DON WISE

WISE--Don devoted family man, artist, curator, long-distance cyclist, raconteur and farmer, died after a brief illness on May 3, in New York City. He was 87 years old. He leaves his loving wife of 45 years, Taki, daughters Alexandra and Anouche and husband, Eric Zuehlke, grandson Leo, brothers Robert Wise of London and Herbert Wise of Los Angeles. Donald was the son of the late Alexander and Dorothy Wise of Flatbush, Brooklyn, who founded the music publishing firm now called Music Sales/G.Schirmer. After graduation from The Cooper Union, he began his business career as an art director at Conde Nast Publications, Inc. He went on to establish Don Wise & Co. in 1952, specializing in fashion and home furnishings. George Jensen, Anne Klein, Charlie's Girls, Hang Ten, The Herbal Newsletter, Paul Stuart, Vanity Fair, Yves Gonnet Fabrics, Gracious Home and Ethan Allen were among his clients. Don designed and curated exhibitions of photography for 30 years for the Staley-Wise Gallery beginning with the work of Horst P. Horst. A lifelong love affair with cycling and travel took him around the world, beginning with a bicycle trip at 17 from Brooklyn to Lexington, Kentucky to see the Thoroughbred racehorse, Man of War. In 1950, he boarded a freighter and traveled on an around the world trip for a year with a three month layover in Paris to work at Publicis. His passion for biking led to his 2,000 mile journey from North to South Vietnam and rides in Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, France and Italy. His keen interest in nature began in 1938 at the family home in Red Hook, in the Hudson Valley, and continued to the present. He raised sheep and chickens and had the pleasure of turning his eye for architecture to restoring and designing a number of buildings in the city and country . Don will be remembered fondly for the whimsical illustrations he drew as notes on envelopes, diaries and wrappings. They have been collected and treasured. His humorous stories delighted his family and many friends. He always gave his time and talent to good causes. In lieu of flowers please send donations in Don's name to: The Cooper Union at www.cooper.edu/give