| Joe Solansky is
a Monumentalist. This is what was in days past called a stonecutter. We
were sent to him by the Gonzales
Chamber of Commerce who thought he could answer our questions on Cemetery Preservation.
It seems that in addition to his professional duties, he also volunteers his expertise
in fixing vandalized stones for various community cemeteries. This
is sort of an interview by proxy, since Mr. Solansky wasn't there and we talked
to his daughter Andrea. We're actually glad it happened this way, since we have
reason to believe Mr. S wouldn't have told us about his many good works. Our experience
tells us people who do the most, speak the least. The
first headstone we noticed was a classically shaped one. One that children always
draw for Halloween. It's so close to the door, we almost thought it was being
used as a doorstop. All it said was ALBERT GRAPE BORN 19-- Died 19--. Grape is
not a common surname and there was something oddly familiar about it. It was and
is an artifact from the 1995 Movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape. When there's a
movie being filmed in Texas requiring a tombstone, the call usually goes to Joe
Solansky. Andrea explained that while cheaper productions can get by with Styrofoam
headstones, larger budgets (and close ups) require the real thing. Other films
that have used Mr. S's Tombstones are: - 1997's
Michael
- My Boyfriend's
Back (As in back from the Dead) and who can forget
- Children
of the Corn.
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