Christ Among the Doctors (Central Panel Detail)
Phipps, Ball & Burnham 1920
In Loving Memory of George Whiting Allen 1854 - 1922 &
Leonor Ximenez Allen 1855 - 1942
Samuel Mason Goldsmith & Lilla Allen Goldsmith
William Richard Warren & Genevieve Allen Warren
DESCRIPTION: Jesus, only 12 years old, stands in the midst of the learned men in the Temple ni Jerusalem as the focal point of the center panel. In this detail He is dressed in a simple square-necked tunic, sparsely decorated. With skillful economy of brush strokes, the artist features Him as a brunette. Surrounding His head in red glass is a cross pattée, a cross of four curved arms of equal length. The right hand is raised with thumb and index finger pointing upward.
MEMORIAL: Of the six names of this memorial window, the story of Sam Goldsmith is told here. He came to Key West in 1920 as a meteorologist and met and married Lilla Alen. He served St. Paul's faithfully for many years as a lay reader, chimer, choir member, vestryman, and treasurer. After 40 years of dedication to the church, he became a deacon. Sam had an outgoing personality and a ready wit. The Reverend James MacConnell, former rector, in his letter to Rex Weech dated October 15, 1971, recalls two tales of old Key West in which Samuel Goldsmith is the main character. They both involve a visit to the island by Bishop Wing.
In the first story, Samuel Goldsmith met Bishop Wing with a car whose license plate was about five years old. When the Bishop commented, Sam explained. "We in Key West get a license when we buy the car and don't bother about any after that like they do on the mainland because we can't go anywhere but on the island."
In the second, Sam and the Bishop were walking down Duval Street when a man asked them if they wanted a drink. The Bishop asked if Sam knew anything about Prohibition and if they had any law enforcement officers on the island. Sam explained patiently that it was the Sheriff who offered them the drink!
Source: The Golden Cockerel: The Art, Symbolism & History of the Stained Glass Windows, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Key West, Florida by Winifred Shine Fryzel.
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