| National Wood Carvers Association |
NWCA aims to promote woodcarving and fellowship among its members, encourage exhibitions and area get-togethers, list tool and wood suppliers—in short, anything that aids the carver and/or whittler.
Many distinguished professional woodcarvers in the U.S. and abroad share their know-how with fellow members. NWCA proudly lists several internationally famous authors of woodcarving books on its roster.
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Tim Crawford is proud to be the President of the NWCA. He started carving as a Boy Scout, and made it through the ranks of Eagle Scout. Crawford spent 36 years as an agent with Nationwide Insurance Company, and for 30 years was an elected political officeholder, most recently serving as County Commissioner for many years. | Director Charles Sapp resides in St. Charles, Missouri with his wife, Dale. They have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas in Aerospace Engineering and was employed at McDonnell Douglas / Boeing for over 40 years as an engineer in Structural Dynamics and Loads. | Originally from Dayton and Englewood, Ohio, Director Keith Alan Radick resides in Delaware, Ohio. An Eagle Scout. Keith served as chairman of the Blackhoof District Eagle Board of Review in Lima, Ohio. As the liaison to Boy Scouts of America for the Columbus (Ohio) Chippers Woodcarving Club he organized and taught classes in woodcarving safety and execution. | Director Bob McGinnis lives with his wife, Sandi, in Amarillo, Texas. They have four adult children, four grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. An Eagle Scout and a graduate of the University of Iowa, Bob served in the U.S. Army for six years, and he has been an officer on several community boards. |
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Originally from the northeast, Rick Bissonnette moved to Cincinnati after college to begin a career as a chemical engineer. His 38 years of marriage to Debbie have produced 10 children and 13 grandchildren (so far). Rick's woodcarving journey began in 2011 when 2 of his children took a beginner class offered to homeschoolers by the Cincinnati Carvers Guild. Rick has held several offices in that club and was elected as Vice President of the NWCA in 2021 for a 3-year term. | Cathy Frye has been the Secretary/Treasurer of NWCA since 1995. She is responsible for the bookkeeping, payroll, withholding, tax returns, bulk mailings, and other associated administrative requirements. Cathy maintains the mailing list by processing current renewals, former member renewals, new members, and changes of address. Cathy has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University. Her interests include watching and playing tennis (singles & doubles), cheering on THE OSU Buckeyes, and seasonal income tax preparation. Cathy is married with 3 grown children, one granddaughter and resides in Madeira OH. | Julie Potluri first started working with Chip Chats Magazine as a kid, collating the pages by hand, along with her siblings, in the basement of their Cincinnati home. She also helped by saddle stitching the collated pages together and stuffing magazines into manila envelopes. | Chris Whillock, Director, lives in Faribault, Minnesota. He is the son of professional woodcarver-author Ivan Whillock. Chris has been involved in carving his entire life. He teaches throughout the US and runs a tool and supply business (WhittlingShack.com). For seven years he was the editor of CARVING Magazine. He was appointed as a Director in June 2022. |
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Donna Thomas, Director, calls Nevada, Missouri home. She has three adult children, 6 grandchildren, and two “greats”. And one terribly spoiled Coton puppy. She is a graduate of Friends University with a Master’s in Organizational Management. Fifty years of work experience includes administrative positions at chamber of commerce, economic development, Regional Hospital, Community Action Agency, community college branch campus, etc. | William Staley is the past president of the NWCA and now serving as a director and lives in Omaha, NE. Bill was a member of the Mid-America Wood Carvers and helped form what is now the Doane Experience. Bill was an attorney and Juvenile Court Judge in his home state of Nebraska. | Patrick Wentzel, Director, lives in Parkersburg, WV. Married to Brenda for 49 years, they have twin daughters and three grandsons. Patrick retired from General Electric Plastics/SABIC Innovative Plastics after 41 years as an Industrial Hygiene Specialist. Patrick has been a member of the National Wood Carvers Association for nearly 40 years. Currently he is serving as National Carousel Association President. Patrick is the co-founder of the Carousel Modelers and Miniatures Association. He is the secretary-treasurer for Geppetto Woodcarvers, Parkersburg, WV and is a 45-year member of the Circus Model Builders organization. He has taught woodcarving locally and shares his love of woodcarving at every opportunity. Patrick’s specialty is carving circus and carousel miniatures. His longtime passion is restoring and completing his one inch to the foot scale hand carved miniature circus parade. Patrick is also an avid photographer and cyclist. | Barry Bowers, Director, resides in Great Bend, KS with his wife Monica. He is a graduate of Sterling College, a licensed CPA in the state of Kansas and the managing partner of Spectrum CPA Partners LLC. He has been involved in numerous not-for-profit organizations as an officer and board member. Barry started wood carving about 30 years ago at the urging of a friend and has not stopped since. He is active in the Golden Belt Wood Carvers in Great Bend, KS and a member of the Oklahoma City Woodcarvers Club. He has taken numerous classes over the years and tried various styles of wood carving, but caricature style has turned into his primary preference. |
NWCA bylaws, published in the winter 2023 issue of Chip Chats and approved by the membership are available at this link: NWCA Bylaws
Contact: Web issues: NWCAweb@gmail.com Chip Chats: Call: (513) 561-7045; Email: nwca@chipchats.org | National Wood Carvers Association |