The details of the grandfather clock built by Mark Voigt’s environmental technology class are what make it truly special, from the matching grains around corners to the cuts of wood from different parts of the tree for darker and lighter tones. Photos by Adam Hammer ’05
The handsome piece of furniture and class service learning project was a welcome gift for Atwood, the facility often referred to as “the living room of campus,” as well as a rewarding project for all involved.
The clock, constructed of rough-sawn black walnut with burled walnut accents, was a great vehicle to teach very high-end materials and processes, said adjunct instructor Voigt, a veteran teacher and woodworker. “The project produced a cool product the students are so proud of.”
Senior Andy Randolph, a construction management major from Sauk Rapids, agreed. “This is a unique item — a one-of-a-kind work of art,” he said. “It’s priceless, and the experience in this class was priceless.”
Grandfather clock builders were, from left, students Andy Randolph, David Kenyon, Scott Tourand, Gatlin Norgren (kneeling), Matt Elliot (kneeling), John Waletzko, Dana Fruth and adjunct instructor Mark Voigt ’88. Submitted photo
Partners in time
Examples of the clock-builders’ connections to St. Cloud State span decades and, in the case of class member Scott Tourand, the family tree.
Tourand, a senior technology education major, St. Cloud, is the son of Diane Tourand, who once worked on the Atwood staff and is currently office manager for the Management Department.
Eighty-two-year-old classmate, Dana Fruth, has been taking woodworking classes at St. Cloud State for 10 years. Her son, John ’94 ’96 ’12, is both a former assistant professor and a current graduate student in community counseling at St. Cloud State. Dana’s mother, Frances DeLaurier Utz, graduated from St. Cloud State in 1920 and returned in 1969 to earn a master’s degree in education.
Fruth is no mere dabbler. She’s built furniture and installed wood trim work in her homes. “I like building things,” she said. The mother of two who served professionally as treasurer from 1969 to 1994 for Utz Estates Gravel Aggregate Company has been a perpetual creator. Currently, in addition to her woodworking projects, she works on four garden plots at her home plus on a neighbor’s plot and the St. Cloud State Community Garden.
“You can’t just sit around and knit and crochet,” said Fruth.
Back in time
The unexpected clock donation has been exciting on several levels for retiring Atwood Director Margaret Vos ’72, who is overseeing a major renovation of the student union.
“This clock is a beautiful addition, and it fits very well in the black walnut forest of Atwood,” a reference to the liberal use of black walnut wood as accents throughout the student-centered facility.
Adjunct instructor
Vos and others on campus have connections with instructor Voigt and some of the class members. Voigt ’79 and ’88 earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in technology education. His wife, Rose ’88, and son, Alex ’08, also are graduates. Voigt has taught at high schools in Sauk Rapids, Spring Lake Park and most recently Foley, where Vos began her professional career as an English teacher.
Voigt, who lives in a home he built in rural Elk River, has taught several classes as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Environmental and Technological Studies. Fifteen similar clocks his high school or college classes have created have been donated to a Ronald McDonald House, Shriner’s Hospital, women’s shelters, care facilities, a Kent Hrbek fundraiser for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other charitable organizations.
Fruth and Voigt’s other students had high praise for their instructor. “I can’t say enough good things about him,” said Randolph, a construction management senior from Sauk Rapids. “He’s a down-to-earth guy who works alongside you and knows what he’s doing. He’s lived it, he’s done it and he’s still doing it.”
In order to finish the clock on time Fruth, Tourand and others among Voigt’s seven students spent countless hours at the workshop in Headley Hall, including three 12-hour Saturdays.
“It took a lot of hours, and this was a great lesson for these students,” Voigt said. “They learned that with persistence and extra effort they can accomplish great things.”
