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mae
08-10-2011, 03:08 PM
http://www.keepmecurrent.com/news/article_8fb2ec22-c37c-11e0-8693-001cc4c002e0.html

When Dudley Bostwick, 83, of Cape Elizabeth, sets up shop at South Portland’s annual Art in the Park event Aug. 13, he’ll have the distinction of being one of only two artists to have appeared in every show since the event’s founding 32 years ago. But Bostwick’s art career goes back even further than that, to the sale of his first painting at age 10.

This past week, he took time to talk about his art career, the Maine coast during World War II, talking tough to Clint Eastwood, and firing Stephan King – three times.

[...]

Q: How long did you work at UMO?

A: I was there until my second wife died in 1976. While I was there I had a man who worked for me who’s a big celebrity now, who I fired three times, because he would not wear his hair net while serving food. His name was Stephen King.

But each time I fired him the dean came down and told me he got aid by working food service. Without it, he’d have to leave school. Finally, the dean said, “Do you have a job you can give him where he doesn’t have to wear a hat?” I said, “He can be the pot washer, but don’t anybody let him go out on the line.”

As an employee, Stephen could eat on the house. But he would bring in his girlfriend, Tabitha, and sit her at the table, and give her free food. Well, I put in a time clock and made him punch in and out for his meals, so I could go out and check if she was there at that time, because she didn’t have any right to be eating free food – she didn’t work for me.

We’re friends today. I never have read one of his books, but every time I have a birthday, I get something over the Internet from him that says, “Happy Birthday, Mr. B!”

jhanic
08-10-2011, 03:19 PM
That's a GREAT story!

John

Ricky
08-10-2011, 03:28 PM
Really interesting and funny.

jhanic
08-11-2011, 02:33 PM
Here's what Tabitha had to say:


"Mr. Bostwick is, to be kind, mistaken.

My husband, Stephen King, never worked for him when we were students at UMO. Mr. Bostwick is entirely correct that I never worked for him but quite wrong that I ever ate for free in the Bear's Den. The Bear's Den was not the student cafeteria. There was more than one cafeteria, and I believe they were associated with dormitories. I only lived on campus one semester and that was at a dorm that had its own dining room.

Steve never ever worked a food service job at UMO. Steve and I worked together, and goofed off together, at the Fogler Library. I worked my way through UMO, as he did, on work-study and scholarships, and since I came from Old Town, ate at my parents' table at home. We did not actually date seriously before he graduated.

It is possible that some other Steve King worked for Mr. Bostwick, somewhere, sometime; it's a common name. Mine isn't, and there can be no mistaking that Mr. Bostwick is simply making up that portion of his self-aggrandizing fantasy. This sort of tripe gets repeated and become legend. Mr. Bostwick owes my husband and myself an apology. And Current does too, for printing his slurs without even bothering to contact us to comment."

This was posted on the SKMB.

John

mystima
08-11-2011, 04:00 PM
WOW

mae
08-11-2011, 04:01 PM
Well isn't that interesting.

Brainslinger
08-11-2011, 08:15 PM
I bet Tabitha is taking that story a lot more seriously than her husband is. We're talking about something that allegedly happened quite a while ago, after all (the year after my birth no less. Yes I'm ancient.) And even if it were true*, I'm sure most people would be amused rather than shocked and disgusted. Kids will be kids, etc.

As for 'self aggrandizing fantasy', sure that might be true, but there's another possibility. He might just have gotten a couple of people mixed up! Sure, it's unlikely that another Stephen King would also have a girlfriend called 'Tabitha', but he might genuinely have gotten the two SKs mixed up and misremembered the name of that SK's girlfriend in hindsight. That sounds like a bit of a stretch, I know, but my memory sometimes plays tricks where things I imagined or dreamt somehow got mixed in with memory.

EDIT- Oh, and I'm of the opinion that an apology should not be demanded of anyone. That's not to say an offending party shouldn't apologise, but it's for them to examine themselves and choose to do so. If someone demands it, and the other party complies... how do you know they mean it? Oh I know there's a slander issue here, and as such, appearances go a long way, but... well.. again. I think she's taking it way too seriously. Or she's worried he'll demand payment for all her free grub. Just kidding.

*In this case I actually don't think it is as Tabitha's version fits with other things concerning that time period written by King himself.

John Blaze
08-12-2011, 03:14 PM
I think she reacted much too harshly. It's an old man telling a self aggrandizing story, sure, but don't all old people? Let it go, Tabby.

Patrick
08-12-2011, 05:23 PM
It's a great story, too bad Mrs. King shot it down so thoroughly.

WeDealInLead
08-13-2011, 04:25 PM
Yeah, she's not nice.

jhanic
08-13-2011, 04:32 PM
In Tabby's defense, I'm sure she (and probably her entire family) get tired of people who keep trying to integrate themselves with Stephen, whether in past actions or the present. I don't really see anything wrong with her reaction.

John

Brainslinger
08-14-2011, 09:50 AM
In Tabby's defense, I'm sure she (and probably her entire family) get tired of people who keep trying to integrate themselves with Stephen, whether in past actions or the present. I don't really see anything wrong with her reaction.

I just think she overreacted. She had the right to post a correction to false information, certainly, but I think she should have just left it as that.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying she's a bad person. I'm sure she is just protective of her husband, and no doubt they've taken flack in the past.

Randall Flagg
08-14-2011, 11:33 AM
I agree. It (to me) came across as a grumpy old person complaining about a seemingly harmless 80 year old with a faulty memory.

Joe Strik
08-15-2011, 01:38 PM
Perhaps Tabitha was having a bad day and needed an outlet? But thats just a noobs opinion :P

Merlin1958
08-18-2011, 04:40 PM
C'mon Tabby, your hubby never f*cked up? Leave it alone, my dear!!!


You can go shopping on Rodeo Drive. Let the Old man have one!!!