Lyell Clay- Through His Daughter's Eyes
Eleven-year old Whitney had never seen her father cry until the day she came around the corner and heard soft weeping coming from a nearby room. When she peeked through the French doors she was astonished to see tears running down Lyell Clay's cheeks. Even more perplexing-he wasn't sad, he was listening to opera! "He was so passionate about it, that the music was making him sob," she recalls.
Remember this was the 1950s, when men didn't cry. So the idea of a man crying over art was revolutionary to young Whitney. "Dad was a real Renaissance man, metro-sexual before it was cool," she says.
While the concept of art appreciation stirring someone deeply may have been new to Whitney, it was a way of life for her father. One could say it was instilled in him before birth. His own father Buckner Clay Sr. died before he was born. But he left behind words that would become a driving force of his young sons' lives. "I express the wish that my wife shall contribute something from my estate to help the poor and needy, the sick or the unfortunate, preferably through some worthy organization or organizations." (Fifth paragraph of the last will and testament of Buckner Clay)
From donating Yamaha Disklavier Pianos to nearly every college, university and high school in the state to founding the philanthropic Clay Foundation and bringing the Clay Center into being, Lyell Clay has been a strong supporter of the arts. To date, the Foundation believes he and his brother, Buckner Clay Jr. have given over 150 million dollars to various organizations throughout West Virginia and the surrounding area.
The Human Touch
But Whitney says it is not just about the money with her father. It is a true love which goes much deeper. "Dad always talks about a custom that the people of France and Italy have. When making wine, they always pour some of the harvest back into the earth as a way of thanksgiving and regeneration." She explains "The custom wasn't just water with Dad. Giving is something you do every day, through significant things, even when it isn't easy or convenient."
In his younger days Lyell Clay could often be found playing banjo and bass with the Lawrenceville Dance Band, singing with the Cavalairs Quartet at the University of Virginia , composing music such as the Marshall Fight Song or later photographing destinations worldwide for various newspapers.
School Days
Long before those artistic pursuits he tried his hand at writing. While still a teenager he wrote his autobiography. The Clay Foundation still has a copy of the type-written four-page document, complete with an occasional crossed out word and hand-written insert. It is more flow of consciousness then detailed account, but it does provide some insight into his young mind.
"I believe my first emotion of awe came when we took a hike to see the monument erected to Nungesser and Coli, the French aviators who had been lost. Whether it was the height or the situation of the moment which was on top of the hill overlooking the ocean, or the irony of the fact that the monument at the top of which heads of the two flyers were carved looked out upon the ocean, the very place they had been lost, appearing to be an everlasting warning to other aviators, it impressed me more than anything else I have ever seen."
It also gives a whimsical account of one of his first encounters with show biz.
"One morning when the family was just getting up, an elephant belonging to the circus which had just stopped in the square, had wandered off and had stuck his trunk in a second story window of our cottage and it was some time before he could be coaxed to move on."
Optimism Everlasting
Whitney says that is exactly the kind of thing her father would remember. "He can see the beauty in the smallest things. You could take him to dinner at a hole in the wall, and he would find something delicious to eat and think the place was great. He is a true optimist always seeing the glass half full."
And so it has been. Even after battling Parkinson's disease for 30 years. "One day when he was having a particularly rough time of it, I got very discouraged and said 'Dad, I hate this, don't you wish it would just go away?' He said 'You know Whit, I've had such a good time in my life and spending time with you. If being here without it meant not having what I do, I would say Madame Parkinson's, I welcome you!'"
That is not to say some days are not extremely difficult. Talking is especially hard for Clay; therefore he has turned once again to music and composition as his form of expression. Whitney's husband, musician Brian Diller says it's the perfect therapy for his father-in-law "After all, what is music, but emotion given a voice?"
True Passion
The Clay Center, which was perhaps the biggest thrill of Lyell's life, also provides distraction from his disease and continued pleasure. "I remember him drawing sketches of the Center 20 years ago. A twinkle would come into his eye and he would say 'this is my vision.' It is absolutely his passion and it overjoyed him to see it come to fruition."
But he would be quick to point out that the Center was the joint effort of a good many people, first and foremost his beloved brother Buckner, who passed away in 2003. "They were a lot a like in many ways both extreme gentlemen, in every sense of the word gentlemen, kind, compassionate, sweet. But people often forget that my uncle was just as much a part of the Center and the Foundation, he just didn't gravitate towards the lime light like dad did."
While Lyell Clay and his brother will always be remembered for their bricks and mortar contributions to the community and especially the arts in Charleston , Whitney hopes her father will go down in history another way. She likens it to a story she once heard about another famous renaissance man, Michelangelo. The sculptor was once seen working for days with a gigantic piece of stone, chiseling and sanding away at what seemingly looked like nothing. Then somehow within a matter of minutes a life-like angel emerged. "Dad is like that. He never sees the stone, only the possibilities!"
