OSMOND — Gerald Kumm of Osmond was recently honored by his son, Gordon, with a special gift. Gerald, who served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, was given a framed flag made with a unique element - shotgun shells.
Gordon wanted to honor his father's military service, and found a way to do it by giving him the flag, which he made himself. Included on the flag is a picture of Gerald during his time in service. Gerald was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood and was a clerk typist when he served in the military.
Gordon, who lives in Arizona, makes a number of items at his home workshop, including framed flags
made of shotgun shells. He has made four of the large flags like the one he recently gave his father, and 25 to 30
small ones. Making one from start to finish, Gordon says he can make one
in about three hours.
"I started doing it like an assembly line,” he explained. “I cut out so many frames. I cut out so many backs. The shells I have learned now to sort out because there's a little bit of difference in length in the brands of shells.”
In the small flags, there are 13 rows, just like a normal flag, and seven
across, for a total of 91 shells. The larger flags are made with 340 shells.
Gordon lives about two miles away from a gun range in Phoenix, AZ, which makes it easier for him to get the shells he needs for his projects. Gordon says he used to do a lot of hunting, but because of back issues, can't walk like he used to.
There is a local pheasant farm in Phoenix where people get pheasants “planted” in the desert for them to hunt, because there are no wild pheasants in Arizona, he said. So Gordon went to the farm and picked out several pheasants — not to hunt, but to raise himself, which gives him the feathers he needs for another project of his, crosses which incorporate the pheasant feathers. He also makes art with other elements, and sells his wares at farmers markets in Phoenix, or sometimes he sets up on the side of the road, he says.
Gordon has his own shop area in his two-car garage, where he works on all of his projects.
“I'm fully retired, so it gives me something to do,” Gordon said.
Gordon grew up in Osmond and graduated in 1974 from Osmond High School. He moved to Phoenix with Chris Engler right out of high sch ool and went to work for Engler's uncle. That lasted about six months, but work got slow and they laid him off, he said, so he returned to Osmond and began working for his grandfather, John Kumm, who was an electrician and plumber here.
He worked for his grandfather for a year, then bought the business and owned it for eight years. He also worked for Lind-Gubbels for a period of time, but later moved back to Phoe nix because of his wife's health issues.
"Now I come back to Osmond to see how it's changed,” he said. “ And it's changed a lot!” The framed flag art will be hung in Osmond's Down Memory Lane museum, where it will honor Osmond's vets, past and present.
