is a special tie in its own right. It is certainly one of the most vibrantly colorful and dramatically designed ties in my collection. Two bright feathers (I suppose they could possibly be leaves) rest in a swirled pattern of brilliant color on a shaded gray background.

It has always been one of my absolute favorite ties, one that I loved to show and wear. I especially like the way it flares out slightly at the base, giving it a dramatic and dashing appearance. And the colors and pattern are quite wonderful. This tie would hold a prized place in my collection even if it weren't my Dad's.

Unfortunately, I had to give up wearing it some years back, as it is just plain wearing out. If you look closely, you may be able to spot the fraying along the bottom edge of the tie, and the thin central part, where it is tied, is fraying very badly as well. You can see part of it along the edges of the narrow piece on the left. Nowadays, I generally have it mounted in a shadow box, and hung on the wall, along with two other special ties that deserve that kind of special treatment.

Here are two pictures of my Dad from the approximate era when he probably wore this tie. He is not wearing a tie in either picture, but he probably only wore ties to church, or to weddings, or other similar formal functions. In the first picture he is shown with his father, William Stuivenga, my grandfather. In the second, he is shown with my Mom, Joy nee Manley, shortly after they were married. While neither picture shows him in a tie, they do at least give an idea of his appearance back in the era when he would have presumably worn this tie.