Honoring His Care through Craftmanship

A cancer survivor gives the gift of art

When Adolf Schneider was diagnosed five years ago with serious skin cancer, he was in the midst of crafting a vanity table. “I thought I would never finish,” he says. It was heartbreaking for the 81-year-old from Alpha, N.J., who spends most of his free time in his workshop. Using skills he learned as a young apprentice in Germany, he designs and creates unique furniture and jewelry and music boxes with intricate wood veneer designs.

Schneider sought care at LVHHN, and had a large patch of melanoma removed from the top of his head. “It was a close call,” he says. “But eight weeks later I was back in my woodshop, finishing the vanity.” Today, he is a cancer survivor.

In appreciation of his care, Schneider, an 1899 Society member, is donating numerous tables, boxes and other pieces of his work to LVHHN as a promised gift.

“The craftsmanship is just phenomenal,” says LVHHN art coordinator Christine T. Oaklander.

The former curator at the Allentown Art Museum, Oaklander recognizes Schneider’s talent cabinetmaking skills. Using paper-thin veneer, made from exotic woods like Indonesian rosewood and black walnut, he creates intricate inlaid designs. LVHHN is fortunate to receive such a generous gift,” Oaklander says.

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