Don suffered from heart problems in recent months and his wife, Norma, said that even though he started tiring easily, that didn't stop him from creating and working until the very end.
Born in Canada on June 2, 1919, Don Winton was a person who touched many people's lives. It didn't matter if you were a famous personality or "just a collector", everyone was treated to his big smile and engaging personality. He loved to talk to everyone and will be missed by people in all walks of life.
But even if you never met him, you're probably familiar with work he has designed, but didn't realize it was a "Winton".
Since starting a profitable business in his teens and until the last days of his life -- Winton was never without a bit of clay or a sketch pad and pencil.
Don and Norma Winton's adventures and stories are numerous, any one of them would probably be a highlight for a "normal person", but Winton (true) tales keep adding up. A book was written about the Wintons in 1997 and they have done enough since then, that a Volume Two would be welcome.
Highlights and Quotes from the Wintons
- In Collector's Guide to Don Winton Designs, Don is quoted as saying 'I knew since I was five that I wanted to be a sculptor'. It was about that time his mother bought some clay to keep the two energetic twins, Don and Ross, busy.
- In high school the twins had a profitable business selling clay cartoon animals. Apparently good enough to make the Disney folks take notice.
- Winton was a good friend and football teammate of Jackie Robinson. He loves to tell the story of how Jackie played four sports in school and that baseball was not the sport Robinson excelled in.
- Still in high school, Don worked for Busch gardens making gnomes for their shop.
- Twin Winton Studios was started in 1938 by the twin brothers-- making and manufacturing small animals.
- In 1947 he did a sculpture of the winner of the Rose Queen title, Norma Christopher - who later became his wife.
- It was at this time that Don and Norma became friends with Bob Hope, the Grand Marshall of the parade -- he even gave them a wedding present. Years later, Don felt honored to be chosen to sculpt a Bob Hope statue for the Sahara Hotel.
- Also that year (1947) was the start of the well-known Twin Winton Hillbilly series.
- In 1952 the boys sold their company to older brother Bruce and Don became the only designer for Twin Winton. He freelanced for Twin Winton, along with a multitude of other companies.
- Don Winton has been commissioned by Disney for various projects for over 45 years, starting back around 1954. Don "The first thing I did was a model of the Castle, it was before Disneyland was built. It was a playpen type of thing about four feet in diameter and made out of plastic. I've done all of their characters over the years, even Steamboat Willie".
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His commissions read like the yellow pages of American Business - including Franklin Mint, Alberta Ceramics, American Bisque, Revell Toys, Frito Co., Bacardi Rum, Gerber Toys, Scripto, the movie Ben Hur (coins), Bob's Big Boy, Brayton Laguna Pottery, Brush Pottery, Kenner Toys, Kool Aid, Carnation, Mattel Toy Company, Chicken of the Sea, Coca Cola, Colgate, Van De Kemp, Disneyland, Duncan Royal, Pan American Airlines, Hanna Barbera, Hagen-Renaker Disney Characters, Ford, and Howard Johnsons.
A lengthy, more complete list can be found in "Collector's Guide to Don Winton Designs".
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Winton has sculpted the John Wooden Trophy, Academy of Country Music Award, numerous coins - including a series of coins for the Reagan library, and a bust of Reagan for the Presidential library. He also sculpted one of the Emmy awards and as well as commissions for the Nixon Presidential Library.
Other pieces include a General Dolittle bust for March Air Force Base, David Ben Gurion for Ben Gurion University in Israel, and a Bob Hope statue at Las Vegas
- The famous Mickey Mouse telephone was designed and patented in the seventies. And if you're a Snoopy fan, Winton did the Snoopy figural phone as well.
- He and a colleague have recently completed a commission for the USC athletic department. The sculpture consists of five bronze All-American football players, and stands in front of Heritage Hall
- Winton has sculpted a series of one-of-kind cookie jars, one per year, that have been auctioned off at an annual cookie jar event. His last jar was sold in 2002 for $4000 to the president of a well-known athletic shoe company.
Although it may be Don's hands that did the actual sculpting, it is evident that Norma was part of every sculpture he created. After marrying in 1948, they became true partners in life and business, an inspiration to all that were fortunate enough to know them.
~Barbara Crews
Sources include:
Conversations with Don and Norma Winton
Collector's Guide to Don Winton Designs
