Work of local glass artist now on display at Carnegie Museum

By Jessi Dreckman,

jessi@ozarkcountytimes.com

The intricate stained glass artwork of Theodosia resident Buddy Goree is now on display hundreds of miles from home as part of an art exhibition at the Carnegie Library Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Goree, a longtime stained glass artist, craftsman and restoration specialist, was selected earlier this year after responding to a public “call for artists” issued by the museum for an exhibit they’ve titled “America@250: Expressions of Freedom Art Show.” The event is being organized in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It features 20 works of art from 18 artists, all of which reflect what freedom means to them.

After submitting photographs of several pieces, museum coordinators invited Goree to exhibit two of his stained glass creations in the show, which began from April 4 and will continue through July 18.

“I found out later I was the only artist they asked to bring two pieces,” Goree told the Times.

The exhibition features a variety of artwork, including paintings, drawings, collages and prints, but Goree said he was the only stained glass artist represented among the artists.

Transporting the large pieces to Indiana was no small undertaking. Each stained glass panel measures approximately 5 feet by 5 feet, requiring Goree to carefully load and personally drive them to the museum during an eight-hour trip from Ozark County.

“We stayed the night, set everything up the next day and then stayed for the opening,” Goree said. “It was a lot of fun meeting all the other artists.”

The experience added another memorable chapter to a fascinating life that has taken Goree from a childhood in the tropical rainforests of Hawaii to serving his country in Vietnam and finally finding what he says will be his forever home in the quiet hills of Ozark County. 

Now, 78 years old, Goree said he grew up on the island of Oahu while his father served in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Radford High School in 1966 and remembers his childhood as one filled with tropical scenery, military life and island adventures.

He has many interesting stories from his Hawaiian childhood, recalling days of exploring the mountains above Oahu as a boy. During one hike near Schofield Barracks, he says he stumbled upon the wreckage of a Japanese airplane believed to have been shot down during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Another surprising topic he says people enjoy hearing about is his time in school with his classmate, and the future entertainer, Bette Midler, who was two grades ahead of him, he said. 

After graduating high school and completing a year of college, Goree was drafted into military service during the Vietnam War. “I didn’t really want to go,” he admitted. “But I went.”

He spent three and a half years in Vietnam before later serving seven years in the Air Force. After his military career, Goree worked several different jobs, including one for Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ membership-based campground and timeshare company, Thousand Trails.

Eventually, his path led him to Missouri in the mid-1980s, where he settled near Washington, Missouri, and opened a stained glass shop. What began as a hobby and artistic interest gradually became a respected career.

For nearly 25 years, Goree repaired and restored glass windows for homes, churches and historic buildings. Insurance companies also frequently contacted him for difficult restoration projects that required more than standard repair work.

“I’m a restorationist,” Goree explained. “There’s a difference between repairing something and restoring it.”

According to Goree, many antique stained glass windows were originally made before modern glass cutters were widely used. To properly restore historic pieces, he often recreates replacement glass using traditional shaping techniques instead of modern cutting methods.

“When I get done, you won’t even know it was ever broken,” he said.

Over the years, Goree has restored Tiffany stained glass windows and countless other historic pieces, building a reputation for his own unique flair that focuses on precision and attention to detail.

While his work and days have had many happy moments, Goree says his life has not been without struggles.

After a particularly dark period, he said he eventually suffered what he described as a nervous breakdown, prompting him to seek help through the Veterans Administration. He retired as a disabled veteran in 2003 at age 55.

“The VA kind of saved my life,” he said.

Even during difficult periods, however, stained glass remained an important part of his life. After creating a stained glass wedding gift for his daughter, Goree said he rediscovered both his creativity and his sense of purpose.

“I realized stained glass was always in me,” he said.

In 2007, Goree and his wife, Virginia Watkins, purchased property near Theodosia along Highway P close to the Arkansas state line. They built their home there in 2010, creating a sanctuary where their house and workshop are surrounded by woods, rolling hills and quiet countryside.

It’s a place he loves. Goree said the Ozarks remind him more of Hawaii than many people might expect.

“It’s green here like Hawaii,” he said. “And I’ve got hibiscus and acacia trees growing on my property. The humidity is about the same too. We just don’t have the trade winds.”

Today, Goree continues creating stained glass pieces while also teaching classes from his workshop every Monday from noon to 2 p.m. He welcomes students of all ages and skill levels, charging just $5 for lessons and another $5 for materials.

“A lot of people come just to learn how stained glass windows are made,” he said. “Some take a couple classes and never come back, and that’s okay. We just have fun.”

In addition to stained glass, Goree is also known locally as a beekeeper who sells honey from his property. Rather than purchasing commercial bee colonies, he catches wild swarms himself when residents call needing help removing wads of the buzzing insects. 

In past years, he and Virginia sold honey “and performed magic tricks” at Hootin an Hollarin in Gainesville, using sleight-of-hand moves to entertain children while drawing customers in. As the couple has gotten older, they’ve shied away from the work involved with setting up and manning a booth at the three-day festival in Gainesville each September. But, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t embraced the culture and way of life here. 

Despite having lived in Hawaii and traveled extensively throughout his life, Goree said Ozark County has become home in every sense of the word.

“Whenever I leave here and then come back... when I see that Ozark County sign, it’s like I can finally take a deep breath,” he said. “I’m home.”

And while his artwork may now be displayed in a museum several states away, Goree said the quiet life he and Virginia have built in Ozark County remains the greatest masterpiece of all.