Autism Awareness Clock
Noah Smith and the St. Coletta Autism Committee
This intricate clock was designed by Noah Smith and St. Coletta of Wisconsin’s Autism Committee both to tie into Autism Awareness month in April and to honor an individual whom they served in Brookfield and Waukesha, WI that had recently passed. This gentleman, Howard shared with all those around him – his love and passion for clocks.
In memory of Howard Stoll
Howard W. Stoll (b. May 08, 1960) was a lover of clocks and watches. They literally made him ‘tick’. He could always be found performing surgery on a clock to improve it in some way, even if it was just to create new hands for it. Howard could make a room full of people smile when he was happy and excited about something. He would make this little noise and you could always tell he was full of joy in that moment. Howard was a hard worker and enjoyed his job in the community at Performance Water Products in Mukwonago. He loved it so much that he could not be persuaded to go to the Admirals game or Brewers game instead. Howard loved his family very much. His Mom, sister, and brother-in-law were held in very high regard. Howard’s personality touched many that he came into contact with. His love for clocks was well known and also led others to take an interest, or at minimum, fascinate over Howard’s enthusiasm for clocks. The Autism Committee shared Howard’s interest and in honor of him, created the clock in remembrance of those who have passed on, to remember the good times, and to look forward toward what the hands of the clock bring for the future.
“The first step was to find puzzle pieces. We sent out about 800 puzzle pieces to our multiple Day Programs for St. Coletta which serves about 190 individuals with developmental disabilities. Each program was sent the puzzle pieces and paint to have fun painting. Golden Options painted Yellow, Illinois Achieve painted Red, Excel painted Light Blue, and Greater Milwaukee Area painted Dark Blue.
While the pieces were in the process of being completed, the design/template was created to size and traced onto the pieces of foam. They were cut to true size using the 6-Inch Pro Hot Knife on standard white EPS foam sheets.
Parts were sanded to fit nicely, round out the edges, and create some smooth transitions throughout the piece. Next was to make sure there was a compartment created to hide the clock motor.
The piece was then coated 2 or 3 times with HWFF Styroplast – Which HWFF covered the shipping cost to us as a donation to St. Coletta and our mission! THANK YOU! The pieces were then primed and painted dark blue. It was then caulked and also had 3/8??? dowels drilled in to hold the entire piece together (4 pieces in total).
From there, a group of 5 from the autism committee(Carrie Fox, Catherine Simpson, Beth Alexander, Dan Golson, & Noah Smith) glued all the painted puzzle pieces from our programs to the clock. A clear coat was then applied to the entire piece. Maintenance Dept. hung the piece to the wall (Ken Mauer). Finally, the clock hands, motor, and numbers were added to call the piece complete for an unveiling we livestreamed on April 2nd, 2020.
The piece is hanging at St. Coletta of Wisconsin’s Intergenerational Care Center in Brookfield, Wisconsin. In memory of Howard W. Stoll who was served here for a few years, and to all those affected by Autism – to spread awareness, promote acceptance, and ignite change. Thank you!”