"Ashanti on paper" wallcovering by Brunschwig & FilsI decided to share my wonderful late friend Tice with you. Tice and I went to FIT together, and met there sometime between 1980 and 1983. He was a wonderful friend, and he showed me what living in the city was all about. We were the same age (six months apart) talented, young, blonde, and full of ambition ! If you've seen the film "All About Eve" with Bette Davis, then you will know something of our relationship in subsequent years...After college, he worked for Parish Hadley, and I eventually left New York to open a design shop in North Carolina. One day, while perusing one of the magazines, I came across his listing on a "top 100" feature, and called him to say congrats. I was invited to come back to the city, and began working with him... My first assignment was installing the President of Princeton University's house, in New Jersey. We also did major work for the Wiener family (Infinity Broadcasting) on their Park Avenue apartment, which they purchased from Neil Sedaka. Our last project together was for the Breen family in River Oaks (Houston). Tice was always very focused, opinionated, and a lot of fun. His ambition knew no limits, and he worked for Ann and Gordon Getty while employed at PH. His roster of famous friends included Prince Michel and Princess Marina of Greece, Omer Koch, Dodi Fayed, Duca di Carcaci, Viscount David Linley, Ashton Hawkins, Christopher Mason, Peter Dunham, and Carolina Estrada Irving and many many others. He was a contributing editor for Connoisseur Magazine (remember that one?) and I learned a huge amount of things from him. For example, every day has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and if you can take those steps, and get through the day, then you have succeeded. We had a lot of fun together, and I do miss him terribly. He died in 1993, almost seventeen years ago, and I still think of him nearly every day. Rest in peace dear friend. You are missed and loved. DF *****
Copyright Dean Farris 2010
