| Peter Monroe Mansbendel
(Peter's Son) (5-5-1920—12-23-2006)
Peter Monroe Mansbendel
(Circa 1933) |
Painting of a Young Peter Monroe Mansbendel
Circa 1930 |
(I conducted this short interview with Peter's son (Peter Monroe
Mansbendel) on December 15, 2005 at the UT Medical Nursery Home
in Johnson City, TX)
Have you viewed the web site that I built dedicated to your father?
Yes, thank you for doing this. Modern people
need to learn about my father.
Please state your full name and what is your birthday?
My name is Peter Monroe Mansbendel and I was
born on May 5, 1920 in Austin, Texas (Travis County) and my parents
were Peter and Clotilde Mansbendel.
Was Austin always your home?
No, but the majority of my life I lived in
Austin. I was married to Helen White in 1955 and was employed for
over 30 years at the UT College of Engineering Registar office.
I was in the UT office the day when the tower shooting occurred
in 1965.
Did you ever carve wood?
No, unfortunately I have no artistic talent.
I can't even draw a straight line.
What are your memories of your boyhood?
I had a wonderful childhood growing up in Austin in the early days.
We were free to do lots of things in those
days. My mother and father were very
involved in my life as well as Valerie. We
were in involved in church and social things.
Tell me about your father?
He was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1883
and was trained as a woodcarver in Switzerland. Later he went to
England and France and studied wood carving and art. He
came to American around 1907 and lived in Boston then New York.
He taught clay modeling at Coopers Union in New York. When
he got to Texas he joined the german singing group and sang in the
choir at St. David. We were a religious
family and very close. My dad was a
handsome and dapper man and some people said he looked like Rudolf
Valentino.
Tell me about your Mother?
Her name was Clotilde Shipe and she married
my father in 1911. She was a quiet and reserved women and a good
mother to Val and me. She and my father liked to entertain, and
she was very musically gifted and studied voice in New York. That
is were they met. She had a wonderful singing voice, and would often
sing me songs.
Can you describe your father's personality?
He possessed a very bright and buoyant personality.
He knew everyone it seemed, and was very well liked by lots of people.
I remember that he was small person but strong. He had lots of tools
...gouges, skews. He was in a parade and play that I remember and
knew several actors including Randolph Scott. My father was fond
of beer and wine. He brewed his own beer and wine during prohibition.
I did not like the beer because of the hops. He also liked to tell
jokes.
What kind of father was he?
He was a good father to me and my sister. He loved children and
always treated them well. He kept goats for me because I had allergies
to cow's milk. He sometimes would make goat's milk ice cream and
share it with the neighborhood children.
How did your Father market his work?
He went to architects offices
in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Some people just walked
into his studio on Congress. He also knew several people at UT that
got him work there. He worked with Hugo Kuene, the first UT architect
professor. Hugo was a close friend to my dad and I was friends with
his son. The Kuene's lived in a pink stucco house on 30th.
What were some of your father's favorite subjects to carve?
He liked to carve all kind of things, I really
don't remember anything that stood out.
Do you remember your father's carving shop
on Congress? Can you describe it?
Yes, it was located on Congress Ave near 7th street, in the old
Swedish Consulate building. The studio had a scrolled sign out front
that said "Mansbendel Studio" and it was hot inside, I
do not recall much else.
Did he have other carvers working for him
at his studio?
No, he was the only one that carved. He worked long hours
in those days.
Did he have people that worked as woodworkers,
jointers and installers?
Yes, sometimes up to 10 people.
What is your favorite carving that your father
executed?
Probably, The cassion chest.
I have read that music was one of your father's
passions. What kind of music did sing? Of course at church
he sang hymns, but at home he sang songs of the day. He also sang
lots german songs while he worked. He and my mother liked the Opera
and Classical music.
Who were some of your fathers closest friends?
Probably Fortunat Weigl and his sons. Willie Dieter and Godfrey
Flury were also close friends.
What was your favorite home that your dad
carved for?
Our home on Ave F.
Would you go with your dad on carving installs?
No, I was too young.
What did your father die of?
Cancer of the larynx in 1940, he smoked a pipe.
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