Reminiscences of times with Ed Young 1974 on -- from Meg Lindsay
In 1974 I started studying tai chi with Ed in 1974 and, since then, have reviewed the form from the beginning 3 times. My husband at the time, Jim de Peyster joined me. I also learned the sword form 10 or so years ago with Liam and memorized the poetic names for each move. The strengthening of body and meditative states has been invaluable.
One winter in the 80's, Ed and his earlier wife, Natasha (daughter of the painter, Arshile Gorky) and I took tap dancing (!!!) lessons in Carnegie Hall's in upstairs studios. Ed used to say 'listen for the subtlety of the sound, of the tap,' so odd compared with tai chi's quiet, so funny Ed in his big street shoes with taps, we all tapping away.
As a printer's rep, I had worked with his publisher on some issues. Later I put him in touch with a website designer maybe 20 years ago and of course we were good friends with Ina and Gene Winnick his literary agent.
It is so strange not to have him on the planet! Moving to Northampton, MA in 2020 I was startled to find so many in this area who have studied with him! A huge tai chi center here.
Sometime around February in the 70's when Ed's teacher, Cheng Man-ch'ing was visiting from Taiwan, he and Ed and Natasha needed a ride to Chinatown in Manhattan so I drove them in. In the facility where tai chi was taught, the Professor was doing a large 'clinic' of medicine/diagnoses. I'd had pneumonia that fall, couldn't shake a lingering cough. After I waited in line, the Professor, with his fingers on my wrist to read my pulse, through a Chinese interpreter, said I had encountered a downpour of rain and gotten sick (true – a thunderstorm while I was running down Villard Avenue to catch a train into NYC) and would recover in the spring with warmer weather and sunshine. He wrote a prescription in Chinese and sent me to a nearby Chinatown shop where I bought a bundle of herbs and twigs which had to be steeped in water with a lotus root. It was horrible smelling and tasting and I had no idea what was in it!!! and after spring, yes, I was better.
Once Ed did a drawing series. We artists (aspiring and/or established like myself) had to draw a cloth blowing in the wind from a fan, also each others' faces without looking at the paper, trying to detach from the outcome and see instead what was in front of us, not preconceived notions of what a subject looked like.
Another time he did a critique open to artists to bring their work. I had not been showing my paintings for some years so brought way too many. Another painter, a close friend of mine, was annoyed I had brought so many and complained (I was embarrassed). After a pause, so wise, Ed said he would spend the same amount of minutes for each person's critique so it didn't matter how many paintings I nor anyone had brought.
Ed suggested when beginning a subject, to paint small and graduate (like learning to ski jump, I thought) to larger in stages, or else waste a lot of expensive paint! He seemed always frugal and conscious of waste, most likely because of living through the chaos of China in his early years and emigrating here.
Another time in 1980, when I was single for 5 years after my divorce, I was on the train to Manhattan when Ed walked by in the aisle. When he asked how I was, I complained about being single, the challenges of dating. He said not to worry, that someone was out there preparing himself for me and we would meet. A month later on another commuter train into the city, I met my current husband; we have now been married 42 years. Miss you, Ed!
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