A Tribute to George Michael
By Irene Spaulding

    First of all, I want to thank Donna Welch and From Out of the Woods Antique Center for making this evening possible.  Because of her generosity and kindness we are all here as her guests tonight to honor the lifetime achievements of George Michael.
   I had the extraordinary privilege of working with George for over 20 years with his Encountering Antiques classes.  Throughout those magnificent years I heard hundreds of stories from the master story teller and I am passing along a few fun facts this evening as we honor George Michael, also know as "Mr. Antiques". These facts will be intertwined into the titles he earned in his lifetime.  Those titles include, but are not limited to:

..Husband
He has been married for 61 years to the beautiful Elizabeth Palmer Michael, fondly known as Bette.
..Father
To five successful sons.  Wherever the classes were held, if we stopped in an antique shop, George was always looking for gifts for his children.  George once wrote in an article, "One son is an attorney and municipal court judge, his twin brother is director of the Boston FAA Traffic Control Center, (which is in Nashua, NH), another son, an Air Force Academy graduate, just retired from TRW, the next son is a contractor and a restorer of old wooden boats, and the youngest son is an engineer with Verizon.  Whether it was a Supreme Court painting for Greg, the judge, or a tired boat with great potential alongside of the road for Gary, he was excited to look.  He was a wonderful father who spoke often about all of his children with great pride and admiration.
..Grandfather
He is so proud of his three grandchildren.  He told me often about the many grandchildren’s events, (recitals, birthdays), in New York that he and Bette were flown to by his two pilot twin sons.
..World War II veteran
Was in service with the American Army, the Merchant Marines and the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Canadian Army
..Radio Announcer and Engineer
Before the war, he announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed from WORL in Boston.  After the war he worked for General Electric WGY/WGFM/WRGB in Schenectady, New York.  He carried the first hand held wire recorder which had been custom built by GE for radio broadcast.
George took a promotion to a new radio station in Albany, New York and in 1946  he married Bette and they originated a husband and wife radio show from their kitchen table in Rensselaer, New York.    During these years the twins were born and he even interviewed Grandma Moses. He could have bought one of her paintings for $10 but that was a lot of money back then.  He wanted to spend the $10 on his family instead.  In 1950, George knew that radio was going downhill and TV was coming uphill and there was very little money in either medium.  Although a friend begged him to come to CBS in New York, George chose a "road less traveled" in New Hampshire rather than the hustle and bustle of New York City.  He left the radio and TV world behind in order to open an auction gallery in Rochester, New Hampshire, his hometown.  He successfully ran the gallery from 1950 until 1967.  During that time three more sons arrived and they all eventually helped in the auction business.  They lived in a fabulous house during those years.  It is now the magnificent Governor’s Inn in Rochester, NH.  To this day, they still own the summer home on Milton Three Ponds that they enjoyed throughout their lives in Rochester.
..Hall of Fame Auctioneer
The National Auctioneers Association was formed in 1950.  George attended a meeting in Lansing, Michigan and in 1956 was elected to a three year directorship with the nationals. In 1986 George was awarded the honor of being inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame.  He was the only New England auctioneer so honored until the year 2000.   In NH in 1954 George Michael, Richard Withington, Howard Saturley,  Merle Straw  and Ed Stevens were  some of the original founders of the New Hampshire Auctioneers Association, which celebrated its 50th year in 2004.  I am beyond thrilled and excited to have some of these people here today.
..Renown television host
In the early 1960’s NET, (National Education Television), was looking to create a show about antiques and collecting.  This subject failed in New York and Boston and they tossed the idea to channel 11 in Durham, NH.  George was asked to record a pilot program, which he did with seven worktables from the 18th and 19th centuries.  Two were reproductions and he challenged the viewers to identify the fakes, merely by the manner in which he described them.  This started a 22 year coast to coast association with PBS with his show Antiques & Americana.  George was the original antiques roadshow.  His shows were filmed all around New England and as far away as Liverpool, Ohio.  He said, "It seems impossible but I was on the air three months before Julia Child".  He also targeted his shows to inform, educate and entertain the viewers.  It was a far cry from the professor with a chalkboard approach of NET at this time.  Guests were invited on his show as they had collections which could be discussed.  One must realize that in 1963 very few people were collecting anything.  It was the later years of modernism and throwing things away if they were five years old was the norm.  The next 20 years of George’s television shows changed that.  They were introduced to such unlikely collectibles as beer cans, barbed wire, Occupied Japan china, as well as, the finest in furniture, ceramics, glass, pewter, silver, paintings and prints. Collecting took off and many clubs were formed to interest everyone in seeking unusual items to add to their newly formed collections.
..Antique Expert
In George’s early years in the auction business he wanted to learn as much as possible and he had many teachers.  Some were world authority scholars and some were scoundrels.  The more rapidly he lost money, more rapidly he learned. Most people specialized their knowledge in antiques, George was an entire encyclopedia between his ears and he could answer questions on almost any subject.
..Author of seven books
He is the author of Antiquing with George Michael, Treasury of New England Antiques, Treasury of Antiques of the Federal Period, Basic Book of Antiques, Overlook Treasury of Federal Antiques,  Basic Book of Antiques and Collectibles and Mr. Antiques Basic Book of Antiques and Collectibles which was released July 2002.  Half of the photos in all his books were taken by him throughout the world.  He has written for many antiques publications and served as editor for the National Antiques Review and Antiques Gazette.  He also wrote for the Boston Sunday Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, the Manchester Union Leader and the Sunday News.  In 1969 he originated the editorial policy of covering auctions and shows with pictures and prices, something which is continued by almost every publication today.
..Appraiser & Expert Witness
As an appraiser of fine art and antiques he was in demand by attorneys, bank trust departments, executors and private citizens to do evaluations and appraisals throughout the country.  Just one example of someone who wanted his expertise was Bill Cosby.  He assisted 70 different insurance adjusters in New England in the settling of claims.  He loved being in a court room and being the "expert witness".  Pulling the rug out from under the other professional appraisers dishonest work made his day.  When they were stating that the 1895 Waterford crystal chandelier in question, lost in a fire, was worth $5,000… George loved getting up on the stand and mentioning to the judge that the Waterford plant was closed during those years and did not reopen until 1947.
..Teacher and lecturer
Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived.  George is right behind him.  He taught Encountering Antiques classes for 30 years throughout New England and I was with him for the last 20 years. The classes lasted five or six weeks, were held in three different cities each week and were each two hours long. They were taught every year in the fall and the spring.  The subjects covered were an Introduction to Antiques, Furniture, Glass, Ceramics, Metals, Folk Art and Collectibles and Painting and Prints.   That is 12 hours per course, three times a week and never, never once in 30 years did he use one note or cue card.  George Michael was the original GOOGLE.   In all those years I only heard one negative remark about the classes and that was THEY JUST DO NOT LAST LONG ENOUGH.  He always told the students he was only going to teach them one thing in the six weeks and that was… to be aware of what you see.
..Diplomat
With each class you could bring in an item relating to that evening’s subject.  For example, if we were studying furniture that night you could bring in furniture.  George would do a mini appraisal of each item at the end of each class.  They would bring in their treasurers.  In comes an Eastlake commode with Home Depot grey paneling across the entire back.  Here comes George the diplomat.  The pieces would always be lined up on a stage or table.  George would get to that item and explain this item may not reach its maximum potential dollar wise but it lovely and was a great example of a family treasure that sentimentally people love to have in their home.
..Cruise Ship Antique Expert & DJ
In 1977 he was engaged to serve as enrichment lecturer aboard the Royal Viking cruise ships. He taught antique classes on the ships and was often the morning DJ.  This resulted in 43 cruises, four of which were around the world.  Bette is the only person here who had her birthday party aboard one of the cruise ships and Cary Grant and his wife Barbara where at her party.
..Philosopher
This is one of my favorite titles for George.  He always told me his philosophy of life was, "NEVER WORRY UNTIL SOMEONE PAYS YOU TO DO IT".  How I wish I could pull that off.
..Adventurer
George has truly experienced life to its fullest.  He has been there and done it all.  One year a museum he was affiliated with put on a huge exhibition of Houdini memorabilia. According to Houdini’s will, somewhere in the world a séance must be held on Halloween eve to bring Houdini back from the dead.  With a filled hall, television cameras and radio stations present, there was George at a séance in Holyoke, Massachusetts in the 1980’s waiting for someone to return from the dead.
..Lover of a good joke
..Great piano player
..Lover and expert of big band music.
..Great cook
 George loves cooking for his family and friends and has a huge cast iron frying pan he uses at the lake outside on the grill.  I was told it will easily hold a dozen eggs or a pound of bacon.  We all knew this because he kept asking everyone to find him another fry pan.  I believe it was a Griswald 20 inch.
    George is also a lover of good food.  One day we were in a restaurant before an afternoon antique class.  He ordered toast.  "I’m sorry we do not serve toast at lunchtime, only at breakfast" said the waitress.  Well, said George, "Do you have a BLT sandwich"?  "Yes" replied the waitress.  "Fine, bring me a toasted BLT and hold the bacon, lettuce and tomato" said George.

Now, my favorite title of all,
..FRIEND
   They say if you have three good friends in your life you are very, very lucky.  IF YOU HAVE GEORGE MICHAEL AS YOUR FRIEND YOU ARE ONE OF THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.  In the antique classes George teaches everyone that when an artist looks at a tree they do not see leaves and trunks.  They see twelve different shades of green.  Thank you George for teaching all of us to see a much more beautiful world.  And, it is truly that way because you are in it.