Carroll Montana

Carroll College Centennial Brick Sofa

September 24, 2009

Thanks to a generous donation from the A. J. Seiler Trust in memory of Arthur J.P. "Art" Seiler, III and Jeannie Watson Seiler, a one-of-a-kind brick sofa is being installed in front of the library. Art Seiler, known in the Helena community for a multitude of business ventures, was the first Montanan to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After graduation, the third-generation Helena native pursued a career in industry that ranged from manufacturing in-the-window air conditioning units to coating pipes for use in nuclear power plants. All told, Seiler owned or served as president of 38 companies throughout his lifetime -- the majority of them located across the eastern United States.

Art served on the Carroll College Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1995. He died at the age of 94. Working with Art's son Doug Seiler, it was agreed that creating the brick bench during the centennial year would be a fitting remembrance to a man who supported many organizations, including Carroll. Doug shared that his dad did like a view. He liked to look at sunsets. He climbed Mount Helena on his 90th birthday and was proud of that fact. "When sitting, my dad liked an arm chair with a footrest." The concept was "an arm chair with a view."

In summer 2009, Ralph Esposito, Professor of Fine Arts: Visual Arts, traveled to the Endicott brick foundry in Fairbury, Nebraska, located in the southeast corner of Nebraska about one hour from Lincoln. He spent two weeks carving the brick bench. When the sofa was completed, the bricks were fired and shipped to Helena. The bench was assembled on location by Dale and Dan Sykes.

The inscription reads:

In Memoriam
Arthur J.P. "Art" Seiler, III
Jeannie Watson Seiler

Lessons for a long life: pause, rest
and observe the surroundings.

Funded by A. J. Seiler Trust

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