Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521284
THE ARTISAN SUMMER 2024 • 63 In Memoriam exhibit honors him for all of his accomplishments and contributions to the beauty industry. To honor Mr. Coke's lifelong commitment to excellence and inclusivity, the family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Beyond the Combs Academy, a program dedicated to preparing aspiring artists, particularly those from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities, for successful careers in the beauty and entertainment industries. Please visit www. beyondthecombs.academy or reach out to the owner, Rhonda O'Neal at (310) 936-8754. Coke summed it all up when he said, "Dreams are not found; they are made." ❧ Karl Wesson (1945-2024) JOURNEYMAN HAIR STYLIST Karl joined the ranks of Local 706 in March of 1992. Karl received his degree in business from Arizona State University and earned his master's degree in the performing arts. He worked as an actor, a casting director, and a talented hair stylist throughout his career in film & television. Excellent with period and character hair styles, Karl earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, and three other Emmy nominations. Karl was also nominated for a Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Award for Best Character Hair Styling for The Cat in the Hat. Highlights of Karl's film career include Southland Tales, Thelma & Louise, Van Helsing, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Blow, and television productions That Was Then, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, House, Six Feet Under, and many other shows. Karl was always a valued member of the hair team. He was very proud of his work supervising the hair styling department for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. Karl was a loving, caring, and compassionate man, with a great sense of humor and an indomitable spirit. Family was everything to Karl; his 50-plus-year marriage, his children and grandchildren, their beautiful home in Salem, Utah, and he was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Karl is survived by his loving wife Brenda, his children Amy, Julie, Laura, Brent and Zoey, and three precious grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his daughter Jenny Lynn and grandson Karl. ❧ Coke shared his expertise as a lecturer at El Camino and Trade Tech Colleges and various schools throughout the Los Angeles area. He joined the California Cosmetology Legislative and Educative Committee (CCLEC), where he attended various educational workshops, participated as a Board member and became the first public relations director. From bouffants to Afros, press and curl to Jheri curls, relaxers to natural styles, Mr. Coke was not one to rest on his accomplishments. He sought a new challenge—one of his childhood dreams—to style for the stars in the film and television industry. In 1991, Coke joined the Make- Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Local 706 and would put his stamp on such shows as Roc, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Moesha, and Baywatch. His feature credits include Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg, Missing Pieces with James Coburn, Showgirls, Forget Paris with Billy Crystal and Purgatory with Sam Shepard and Eric Roberts in which he received a 2009 nomination for Best Period Hair Styling – Television Miniseries or MOW at the 1st Annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards. In 2018, he was inducted into the Finding Our Roots Museum in Houma, Louisiana, where an