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Larry Selman

December 11, 1938 – September 20, 2021  

“Make Every Day Count”

 

Our​​ beloved husband, father, brother, colleague, and best friend, slipped away peacefully at his home in Santa Cruz, California, surrounded by his family. For many months, Larry​​ held​​ insatiably​​ to life, because he​​ simply loved​​ living—on every level.​​ Recently he​​ was busy with many projects—adding more solar power​​ to​​ the house, taking​​ magnificent​​ photographs, practicing the viola da gamba,​​ studying music theory,​​ redesigning our front yard with beautiful succulent plants, and playing Pokémon with the grandkids and other aficionados of the game. Honestly, we all thought we would have more time together.

 

The last few months, this has been his daily mantra: “Make every day count.” And we did. His three-year journey with pancreatic cancer changed everything. We made every moment count.​​ During​​ his​​ last few days, he was telling​​ everyone, “There are only two things that matter: Having work that you love, and finding the right partner.” He said how lucky he was to have​​ found​​ both.​​ 

 

Larry is survived by Marti Selman, his devoted wife of 32 years;​​ son Matthew David (Matisse) Selman, daughter-in-law Daniela Selman, grandsons Mason Lawrence Selman and Dashiell Jean Selman; son Noah Jordan Selman, daughter-in-law Sarah Selman, grandchildren Isaiah Clive Overson, Jacqueline Ruby Overson, and Khiaan J. Selman; sister Kay Ellen (Kelly) Selman, brother-in-law Robin Wallace, of Gainesville, Florida; first wife Linda Pope of Aptos; and a host of extended family and friends who will carry him in their hearts forever.​​ 

 

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Evelyn and Morton Selman, Larry attended public schools​​ in Cleveland Heights​​ and​​ earned a Bachelor’s degree at Kenyon College,​​ after which he spent a year​​ abroad​​ studying chemistry​​ at University College, London. He​​ then went on to earn a Master’s degree and PhD in organic chemistry at Yale University.​​ After a brief career in teaching, Larry​​ discovered​​ by chance​​ what would become his career for the next​​ four decades.​​ 

 

 

In the late​​ 1960s,​​ Larry​​ found himself at a personal crossroads. With​​ his​​ PhD in organic chemistry (thanks to the persistence of his dedicated mother, Evy),​​ he was torn between the prospect of an academic career,​​ and​​ his​​ true​​ passion—playing​​ Renaissance and Baroque​​ music.​​ Larry​​ felt he​​ needed to make a choice. ​​​​ One day,​​ a​​ friend in the early music world​​ introduced​​ him​​ to one of his collections: glass paperweights. Larry was immediately​​ enthralled​​ by these small​​ objets d’art​​ and began buying and selling them​​ as a hobby,​​ which​​ in time​​ evolved into a​​ career.​​ 

 

During the Renaissance, skills and talents from many fields of expertise were combined into lives of extraordinary creativity.​​ Eventually, Larry​​ solved​​ his career​​ dilemma​​ by​​ choosing​​ “all of the above,​​ following the​​ path of innovators from the Renaissance era,​​ whose​​ hauntingly beautiful,​​ complex​​ music​​ had smitten him. In other words, why not​​ continue​​ to be a scholar​​ of many things, play​​ early​​ music, and….​​ deal in​​ collectible​​ glass paperweights!

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ A picture containing person, indoor

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Larry​​ will be remembered by​​ collectors​​ around the world​​ for his work​​ in the field of​​ fine​​ glass paperweights, where he devoted​​ himself​​ to​​ education about​​ the art form​​ and​​ to​​ fostering​​ emerging​​ artists who created​​ these small treasures.​​ In 1969,​​ he founded L. H. Selman, Ltd. which began as a kitchen-table mail-order business with his first wife, Linda Pope, who co-authored his first book,​​ Paperweights for Collectors.​​ Through​​ the publication of high-quality brochures,​​ special​​ photographic techniques​​ and​​ advertising,​​ participation​​ in​​ antique shows,​​ and collectors’ meetings​​ and festivals,​​ L. H. Selman, Ltd. became the world’s​​ premier purveyor of both antique and contemporary glass paperweights.​​ For years, Larry​​ regularly traveled to London auctions to​​ bid for clients​​ or​​ to purchase​​ rarities​​ for​​ his collectors.​​ He wrote​​ numerous​​ definitive​​ books​​ about​​ the art form, and published​​ many other​​ titles​​ under his publishing house,​​ Paperweight Press.​​ 

 

Throughout his career as an art dealer, Larry drew on his lifelong skills as a photographer, figuring out the best ways to photograph glass. (He had​​ created​​ a dark room in his childhood home in Cleveland when he was fifteen). The exceptional quality of his photos set the standard among the paperweight world.​​ Always the innovator,​​ Larry was the first paperweight dealer to have a website.​​ This was in the early days of the internet, when building a website required months of laborious and unforgiving attention to detail. Larry​​ actually wrote the computer code himself, in the late hours on his home computer. He was the first paperweight dealer to establish an online auction. On two occasions, these auctions held the world record for the highest price realized for a rare antique glass paperweight.​​ 

 

Eventually the mail order / auction business evolved into a beautiful glass gallery in downtown Santa Cruz. The shop became a mecca for paperweight collectors from around the world who came to attend many festivals and other paperweight-related events which were​​ hosted​​ here.​​ He fostered a collaborative work environment where his small staff could​​ actively participate, and enjoy their work as much as he did.

 

In 2009, Larry decided​​ that after 40 years​​ it was time to “pass the torch” of the business to someone else.​​ 

L. H. Selman, Ltd. was purchased by the family of Wes Clark, a long-time collector, who moved the business to the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, where it resides and continues to thrive.​​ 

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Larry was a devoted father who adored his family.​​ In 1976, son Matthew (Matisse) was born, followed by son Noah in 1978. Throughout his career as a businessman,​​ he​​ always found time to be​​ 100%​​ present​​ for​​ his children,​​ constructing electronic projects at the dining room table, selling​​ (hmm.. mostly buying)​​ at the local flea market,​​ having sushi-making dinners at home​​ and​​ lifelong​​ daily conversations about their many​​ diverse​​ interests and activities.

 

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After moving to Santa Cruz in the early 1970s,​​ Larry​​ continued to play​​ Renaissance and Medieval​​ music with friends. He played with the Antiquarian Funks,​​ the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, and with a small group that called themselves The Byrd Consort, after the composer William Byrd.​​ In 1986, while serving on the board of directors for the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, Larry met Marti Edwards, who shared his passion for early music​​ and​​ his interest in​​ personal​​ computers. They married in​​ 1989, and Marti soon joined him in the business, where she worked as an active partner for the next twenty years.​​ 

 

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One of Larry’s​​ lifelong​​ interests was the field of communications. He found it thrilling that he could send out a catalog from Santa Cruz, California and that people from all over the world would respond.​​ Watching the automated equipment he had acquired for mailing paperweight catalogs sit idle​​ between mailings, he​​ founded Complete Mailing Service,​​ another​​ entity​​ to help other businesses communicate with their clients. That business still thrives​​ in Santa Cruz​​ under​​ its​​ new owner and name: Complete Mailing and Printing.

 

That same passion for communication took him into the world of amateur radio and later, into his lifelong​​ captivation​​ by​​ the internet.​​ In 1988,​​ Larry taught himself​​ Morse Code and became an amateur radio operator, under the call sign AA6MV. He and Marti (N6ULI) took trips to​​ several​​ remote islands​​ for​​ “DX-peditions”​​ where they enjoyed​​ talking over short-wave radio​​ to other “hams” around the world. They​​ found they​​ shared many​​ other​​ interests​​ as well:​​ organic gardening,​​ beekeeping, wine-making,​​ the fiber arts​​ (weaving, knitting, spinning, dying​​ fibers with natural pigments), birding, travel, photography, and meeting new friends in each new field they pursued.​​ Larry and Marti were inseparable, doing everything together as a couple,​​ each​​ embracing​​ the other’s interests and learning everything they could together.

 

In the early 1990s, they bought some raw land at the top of Summit Road in Santa Cruz County which they developed slowly on weekends. They​​ set up solar electricity and​​ established Ridgecrest Organic Farm where they​​ planted raspberries, blueberries, and​​ figs. Eventually, they installed​​ a couple of tiny cabins where they​​ retreated for​​ many happy hours,​​ enjoying​​ the tranquility of the mountains and​​ majestic views of the Pacific and the​​ Morgan Hill valley.

 

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In the early 2000s,​​ Larry’s brother-in-law, Robin Wallace, introduced him to the world of birding.​​ As a result, Larry became totally immersed in the world of bird photography, taking workshops with well-known​​ American​​ bird photographers, and traveling​​ with Marti​​ to many places across the United States to photograph​​ birds in their natural settings.​​ Long airplane flights offered an opportunity for studying books on birds of North America.​​ He spent many hours photographing hummingbirds at the Arboretum at UC Santa Cruz, where the family is placing a bench in his memory​​ at the newly planted succulent garden in the South Africa section.

 

Larry developed a keen “eye” for seeing and capturing—not just birds, but also people, plants, and abstract patterns. Eventually, Larry got into black and white street photography and spent many hours walking the streets of Santa Cruz, Bisbee, Chicago, and Santa Fe capturing whatever caught his well-developed eye. His work was sold in galleries in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

 

In 2007 while on a birding vacation to southern Arizona, Larry and Marti happened upon a small adobe cottage that was for sale in the desert scrub outside the magical high-desert town of Bisbee. They fell in love with it and bought it as it was, with off-the-grid solar power and rain water collection, and beautifully furnished with Mexican tile and craftsman furniture. The Bisbee cottage and southeast Arizona became a wonderful second home where, after retiring from the paperweight business, they spent about half their time.

 

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To view some of​​ Larry’s​​ amazing​​ photos,​​ visit

 

http://aviangallery.com/wp/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mostlybirds/

 

https://flickriver.com/photos/lselman/

 

In 2015, Larry returned to his​​ old​​ passion for playing early music.​​ He bought new​​ gut​​ strings and tuned up his treble viol, which had​​ been set aside​​ during his​​ busy​​ years​​ in​​ the paperweight business. He joined the Viola da Gamba Society of America, which set him off​​ on​​ another adventure of meeting new and reconnecting with long-lost​​ musician​​ friends from Northern California and Arizona.​​ Before the pandemic,​​ he and Marti​​ attended​​ every local chamber music concert they could. They also​​ traveled​​ out of state for chamber music performances, and​​ attended​​ many viola da gamba workshops in California and Arizona. Larry often remarked that there is nothing more satisfying than playing music with friends.

 

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Larry’s ability to single-mindedly focus on one of his many interests will be remembered and appreciated by all who knew him.​​ A true​​ Renaissance Man, once he became passionate about a subject,​​ he became laser-focused on learning everything he could.​​ Other interests took a back seat while he ramped up his knowledge on a new subject.​​ This singularity of purpose drove him to​​ try to​​ be the best at anything he undertook.​​ Back in the 80s, he​​ quickly attained the​​ highest level​​ license in amateur radio;​​ recently he reached Level 45​​ on​​ Pokémon—one of the highest levels achievable​​ in the game.​​ 

 

Larry’s mind was never idle. When Marti took piano lessons or week-long cooking classes, there was always something to photograph or a Google search​​ about​​ something that piqued his curiosity.​​ His latest project​​ followed the same pattern: the decision to re-design the front yard with draught-tolerant plants​​ resulted in a new stack of books​​ to devour​​ about​​ succulents.​​ 

 

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Larry made this photo to show some of his many playful interests:​​ ​​ Music, weaving, photography.

 

During his last few weeks,​​ he enjoyed​​ surfing the internet for information about​​ Fibonacci sequences in nature,​​ and watching with pleasure the app on his​​ iPhone​​ which shows​​ in real​​ time​​ how much solar power​​ our panels​​ are collecting and giving back to the grid.​​ He​​ also​​ enjoyed​​ simple pleasures, such as​​ going for rides around Santa Cruz​​ to collect​​ Pokémon points,​​ or just sitting with​​ a take-out coffee while we charged​​ our​​ electric​​ car.​​ 

 

We will always treasure Larry’s​​ keen curiosity in​​ just about​​ anything and everything he encountered, his brilliant analytic ability,​​ his​​ many​​ passionate interests,​​ his generosity,​​ his zest for life,​​ and​​ his​​ quiet​​ sense of humor, which was with him​​ until​​ the end. But beyond all of these gifts,​​ his​​ kindness​​ and caring for others​​ stands out like a warm embrace which​​ enveloped​​ and transformed​​ everyone​​ who​​ knew him.

 

We have all learned so much from Larry—gifts that we will cherish the rest of​​ our​​ lives and pass on to others.​​ Ours has been a rich, full, and beautiful life, well lived, including many​​ lifelong​​ friendships we have made along the way. We have never stopped being grateful for our blessings and especially for each other.

 

We will not be having any service at this time, but​​ we are​​ asking anyone who would​​ like​​ to​​ celebrate Larry​​ to go out and do something special​​ in his honor.​​ Please​​ help us​​ celebrate our​​ Renaissance Man​​ by doing​​ something​​ you love​​ and feel passionate about—and​​ making every moment count. ​​​​ We got to spend a part of our lives with Larry Selman—we are the luckiest people in the world.

 

 

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Messages can be sent to the family via ​​ ​​​​ 

 

​​ MarthaSelman@gmail.com

 

Larry’s black and white street photography of street musicians was made into a 10 minute video. The link below will take you to the video:.

 

This second link below is to a 5-minute slide show Marti made of Larry playing music throughout his life (except for 30 years while he ran L.H. Selman Ltd).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myusKMFEpUc