JEFF LINK & My Art School Education
Over the rooftops of the little buildings that used to make up the Columbus College of Art and Design, looking towards downtown, to the west and above Beaton Hall; and to the north towards Worthington and the parking lot that now holds the new building, that was my CCAD. At first sight, I was disappointed that this conglomeration of little houses held my future in Advertising Design. What I learned was first class design, forget the building. There are lots of fancy buildings where they take your money and show you a good time; hang the education part of the deal. CCAD was tough; that row of quaint houses was a facade that housed six hours of homework for each class and there were no incompletes. No homework assignment meant an F.
It was my first production class in art school; my instructor was a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design with his Masters from Syracuse University. He had shoulder length hair and always looked you in the eye when he had a message to deliver. We didn't always have money for food and art supplies, so a choice was necessary before preparing the first assignment—a keyline (that's "pasteup" in some parts of the country) with overlays for 2 PMS colors. It was either a week's worth of groceries or a roll of amberlith; and, well, I like to eat. So some of us used India Ink as a mask on the overlays to spare the expense. "Snap out of it, kid, if you want to do this, do what's necessary, whatever is necessary. Do it right or make room for someone who will," admonished Jeff Link, my advertising design instructor. It was good advice and a reality check.
Underpaid, but not underappreciated, those of us whose lives Jeff touched will always remember him warmly. He was concerned about the quality of work we produced, he advocated for us within a strict political environment and he made sure we knew what Advertising Design required of us. Above all, he had time for us when our brains stalled and needed a push. Far too late for the satisfaction of most of us, he was finally elevated to Dean, a title well deserved, though probably a lot of us felt like his sentimental title should be Dad because of his dedication to mentor us without coddling.
Dean Jeff Link passed away on Friday, March 31, 2006 like the lion he was, fighting the cancer that finally took him. A great motivator, a kind advisor and a really fine teacher is watching you from above now, so don't start slacking off.
Family and friends are asked to make donations to the Dean Jeff Link Scholarship Fund at CCAD in lieu of flowers. Contact Lucy Godman for details at lgodman@ccad.edu
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you enjoy my blog, you'll enjoy my book, too, because it's the book I needed when I first started out. It's filled with characters (including some of my instructors at CCAD) and a full spectrum of experiences that will prepare you to face the unknown in freelance and the world of design. Start and Run a Creative Services Business excerpts are available online at my website.
Yes - you're right. Good story about a important part of your life. "You start dying the day you're born. It's what you do in between that's important." RLB.
You're right about Mr. Link. He always had time to stop and talk to me, long after I even graduated. Even being a student of the computer age, he made us cut Ruby lith for a project. That summer, I had an intership, and guess what, I had to cut Ruby! Link had a big laugh about that. I loved that man, a father he was. Thank you so much!
I think I remember your name but can't put a face to it. When did you graduate?
I just learned today that Jeff passed away. Steve Dzura told me the news. I was, am still am, shocked by the news.
Even though I graduated a Fine Arts major, Jeff was someone I always looked up to.
Glenn
We have lost a Lion as he has slipped into the West. What a heart-breaking loss. I knew Jeff from high school and ran into him at CCAD, where I returned as an adult student. He was the best instructor I had at the school. Jeff gave tough assignments, backed up with tough critiques, but he was the Best and everyone surviving his class was the better for it.
Anyone who really got to know him loved him. His spirit was strong yet gentle.
The Lion's Roar is gone from this world. Jeff loved storms and the tempest of the wind. I will search for his spirit in the winds of nature that inspired him. Maybe I will hear the Lion roar one final time.
West Tu Hál, Dean Jeff Link!
Namárië
I just found out about a dear friend of mine passing on - Jeff Link. Jeff and I were classmates in a very special group at Syracuse University. This guy was the real deal. He was a student who never stopped learning and a teacher who never stopped working. I don't know if it was work to him. He had the ability to look at a problem, study it, work to solve it and finally re-work it if he didn't feel that he solved it. If you were a student of his you would have been proud to see him as a student. He really studied. I used to think Jeff "designed by the pound" when I would see his solutions for a problem. But that was simply Jeff exploring endlessly.
I learned a lot from him as I felt his students at CCAD did for years.
What a great guy! Thanks for the memories Jeff.
I was a classmate of Jeff's at Syracuse. He was a great friend and an inspiration to our class. I just found out about his passing a few minutes ago…
Tonight I’ll be lifting a glass of McSorley’s in his honor. Here’s to you buddy. I’ll miss you.
Dusty
Getting in touch with an old fellow classmate led me to check out CCAD, and more importantly what Mr. Link was doing at the school. Needless to say, when I didn't see his faculty bio my heart sunk.
Not knowing he had past away, I was saddened at the thought of all the current students not having the benefit of learning from Jeff. I was scared to google his name at the fear of what I have just learned from this blog.
The last time I saw Jeff was 5 years ago when he had me visit his class. He's the one and only teacher that pushed me during college. In fact, I remember many times when he'd yell at me in front of the class because I was slacking. Afterwards I would go to his office and ask, "what was that about - the whole class slacked off and I'm the only one who gets yelled at?" His response, "You can take it and I need someone to make an example out of."
To this day, I can handle any creative criticism and slacking off isn't an option. I was just about to plan a trip back to Columbus to visit CCAD and Jeff, I guess that is no longer necessary. To me, CCAD isn't the same without Mr. Link and I couldn't imagine walking into V-hall without seeing his name on his office door. What a loss for all past, present and future CCAD students.
I will truly miss Jeff.
AnnMarie Krol (Kushion)
Jeff was a great guy! I was also a classmate of Jeff's at Syracuse University. Jeff was so friendly and supportive and easy to talk to. I was very sad to hear the news. I really have some fond memories of him and his interesting, fast talking, intricate presentations. He seemed to have ideas pouring out of him. He was a kind and amazing person.