Age 6 = Assembled first stained glass window
Ages 6-14 = Continued apprenticeship involvement in many aspects of the stained glass industry including craft shows, commission work, consignments, piece work assembly, retail studio sales, stained glass wholesale, in-shop repairs and installation assistant.
Age 14 = Opened Sunset Glass / commissions and consignment
Age 15 = Taught beginning and advanced stained glass classes
Ages 15-17 = Assembly manager for Beveled Glass, Ltd.
Age 17 = Opened Freebird Glass specializing in service and repairs
  Craftsmanship, quality materials, experienced advice, and friendly customer service are never to be compromised.

Leaded-glass window re-created for "High Point" on Linton Ave.
  A leaded, beveled-glass sash, an exact reproduction of the original, was recently installed in a Palladian window at High Point, thanks to the efforts of owners Frank Bauer and John Davis. The reproduction replaces the parlor window's clear glass that had been in place for years.
  "We found the original window in the servants quarters of our carriage house," Bauer said. "It had been broken, but all the pieces were saved in a cardboard box. We had hoped to have the original window repaired but found that was not possible."
  Davis took the broken window pieces to glass artisan Scott Eaton, Owner of Freebird Glass in Houston, Texas, who specializes in beveled glass creations and repairs.
  Although Eaton could not repair the original window, he pieced the fragments together in order to create the reproduction.
  The big test came the day he and his assistant delivered the finished window to Natchez for installation. Eaton had constructed the window by working from the broken parts of the original. Would the reproduction fit in the original space?
  With Bauer and Davis watching, the leaded, beveled glass was polished a final time and hoisted into position. It fit perfectly.
  Bauer and Davis purchased High Point, at 215 Linton Avenue, three and a half years ago. They have made it their home and also operate it as a bed and breakfast establishment.
  Known to some Natchezians as the Rabbi Habus house, High Point is a two-story frame residence with gabled roof. The house features Ionic fluted columns, turned balusters on the second-story porch and the first-story porch has a full molded and dentiled entablature. A gabled bay on the northern elevation holds the Palladian window.
  The original Queen Anne residence was built ca. 1890 and underwent a ca. 1905 Colonial Revival remodeling. Also intact is the original two-story carriage house.
  The Palladian window installation is just one of several minor renovations Bauer and Davis plan to make at High Point. Although the house is in excellent condition, with fully modern amenities, the owners want to keep its original appearance. One of their current projects involves restoring several other plain glass windows to leaded, beveled glass, as they were originally.

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High Point, 215 Linton Ave., once again features a leaded, beveled-glass sash in the Palladian window in its parlor.

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Glass specialist Scott Eaton lifts window into position in the parlor at High Point.

Charles Rodriguez, of Freebird Glass, is silhouetted as he reseals stained glass Tuesday at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Yoakum. Crews have been resetting stained glass at the church in preparation for the 40th annual Greek Festival. The event featuring cathedral tours, folk dancing, Greek food and an Athenian playground for children runs Thursday through Sunday.

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Scott Eaton, right, and Calvin Johnson of Freebird Glass install the last stained-glass panel Tuesday at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Lake Jackson. The window was damaged when winds from Hurricane Ike sent the church's steeple through the window. Parishioners were able to save the original letters of the window and incorporate them into the new section of glass.

LAKE JACKSON
Hurricane Ike damaged their building, but the St. Mark's Lutheran Church congregation remained untouched.
  "We were spiritually back to normal since day one," Pastor Steve Larsen said.
  Now the building is back to normal, too.
  Months after the storm ripped the steeple from atop the church, sending it smashing through two stained glass windows into the sanctuary, the window are repaired to their former glory. The message of God's glory is contained in the glass, making the restoration important to church members.
  "We're happy to have the lesser things taken care of, but the stained glass reminds us of who the Lord is," Larsen said.
  The window were smashed early Sept. 13, when Hurricane Ike's wind blew down the church's 39-foot steeple. The cable connecting the steeple to the church caused it to swing back toward the building and crash through the windows before the cable snapped, Larsen said. The steeple also punctured the carpet and scratched the pulpit, he said.
  The opening allowed rain to damage the carpet and wall at the front of the building, he said.
  The window, however were the most notable loss. Sometimes people visit the building just to look at the 11 stained-glass windows, Larsen said.
  "We are known for the windows," said Ray Fuchs, chairman of the church's properties board. "The windows have kind of become a landmark to St. Mark's."
  The tow broken windows were at the bottom portion of a 14/pane, 28-foot tall depiction of Jesus shepherding sheep. The lowest broken panel began the phrase, "I am the Shepherd."
  The last few months, the gaps were covered with plywood. The Sunday school students had tacked pieces of colored paper to the boards, attempting to complete the image, Larsen said. Though it was a good attempt, the beauty of the window was not the same, he said.
  "We're very glad to get it back together," Member Glenn Hannusch said. "The pieces of plywood didn't look the same."
  The new panels are exact replicas of the old window, Larsen said. The church found the original lettering among the shattered glass for the glassmaker to incorporate into the new panes, making the duplication possible, he said.
  Though insurance is covering most of the costs, the group of churches to which St. Mark's belongs provided a grant to cover the cost of the two stained-glass panes, Larsen said. The windows cost $1,500 each and installation cost $2,500, he said.
  The steeple, however, might never be replaced, Larsen said. Instead, the church likely will put a simple cross in its place, he said.
  With the damage fixed, the congregation can take care of others -- members now are focusing their prayers on those losing their jobs because of the economy, Larsen said. After all, he said, the message of the church isn't just etched into a window.
  "Bottom line, it's only a steeple, it's only glass," he said. "It's the message of Christ, the Good Shepherd, that we're all about."

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The steeple of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Lake Jackson is shown Sept. 13 after it was ripped off the roof by Hurricane Ike and pierced the window into the sanctuary.

By GLENDA H. CAUDLE
Special Features Editor
They live life in the fragile lane. And there, one wrong move can shatter the dream. Scott Eaton, owner of Freebird Glass Inc. in Cypress, Texas, seldom has to clean up his own messes, but his life's work involves picking up the pieces and putting them back together - or preventing them from falling apart - for people who cherish stories told by glassy-eyed craftsman from years gone by. Eaton and his team were in Union City this week to head off problems that could have stained the heart of the congregation at Union City First United Methodist Church. The church's eastward-fixed trio of brilliantly-colored and exquisitely crafted stained-glass windows catches the light of the sun as it rises each morning and holds it fast as a gleaming testimony to the truths proclaimed in the sanctuary week after week.