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Mary Gregory Style, by Geri Peck

Materials
- 7-0 GLASS, clear and colored
Designs
- PICTORIALS (17-21)
- 20-0 OTHER PICTORIALS

Background/Story

Oregon State Button Society May 2017 issue features the buttons commissioned by Geri Peck in an article by Peggy Mathes.

Q. (Peggy) What inspired you to do these?
A.(Geri)
“I took a tour in the Czech Republic in early 2000. My father and I visited the button factories. I met an owner of H Glass (Tomas Novotny). He developed an interest in coming to the National Button Conventions in the USA. When he came to the California convention (2005) he visited my home. My collection of Mary Gregory pieces are in a curio in my hallway. Tomas went to see the pieces. I realized he recognized the pieces as Czech glass. I let him stand there a while and then walked over. We stood there silently and finally, I spoke to him. I said, “Tomas, do you think we could make a button like that?” His
eyes got big and he was excited. We sat down immediately at my dining room table and started working out the nuts and bolts for this project. It was about a year before the first buttons arrived here. We both felt as if we brought our countries together via this project. Tomas tells me that the people at his factory are very proud of this button series.”

Q. Are the designs based on your early childhood as Gil suggested?
A. “The buttons are based on childhood experiences. For example, the boy on the sled is my friend Keith.
I have known Keith since third grade. He sat next to me in class and one day he popped out of his seat
and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Immediate love. We did everything together and one of those things
was sledding. Sometime soon I will write a small book explaining the meaning of each button.”

Q. What does the H stand for in the back mark? Will the newer designs still have the 07 date?
A. The H stands for the company that produces the buttons with the help of the painter. The gp are my initials. And, 07 is the year of inception of the series; the date for the Mary Gregory (style) buttons will never change.”