At 6 feet 4 inches and 380 pounds, George Ginger has hands that can envelop a basketball, a smooth voice that rolls from his chest and a kind demeanor that stems from a childhood of poverty.
He's a gentle giant who loves hummingbirds and children, particularly children with special needs.
"Let me get my ear in," said Ginger, 64, as he pushed a hearing aid into his left ear on a recent morning, sitting in his woodworking shop attached to his home in Manito.
In this 12-foot by 25-foot space filled with supplies and tools, Ginger defines his philosophy of life and creates woodcarvings valued around the world. His depictions of hummingbirds have won awards and recognition across the state and the nation.
"I've never seen anything quite like his work. His pieces are so intricately detailed," said Mike Miller, chief naturalist at Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights.
Ginger's pieces are so realistically accurate that the nature center has one on display in a glass case as a teaching tool. It shows the stages of a black swallowtail butterfly from egg to larva, chrysalis and adult butterfly.
Ginger is currently on disability from Caterpillar Inc. after a major heart attack. He expects to retire officially in 2007. But a bad back, bad heart and respiratory problems don't keep him from sitting in his woodworking shop, sometimes from 9 a.m. until after midnight.
Growing up poor in rural Peoria County didn't give Ginger an overriding desire for money. "I have enough to get by. A roof over my head and food to eat," he said.
Even after 25 years of woodcarving, Ginger declines to sell his pieces. He gives them away to not-for-profit organizations to auction for fund-raisers. A George Ginger carving can go for $2,000. Pieces require an average of 80 to 100 hours or more of work.
He also gives his carvings to children battling cancer and other diseases. He uses his pieces as gestures of kindness for people struggling with adversity.
"This is my ministry," he said.
When he started carving, he knew he didn't want to carve ducks. He focused instead on hummingbirds, drawn by their diminutive size and indomitable spirit.
He includes this poem with some of his carvings to explain his affinity for hummingbirds:
A Hummingbird I am.
The Indians call me / The war bird.
A feared feathered / Fighter I am.
I fear nothing no / Matter its size.
So attack life's trials / And Fight as I.
One of Ginger's carvings will be auctioned off at an Easter Seals fund-raiser Sept. 21. Another piece will be raffled off at the Manito Popcorn Festival on Labor Day weekend.
"When I was 9 years old, I started working on a farm nearly full time. I just loved to work. From work I had the thrill of giving. I loved to come home and give my paycheck to Mom," he said.
"With six boys and one girl, we grew up poor. Years later, Mom told me how much that paycheck meant."
Forest Park Nature Center will hold its annual Nature Art Show Thanksgiving weekend and expects to feature some of Ginger's work.
