David C. Sutherland III

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(from a mailing list)

I have some profoundly sad news to report. David C. Sutherland III passed
away sometime Tuesday in his residence in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.
While his health had been in sharp decline, he was fairly active in his last
days and was taking good care of himself. Thus, his death comes as sudden
and unexpected.

Dave is survived by his ex-wife and two daughters. His sister Trudy, brother
Scott, and mother would like to pass along their warmest regards to all of
those who participated in the Collector's Trove auctions of David's
collection over the past year. The funds have been placed in an account to
support David's estate and his surviving family members.

He will be interred with full military honors at Ft. Snelling National
Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN.

David as you know was a longtime artist in the gaming world. Producing
countless works at an incredible rate, he helped illustrate the games of our
imagination for generations of players. Wargames, roleplaying games,
strategy games, and board games. David had done it all with the care and
intensity that only a true fan of the historical, sci-fi, fantasy game genre
could uphold.

The seminal artist of the Dungeons and Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and
Dragons game and the fantasy world of M.A.R. Barker's Tékumel, David helped
shape the very roots of the roleplaying games we all know and love. His work
is the canvas of our youth and fond sentiments. Many of the top writers and
artists involved with the roleplaying games industry owe their inspiration
and calling to him.

David's involvement in the art of games goes back to 1974 and the breadth
and depth of his work is a roadmap for the history of the industry.

Every game industry person that knew Dave respected him for his unswerving
devotion to art and remembered him for his great heart. Dave was a truly
honest, loyal, decent, kind hearted soul, that selflessly shared a
particularly keen wisdom to all around him. Many of them owe their happiness
in life and life's calling to David. He was truly a man for others.

Born in 1949, in Minneapolis, David grew up in the image of his artistic
father, David C. Sutherland II. His father's work in the paper industry
brought vast supplies of creative material to their home and fueled David's
interest in artistic endeavors. So too, his father's love for drawing,
woodworking, and painting fixed Dave's heart in the field of art.

Dave, like his father, served in the military. Dave saw active duty as a
Military Policeman in the Vietnam War in 1969-70. Also, like his father,
David avidly sketched and recorded his days during the war.

Dave loved to dance, was an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy
novels, and became involved with the Society of Creative Anachronisms in the
early 70's. He spent his free time drawing sketches and cartoons regarding
these pastimes.

Eventually, Mike Mornard, a friend of Dave, also involved in the Society of
Creative Anachronisms, would introduce Dave to Professor M.A.R. Barker at
the University of Minnesota in 1975. The latter was producing an imaginary
world for use with the wildly popular Dungeons and Dragons game published by
TSR Hobbies of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The happy meeting of the two sparked
a creative relationship and Dave began illustrating Barker's world for all
to see. Soon, David was working for TSR and continued to do so for nearly 25
years. Loyalty.

Alas, TSR Hobbies was purchased in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast. Despite his
unparalleled loyalty to TSR Hobbies the new company did not rehire Dave. In
a particularly shameful moment for the roleplaying games industry, the
company did not even give Dave so much as a single phone call.

This was a particularly devastating, heartbreaking, blow to David, a person
founded in loyalty. Those years were unkind to David and they took a
terrible toll on him. Soon his health was in sharp decline. Doctors gave him
a terminal prognosis.

Work was sporadic for David during this time and he felt abandoned by the
gaming industry. He was unhappy and unwell. He had given up wanting to live.

In autumn 2004, however, a meeting between Paul Stormberg of the Collector's
Trove and Dave's sister Trudy, revealed Dave's fantastic collection of
artwork, miniature sculptures, games, and game memorabilia. According to
Dave's wishes the collection was to be auctioned off on eBay by the
Collector's Trove. It was Dave's hope to add the proceeds to his estate so
that he could provide a financial trust for his daughters upon his passing.

The response to the auction was tremendous, a huge outpouring of support
from Dave's fans swelled interest in the auctions. To date the auctions and
sales of Dave's collection have garnered over $22,000. Letters, cards, and
emails poured in for David, all wishing him well and hoping for better
health for him. Most importantly, they shared how much David's artwork had
meant to them over the years.

The auction and subsequent communications were a real affirmation for David.
Outside of his family and close friends, he never realized just how much of
a positive impact he had on so many people from so many different walks of
life.

This outpouring of well wishes and sentiments of appreciation gave David a
new will to live. Every day he tried to rejuvenate his spirit and fine motor
skills. He even finished a piece of artwork that had lain unfinished for years.

It would be tragic for a great man to die not knowing he was a great man.
Dave knew. Thanks to all of you.

Cards and sentiments can be sent to Trudy DeKeuster, 13911 Castelar Circle,
Omaha, NE 68144. Email correspondence and requests for additional
information may be sent to Paul Stormberg at stormber@cox.net.


--
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ISLAM: Winning the hearts and minds of the world, one bomb at a time.
 
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On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 17:13:05 -0500, weberm@polaris.net (Ubiquitous)
wrote:

>(from a mailing list)
>
>I have some profoundly sad news to report. David C. Sutherland III passed
>away sometime Tuesday

very sad. thanks for letting us know though
 
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And let me mention one more thing to Dave's account. He was the creator
of the D&D wemic, a creature like a centaur, but half lion, rather than
half horse. Those of us who are wemic fans owe Dave an extra debt.
 
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<cayzle@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1118326459.786679.115050@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> And let me mention one more thing to Dave's account. He was the creator
> of the D&D wemic, a creature like a centaur, but half lion, rather than
> half horse. Those of us who are wemic fans owe Dave an extra debt.
>

And don't forget module Q1, Queen of the Demon Web Pits!
 
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That's what Wizard's D&D products are missing. Those little touches.
 
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*Chesko draws his virtual bugle from its case*
"Taps" can be heard playing into the night...
*Chesko salutes*

Mores the pity for not getting to view anymore new art from this fellow.
The post prompted me to do a Yahoo! image search for his stuff, gorgeous is
an understatement for most of it.


--==--
Jerry Chesko
 
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In article <fo5qe.458$Ub4.325@fe06.lga>, lordwolff1@charter.net wrote:
><cayzle@yahoo.com> wrote:

>> And let me mention one more thing to Dave's account. He was the creator
>> of the D&D wemic, a creature like a centaur, but half lion, rather than
>> half horse. Those of us who are wemic fans owe Dave an extra debt.
>
>And don't forget module Q1, Queen of the Demon Web Pits!

There's a long story about the writing of that adventure, isn't there?

--
======================================================================
ISLAM: Winning the hearts and minds of the world, one bomb at a time.
 
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Ubiquitous wrote:
> In article <fo5qe.458$Ub4.325@fe06.lga>, lordwolff1@charter.net wrote:
> ><cayzle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >> And let me mention one more thing to Dave's account. He was the creator
> >> of the D&D wemic, a creature like a centaur, but half lion, rather than
> >> half horse. Those of us who are wemic fans owe Dave an extra debt.
> >
> >And don't forget module Q1, Queen of the Demon Web Pits!
>
> There's a long story about the writing of that adventure, isn't there?

I know the module itself has a preface by Gary Gygax, where he
describes trying to come up with an Outline for DemonWeb and then
realizing his rough sketch was essentially his Temple of Elemental Evil
rough warmed over. Dave happened to stop by his office some time soon
after with an idea for a dungeon level that had many of the same
aspects as the Web's interwoven, dimensionally bizarre levels, and
Gygax decided to place the project in his hands so he could focus on
Temple.
 
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In article <8otqe.616$L65.324@trnddc05>, res7g0hd@verizon.net wrote:

>Mores the pity for not getting to view anymore new art from this fellow.
>The post prompted me to do a Yahoo! image search for his stuff, gorgeous is
>an understatement for most of it.

Article in a paper from his home town:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/11888030.htm


His handcrafted images of dragons, centaurs, wizards and paladins became icons
and largely led to the success of certain fantasy role-playing game in the
late 1970s and 1980s. The game? Dungeons & Dragons. The artist? David C.
Sutherland III. The memories? Endless. Remember that first boxed set?
Sutherland was responsible for that famed scene of the dragon, the wizard and
the bow-flexing knight. Remember the horned, genie-like "efreet" on the cover
of the Dungeon Masters Guide? That was Sutherland. How about the
black-and-white "A Paladin in Hell," in which a knight battled a horde of
devils? Sutherland. Behind the scenes and amongst really, really dorky
circles, David Sutherland was synonymous with Dungeons & Dragons. Sadly,
Sutherland passed away at his home in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan on June
6th. So before you put on your lamellar shirt and load the bow of Adan, take a
moment to remember one of the real heroes of the game. While the magic of D&D
wasn't real, the people behind it were. Whether you were a dexterous, dwarf
bard or a cleric Halfling with good constitution doesn't matter; without David
Sutherland you wouldn't have been anything. In fact, the effect of
Sutherland's work extends far beyond the kingdoms of virtue and peril in which
you mounted your campaigns. For instance, without David Sutherland, you would
be married. Without David Sutherland, you would not have to a hang notices
every time you moved to a new town. And finally, without David Sutherland, you
would have had to wait for Scattegories to invent the polyhedral dice…and we
all know what they say about fans of that game. Swishy.

--
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ISLAM: Winning the hearts and minds of the world, one bomb at a time.
 

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Alien mind control rays made Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> write:
> In article <8otqe.616$L65.324@trnddc05>, res7g0hd@verizon.net wrote:
>
> > Mores the pity for not getting to view anymore new art from this
> > fellow. The post prompted me to do a Yahoo! image search for his
> > stuff, gorgeous is an understatement for most of it.
>
> Article in a paper from his home town:
> http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/11888030.htm

minor nit, the pioneer press is the paper of st. paul, that OTHER
city across the river from minneapolis. but julio is a good guy.

the star tribune of minneapolis tends to be run by hacks obsessed
with politics and money.

--
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