From staff reports
San Marcos —
It only took Joe Daubendeck one day to put a name with the face he began sculpting eight years ago.
A Thursday, Aug. 24 article in the San Marcos Daily Record featured Daubendeck and the sculpted bronze plates he creates of strangers, which he then gives to his subjects for free. In the article, the sculptor mentioned a plate he had completed this year, but didn’t know the man’s name or his whereabouts. Daubendeck just wanted to find him so he could offer him the piece.In hopes that someone would recognize the face, a photo of the plate ran with the article.
On Friday, a day after the article was published, Rudy Castillo of San Marcos became the lucky winner of the bronze sculpture.
“My mom was the first one to see the article. She said ‘Rudy, I saw your face in the newspaper,”‘ Castillo recalls. “I said, ‘Mom, I’ve been good, I promise.’”
She explained the article, and Castillo remembered Joe approaching him eight years ago about doing a sculpture, and asking to take a photo of Castillo’s face. After a phone call on Friday, the two met up and Castillo happily accepted the stranger’s gift.
“It’s a really beautiful piece,” Castillo said.
