Framing the community: Duo of Gary and Gary honored at Café Dodici

WASHINGTON — It was a celebration of community at Café Dodici in Washington as two longtime regulars, Gary Murphy and Gary McCurdy, were honored with the unveiling of original oil portraits last Thursday, Feb. 19.

Café Dodici owner Lorraine Williams, an avid lover of art, has made it a goal to transform the private room in the back, known as Patricia’s Room, to be filled with portraits of the local community.

“It started with Patricia. Patricia came to my business, lunch and dinner, or in the coffee shop, one of those three, every day when I opened,” Williams said. “She always found community. We dedicated this room, our new room, to Patricia.”

For Williams, the two Garys were obvious choices for portraits to be commissioned and featured in Patricia’s Room. A more than decent crowd turned out for this event as nearly 30 people attended and even more trickled in as time passed. It was a joyous occasion filled with laughter, coffee, scones, and reminiscing.

“I'm overwhelmed. I didn't know what to expect, but [it] turned out to be a really great party,” McCurdy said about being honored. “I'm really surprised at the number of people it turned out and humbled by the fact that apparently, what I've done over the years has not gone unnoticed.”

Retiring back in 2000, McCurdy has 25 years of teaching experience as the band director for Washington Schools.

“I came here in 1968. I took a job as the junior high band director and fell in love with the community and never found any reason to leave,” McCurdy said about his background with the community. “I've been here, pretty much most of my adult life.”

McCurdy, a music enthusiast also known as “The Tubador,” is a University of Iowa graduate and has performed at Midwest festivals and fairs with his iconic instrument of choice from the tuba family, a 100 year old helicon.

McCurdy, along with his wife Virginia, also operated a reservation-only restaurant from 1992-96 called, “Home of the Tubador” and this was something Williams could relate to.

“Gary has been very understanding about the piece of cheese I tried to bite off here and understood the difficulty of a restaurant,” Williams said about McCurdy, and added that it felt good to be understood, and “having people understand your taste and what you're offering.”

Shifting the spotlight from one Gary to another, Murphy was a bit late to the event due to transportation issues but when he rolled in, the whole room welcomed him kindly with smiles and cheers.

“I was about 15 minutes late, and it was overwhelming when I came in and everyone was cheering,” Murphy said. “It's so good to see so many people and I think it's one thing about Washington, Iowa, that I appreciate is the friends that I have. They're good friends. They're there for you if you need it.”

Murphy, who attended the University of Iowa to earn his Master of Education, spent over 20 years of his career in Washington and Brighton as an Elementary Administrator. He served as an educator for 34 years, and once Murphy retired, he started clowning in the community under the name Bandana the Clown.

Even a retired clown can’t help but entertain as Murphy showed up to the event in his honor wearing a bright red nose and clown attire, which is also how he is depicted in the unveiled portrait.

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Both Garys have made more than an impact in the community and this event only brings forth the level of appreciation they have garnered over the years.

Their portraits now hang in Patricia’s Room and just judging by the amount of people who attended the unveiling it would come as no surprise if these new works of art become a must see when visiting Café Dodic.

“Look at this crowd. It's just so exciting. You're so loved, the two of you,” Williams said towards Murphy and McCurdy while addressing the crowd.

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