A 'Star' is born

TELLURIDE — There's no trick to getting a child to draw a "perfectly balanced" star — just a little magic. Ginny Fowler Hicks, author of "Mountain Star," found that magic by drawing on the memory of her brother, world-famous climber Charlie Fowler of Norwood.

"It really is a true story," Hicks, of Oregon, said Monday in a telephone interview. "My daughter (Lindsey), when she was very young, heard about her uncle and knew about him climbing. Her cousin had asked her how to draw a star. Lindsey said it's easy: 'You just think of my Uncle Charlie.'"

As demonstrated in "Mountain Star," Hicks' first children's book, even very young children can draw a star by following Uncle Charlie "Up the mountain," down it, and from side-to-side.

The book is livened by the watercolors of artist Anjali Sawant of Telluride, plus photos from Fowler's many travels around the globe.

Fowler died in late 2006 when an avalanche swept him off of Genyan Massif peak in Sichuan Province, China. Killed with him was his climbing partner, Christine Boskoff, who owned Seattle-based Mountain Madness and lived with Fowler in Norwood.

Their bodies were recovered months apart, after a massive search directed by friends from Telluride Mountainfilm and Mountain Madness.

The idea of a book bloomed at Fowler's memorial celebration last January in Telluride. Hicks, unsure of what to say, told the star story.

"I told the story of how Charlie was the bright and shining star in a lot of our lives. Afterward, a lot of people, mainly women, came up and said they were very touched by that story and they were going to teach their children how to draw a star," Hicks said.

One person who heard the story was Olivija Berry, daughter of Fowler's friend Daiva Chesonis. Chesonis and Fowler were both involved with Telluride Mountainfilm.

Hicks taught the girl how to draw a star using the Uncle Charlie method. Olivija later produced an eight-page booklet, "How to Make a Star," for her 2-year-old cousin.

Hicks returned to Telluride in May for the film festival, where a cash prize had been established in Fowler's memory. This time, she said, people told her the star method worked.

"I kept hearing over and over again this was a meaningful story for people. I decided I would write a children's book," said Hicks, a former teacher and current principal, who has more than 30 years in education.

"It was kind of the combination of people talking with me and Olivija making the little book that made me think: 'Yeah. I should do this.'"

The book is also intended to showcase other peoples and cultures, she said.

"When you write from the heart, it always turns out better. It was basically a pretty easy story to write. Daiva (Chesonis) really connected with the story."

Chesonis was the book's graphic designer and also selected the photographs from Fowler's collection that accompany Sawant's illustrations.

"It's not just a regional book about Charlie," Chesonis said. "It's hopefully going to go big. It just was a natural thing to do."

A release party is planned for this coming weekend in Telluride (see related info box). Hicks said proceeds from the book, after expenses, will be contributed to the Charlie Fowler Climbing Film Award to help the fund reach its $25,000 goal.

Not a day goes by that she doesn't think of her brother, but Hicks said she also thinks of the many ways he is being remembered.

"My mother is particularly happy we did a book," she said. "She was a public librarian for many years. Charlie, I think, developed his love of reading and books from her.

"She's very pleased I chose this way to honor Charlie."