Robert Dan Overly

Robert Dan Overly, of Jackson, Mississippi passed away on October 18, 2010.
Dan was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 9, 1944 to Robert and Jane Overly. He graduated from Northern Ohio University with degrees in biology and art in 1967. After graduation, he taught at Upper Scioto Valley High School, McGuffey and Big Walnut Middle School in Sunbury, Ohio. In 1970, he came to Greenwood, Mississippi where he served as a special assistant to the superintendent of schools, coordinating the arts. Dan earned his master's degree from Delta State University in Art Administration. He also had a studio where he painted, sculpted, and dabbled in stained glass.
Dan, working with inspiration and support from his dear friends Theo Inman Vaughey and Janet Redmont, became Director of the Arts for the state of Mississippi. In 1972, at the request of Gov. Bill Waller, Dan formed the Mississippi Crafts Guild and served as the Executive Director for 15 years. He was appointed by the Carter administration to serve on the crafts panel for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. He served on the editorial advisory board for the Crafts Reporter and a number of his book reviews, articles and photographs were published in the American Craft magazine. Dan was the founder of the Schools of Craft and Design at Millsaps College in Jackson. The school was an alternate program which ran in tandem with the art department and featured professional seminars, speakers and international guest artists. He retired from the Guild in 1987 due to health issues. In 1996, First Lady Pat Fordice presented him the Governor's Award for Art Partnership.
Dan was also an avid gardener who combined his biology background with his artistic talent. His garden, on 25 acres off Old Agency road, was featured in a 1994 book, "Secret Gardens Revealed by Their Owners" by Rosemary Verey, an adviser to the British Royal Family.
After 27 years building the secret garden, Dan was forced to leave his home and gardens for a city apartment complex. This move was captured by Kathryn Rodenmeyer in the documentary film, Uprooted.
He moved to Meadow Ridge apartments and transformed a dumping area of concrete and old tires into a scenic garden blending native plants and trees with numerous potted plants and natural barrier fence creations. In a 1989 article, Dan described his gardening philosophy: "This is me, " he says, sipping his tea. "It's how I relate to the world. The plants and flowers keep me alive. You can get so down and feel so bad. But the next morning the pickerel weed is going to bloom, and it makes you want to make it one more day."
The seeds of Dan's love of gardening were planted by a childhood neighbor, Aunt Abby, grew as he honed his craft during his years living in the old slave quarters near Janet Redmont while creating a Japanese garden and blossomed into the garden at Meadow Ridge. Of his work, Dan said, "I garden for myself mostly. My efforts in the garden and the secret gardens have been portraits, self portraits." When hearing that his special gift at growing plants and flowers was described as "enchanted", he slyly said it was "not nearly so much enchantment, but cow manure and triple-thirteen."
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Barbara.
He is survived by his brother-in-law, Kent Kimmel; his niece, Heather Kimmel (husband, David) of Atlanta; and their two children. He is also survived by his chosen family of friends, craftsmen, and associates whom he graced with his easy charm and sense of humor.
A special thanks to his many doctors, but especially those doctors and staff at the University Medical Center, who knew him as a 'runner'. A memorial service will be held at 3:00 on Sunday October 24 at St. Columb's Episcopal Church on Sunnybrook Road in Ridgeland. The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi has set up a memorial fund: The Dan Overly Memorial Fund for Educational Efforts (The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, 950 Rice Road, Ridgeland, Ms 39157). Dan would want you to buy a plant, or get one from a friend, and put it in the earth.