Ali Fujino
From Discourse 15

Like all stories, there is a beginning and an end. This one has a definite beginning, and hopefully there is no end.

In our 20th year anniversary, we wanted to celebrate those things in our history which made Drachen special. For me, it is one person, Scott Skinner.

I don’t really know much about his past, other than he had a wonderfully happy childhood growing up in the small town of Raton, New Mexico. His father was a “country” lawyer, and his mother worked hard to bring up four children. Both contributed to giving them the support and foundation to find their place in the world.

For Scott, his place started with entry into the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was chosen to be trained as one of America’s military best, a pilot. It was here he graduated and continued a life in the Air Force as a flight instructor. Along with building his career, he built his family, marrying and having three children. During his time in the Air Force, he found interest and relaxation in making kites and learned the properties of what makes them fly.

This pastime turned to more of a passion, a focus beyond just hobby. As his family grew, his interest in kiting grew too, and he found kite communities where he could easily become a member.

Scott’s personality explains how he learned so much about kites. He has the ability to concentrate on a subject area, gathering information with a single-minded focus. He is patient as he learns by trial and error, working with his hands by “tinkering” and making kites.

But what good was all this knowledge if it couldn’t be shared? Scott’s thoughtfulness gave an answer to this question, and through his generosity, he began to share and gift what he learned with others. In Scott’s way, he took this generosity to the furthest extent, by creating the Drachen Foundation online website, the perfect vehicle to share all his passion and knowledge about kites with everyone in the world. A tall order, but he did it.

HOW DID HE DO THIS?

It didn’t start overnight. First, he needed to collect the kites to study them. Then he visited the cultures and countries to learn and document their kite history in person. It was on one of these visits that I first met him, on a David and Dorothea Checkley tour of China. Our meeting was hilarious and magic, and I became one of the many people who wanted to know more about kites.

I found Scott to be the perfect ambassador for kites, the only person who covered all the disciplines of the subject.

Two years after our China encounter, I received a call from Scott: “Do you remember me?”

My goodness, yes! He asked if he could come to Seattle and talk about something to do with kites.

Sounded good to me.

I was charmed to find that his quest still continued. That focus with kites was now more intense than ever. We agreed to start a foundation, which he would fund and I would work with him to develop.

It was at this point I began to know a person with incredible skills – from photo documenting, research and writing books, to curating exhibitions with kites, and teaching what he knew to any age group, young or mature. This was a renaissance man who was not afraid to give so much time and effort to bring kites to everyone. It was infectious.

LEAVE NO KITE UNKNOWN

For the last 20 years, Scott has led the call to find out about kites. He has done it all, and done it well.

I think, for me, there isn’t a day that goes by that I am not thankful for being a part of this personal quest. I cherish the 20 years that I have been able to work with an individual who is so direct and easy in his tasks, who has never lost sight of his vision, who isn’t afraid of hard work, and who has generously financed the work to complete our 20 year mandate, a gift to the world: digital Drachen, a resource accessible to anyone in the world, no matter where or who they are.

Scott Skinner, what a wonderful legacy to leave the world. ◆

10 BEST THINGS ABOUT SCOTT SKINNER

1. A fabulous fine artist. It has always been a mystery to me how an untrained person could be a true artist. Scott is a natural. His kites are works of fine contemporary art. (As a person who is professionally trained and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I know this is true.)
2. One of the BEST “pranksters” I have ever met. A person who can find fun and humor in everything he does.
3. A collector of the finest capabilities. Not a “garage” sale client, but a connoisseur of good quality and taste.
4. A friend in need, a friend indeed.
5. One of the best flight theorists. Having researched, experimented, tested, and probed all concepts of tethered flight.
6. One of the best collectors of historical, cultural, and contemporary kites. One of the best collections in the world.
7. A fabulous, professionally trained ballroom dancer.
8. Meticulous, skilled craftsman, from sewn kites of contemporary ripstop to traditional materials of paper and bamboo.
9. Terrific father, grandfather, and owner of golden retrievers…and maybe a mutt or two.
10. Lover of good food, drink, and partying – vegans, glutens, and vegetarians beware!