Poppy: A Novel About A Colorful Colorado Life

by Jack Maher

Author, curator, renowned world authority on Native American Art, Eric Douglas was a museologist for the ages. Known as "Poppy" by his family, he revolutionized display methods at The Denver Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Indian Court at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition and many others. Widely known and respected among Hopi, Navajo, Cheyenne and other Native American artists, he rode horseback with his father in the early 20th century to get to know the land and people of the Great Southwest. He pioneered the Denver Art Museum's popular "Indian Style Shows" of the 1950's where live models presented authentic Native textiles. He was a tireless champion of Native creators in both traditional and new works This historic novel tracks his colorful life which included commanding 130 nurses in New Hebrides during World War II. Learn more at www.sandgoatmanorpublishing.com

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2023

About the author

Jack Maher is a proud fifth generation Colorado native. A four-time National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Heartland Chapter Emmy® winner, he worked at KUSA-TV in Denver as a 9NEWS Multimedia Journalist and Executive Producer for over three decades. Maher's 9NEWS work also earned multiple awards from the Associated Press and the Colorado Broadcasters Association.

After his retirement from commercial television, he worked at Jeffco Public Schools as a Multimedia Journalist where he founded and did storytelling for the district's official YouTube channel. Maher's Jeffco work resulted in two NATAS Heartland Chapter Emmy® nominations and multiple honors from the Colorado School Public Relations Association. He is the author of two books, "Poppy: A Novel About A Colorful Colorado Life," and "You Were Chosen, Just Like Mary: A True Story of Love and Faith."

Reviews

[Stacy Pahl- Tichy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story about the Douglas family in Colorado. The story starts in the 1920s and ends in the 1950s. It’s nice to know the family home is still standing and you can actually visit it in Evergreen Colorado.

The Douglas family is a diverse group of characters. With a minister and his doctor, wife and their son, Eric. Eric Douglas becomes Curator of the Denver Art Museum . His knowledge on native American art is his passion, and it takes him on many travels.

[Doug Hoffacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! This book is a rare and fascinating look into the life of a real American pioneer. Poppy is a passionate collector of Native American art, but the author details how he’s so much more than that. We learn how Poppy engages with his friends in Native American communities, thrills in getting to know them and share their work and show how it can take its place among American art treasures. I love that it’s an important untold story about bringing cultures and peoples together. The book makes you wish you could have known Poppy. The good thing is, his legacy lives on through some of the collection you can see at the Denver Art Museum, and others.

[Joni Zigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Poppy” captured my heart from the beginning. One description in the author’s own word exactly describes my mixed feelings for this reading journey, “One of grateful awe, and another of immense sadness that it was over.” I truly wanted to stay in the world of Dr. Frederic H. Douglas. Maher honors Douglas’s life, from the laugh-out-loud follies of his children to his tear-invoking passion for artists. Douglas insisted on the dignity of the Native cultures whose art he curated, unprecedented by most of White society of the times. Diving into this view of Colorado and art history inspired me to be just a little more like Poppy and “Never stop learning. Never.”

[Teri M Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy: A Novel About A Colorful Colorado Life is a family memoir written about Poppy by his grandson, Jack Maher. I love family history, and I love it when a child or grandchild feels that their progenitors are worthy of recall.

Eric Douglas's life, known affectionately as Poppy, is incredible. Through him, we learn about Native Americans in and around Colorado, especially their art and the processes (clay, paint, beadwork, and more) passed on through the generations. We watch Poppy push Native American art to the forefront in Denver, but also in New York City, and San Francisco. We learn of his new ways to display art, his 'fashion shows' highlighting textile art, and his work to provide live demonstrations.

Poppy lived an unusual life that often took him from his family. But still, his family meant everything to him. I loved learning about Poppy, and I think you will, too!