Obituary of Graham Ferrier Mackintosh

Graham Ferrier Mackintosh, fine printer and publisher, was born April 13, 1935 in Salt Lake City. He lived most of his life in San Francisco, and died May 9, 2015 in Santa Barbara. His father who had emigrated from Scotland soon moved the family, Jeanie Ferrier his wife, and two sons, Graham and Ron to San Francisco. He bought a house in the inner Sunset District. At the time, their house was the last, and from their front door on 10 th Avenue it was sand dunes to the ocean beach. The home was a touchstone for Graham his whole life, he loved the house, with the saloon doors still there, a legacy of it's once speakeasy status. Graham and his brother were close and enjoyed San Francisco, with cars and freedom. Graham loved going to the Tanforan and Golden Gate horse tracks with his father. He learned the skill from Bert, of winning at the track by knowing more than the other bettors about the race variables. Graham attended Lowell High School. He loved learning, but saw class bullying and developed a lifelong disdain for conscious and unconscious cruelty. He was always an interesting person. He attended a high school dance with two of his best friends. One was in full drag. This ruse was discovered and prompted a marathon questioning session in the principal's office. He told them that he was fooled and unaware the person was not a girl. And no matter how much he was pressured to admit that his story was preposterous he stuck to it. Graham was a loyal friend. Graham was in the Marines ROTC and slated to go to Korea, but that conflict ended just as he graduated from Lowell. So he started to attend his the California School of Fine Arts, where he met his first wife Kathy Knight. In a few months he was drafted by the Army and married Kathy. He was a able to attend basic training with one of his best friends from high school, David Flattery. He and Kathy lived in a historical house in Virginia, had a daughter Caitlin, while he completed his enlistment as a clerk typist at Ft. Eustis, near Williamsburg. They returned to the bay area first to San Francisco then to Piedmont. Graham returned to school and strengthened his involvement with the literary and poetry world emerging in the Bay Area. He had many interests: languages, Chaucer, Busby Berkeley, Samuel Johnson, Sanskrit, automobile design, motorcycle ­sidecar racing, and model airplanes are examples of his wide range of interests. He began printing and publishing with a small home shop in Piedmont. His wife Kathy and Caitlin did the binding and stapling for the early books. He then moving to San Francisco to a shop off Jones on Steveloe Place in the Tenderloin, then moved to south of Market to a much bigger shop on Natoma. He enjoyed working the friends and characters that revolved around the printed arts and street life In 1967 Graham and family moved to Los Angeles for a year while Graham worked for and learned from the fine printer Saul Marks. Then he moved to Santa Barbara to set up shop with Noel Young. First at Noel's shop on Canon Perdido then to State Street and the Fithian Building. Graham and Noel continued to work on projects ­ splitting their business eventually. This shop was situated between the 100 year old Gutierrez Pharmacy and the old Azteca restaurant. The shop was a thriving business and social place. Lynn Stark, Jim Jimenez, Joe Babine, Sasha Newborn, Aaron Young Linda Benet, and Caitlin Mackintosh all worked there in different ways. Graham and Kathy lived on Westside with their daughter Caitlin in a turn of the century bungalow on a third acre. They entertained many poets and artists: James Liddy, Jim Chapson, Gerry Haggerty and Linda Benet - both artist lived across the street and became very close friends. Gerry said "We knew Graham well enough to realize that he was the embodiments of Dickens truism about the best times and the work of times [as alcohol took its toll] but at his zenith Graham was the wittiest man in the world." Jim Chapson said: "I often thought Graham would have felt at home in the Scriblerus club -Swift, Pope, John Gray, and Robert Harley, the Earl of Oxford. Like them, he had a sharp eye for the absurdities of the age, and like them, a remarkable integrity." He and Kathy experienced almost a decade with friends and rich happenings in Santa Barbara. In the late 70's Kathy divorced Graham; as he had been overtaken by his unsupportable drinking. He then moved shop to the Andalucía building at State and 101, where he gradually came to terms with is divorce. He stopped drinking in 1982. After a few years of recovery he met Janet Thormann, whom he had known in the 1950's, meeting in an English class taught by Alain Renoir at UC Berkeley. Graham married Janet in 1986. He then traveled back and forth between San Francisco and Santa Barbara. He did larger production jobs in doing Santa Barbara, where he spent time with his daughter, partner Ellen and his grandchildren Annelle and Tali. He eventually sold his large equipment and moved his letterpress Windmill Heidelberg and Vandercook proof press to Raoul's Fine Fabric. There, his friend and designer Sally McQuillan gave him space to work for many years, while he also resumed publishing the White Rabbit Press in San Francisco. He worked from the basement, the old saloon at 10th Avenue. He worked at the with his heavy Colt letterpress which chugged on reliably, while he the printer fought the steady disappearance of cast type and fonts from the world. The garage door at Tenth Avenue open to the street his tool bench visible. Graham made friends of the passing neighbors sharing comments and humors. Graham did handyman jobs in the house, made wood furniture and did repair work on his care, motorcycle, framed pictures and enjoyed waxing Janet's; 1982 Mazda rx7. He was happy with his wife and friend Janet. He spent Sent Francisco early mornings chatting in local coffee shops on Irving or on Clement or at this favorite Chinese pastry shop on 9th Ave. Graham sober, was hard working level headed clear seeing patient affable while still ready with quick wit and speculative candor.. He continued his long term friendships and frequently saw his brother Ron whom he relied on and adored, and who supported Graham selflessly in many ways over the years. Graham and Janet shared common interests, especially the loves of literature, poetry and history. They enjoyed life in the City and traveled extensively together, including o New Your Europe, Scotland France, Israel and Italy. Graham was a loving and steadfast husband who did all he could for Janet through their life together. Supporting her through a lengthy battle with cancer. At Janet's death Graham told Gabrielle Thormann, Janet's daughter that they were great buddies. Graham was also a friend and caring step­father to Gabrielle. Graham himself faced serious and debilitating health issues and through these years and was supporting by at different points by Ron, Gabrielle, Caitlin Ellen, Annelle and Tali. After Janet died, Graham had some good times at a care center in San Francisco. He had a circle of smoking friends. A visiting friend at that time Dale Holt commented "I had so much fun with him when we were planning to fleece the other residents with a harmless game of poker, when was quite mischievous and was also getting very good at close up magic." Graham then moved to Santa Barbara for additional care. His granddaughters entertained him with Mr. Toad wild wheel chair rides (which he initiated) and learned pool the hard way by scathing criticism, had great ice cream parties, ad hoc parties and different excursions, and of course always: smoking on the roof. Graham was a loyal person, and made friends even in the midst of loss and confusion. He was always complicated but incredibly interesting, amazingly strong and settled in his own restless way. Graham is survived by many friends and family. Caitlin Mackintosh, Ron and Vicki Mackintosh, Gabrielle Thorman, Annelle and Tali Mackintosh Ratcliffe. Sally McQuillan, Lynn Rollins, Joe Babine Linda Benet, Lynn Stark, Harry and Sandra Reese and many more. All miss him and his unique way of seeing life, his love, his unexpected revelations which were his gifts to his circle and his time.