Edwin Forrest Ward was a multifaceted individ- ual known for his contributions as a husband, father, grandfather, celebrant, artist, poet, actor, playwright, and raconteur. He was a beloved cul- tural figure in Denver and passed away peacefully at home on February 28, 2023. Born in Philadelphia, PA, he attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School and received a degree in physics and education from Drexel University. Before moving to Denver, he taught high school English for six years in Woodbury, New Jersey. In Denver, he immersed himself in the cultur- al underground of the early 1980s. He founded and hosted a variety of poetry and spoken word events along with dozens of multi-media arts pro- ductions. During the 90s, he also ran the Catholic Youth Recreation Association, which provided summer baseball leagues for over 3,000 youth across the Denver area.
Edwin was an ordained minister in the Temple of Man. He performed hundreds of weddings and, in his last years, officiated at dozens of funer- als. His life was celebrated at the Mercury Cafe in Denver on Sunday, April 23, 2023. Edwin capitalized on his own style of art, which he called squiggleism. I made this portrait of him based on that style. After hearing him perform, I met him at the Mercury Cafe and instantly grav- itated toward him. I went out of my way to make friends and visit him at his home with his wife whenever I was in Denver. Edwin represented an exciting group of people to me: the Beatniks. This period was just before the hippy period. I could listen to his stories all day. The week after his death, he published an anthol- ogy of his writings called “On the Way to Sleeping Giant.”
EDWIN FORREST WARD Denver, Colorado
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