A treasure for PSO

You probably know James Muns—former Plano mayor, active in his church, has served in leadership positions for many charitable organizations, married to his college sweetheart, the beautiful and forever young Dr. Betty Muns. But did you know he is an expert woodworker?

James grew up in the West Texas town of Sweetwater where his dad was a manager of a lumberyard. It was there, at age 12, that James got his first lessons from "an old man down there…he was probably 50," James laughs now at his youthful perspective.

From adolescence to young adulthood, and eventually as a father, grandfather, and now great-grandfather, woodworking has been an important part of James' life. It provided extra income in college, became a relaxing hobby as a young man, and has resulted in exquisite heirlooms for his four adult children and their families.

He has made cradles ("a double wide for a set of twins"), headboards, chairs, coffee tables, a kitchen island table, one roll-top desk ("that was interesting"), a campaign desk, a pedestal for an enormous eagle sculpture, doors and windows, and seven or eight artistic yet incredibly comfortable rocking chairs.

He has a couple of the rocking chairs at his house, some he gifted to family members, but two were donated to the Plano Symphony Orchestra's fundraising gala last year. The chairs brought in $21,000!

This year he is making a wine cabinet to be auctioned off at the 2012 Valentine Gala, "New York, New York." The cabinet is a replica of one he saw and photographed in a European factory years ago. Without templates or patterns, looking only at the photo, he has taken white oak lumber and built a wine cabinet that will soon be someone's prized possession.

Pulling out the intricate grid of the wine rack, James says, "This was the most difficult thing to build. I had no earthly idea how to make it. I looked at that picture and tried to figure out how I was going to do it. There are lots of little pieces in here, and you have to make it substantial enough to hold the bottles." It's picture perfect now.

Looking at the yet-to-be-finished cabinet with all of its intricate details, he shares, "This cabinet has taken a long time…two months already."

Which begged the question, is the hobby stressful or is it relaxing? "Oh, for me it's relaxing. It will be four or five o'clock in the afternoon, after I've been in here all day, and I realize that I'm worn completely out but didn't even know it until then."

What's the appeal of woodworking? James reflects for a moment. "I just like seeing things come to life," he says earnestly. "The more you work with it, it becomes sort of a spiritual thing…has a life of its own. And each piece has that kind of feeling to it."

The lucky high bidder at this year's gala will have a one-of-a-kind treasure—which, as it happens, pretty much describes James himself.



Plano Symphony Orchestra
2012 Valentine Gala
Saturday, February 11 at 6 p.m.
Marriott at Legacy Town Center, Plano

James and Betty Muns, co-chairs of the Valentine Gala committee, along with honorary chair state Sen. Florence Shapiro, invite the public to PSO's annual gala. Entertainment will include exciting auctions, a lovely dinner, dancing to the music of Limelight, and a special guest appearance by Broadway star James Moye, who is currently starring in Million Dollar Quartet in New York.

This gala is key to the success of PSO, since only 30 percent of funding comes from ticket sales. The funds raised will help cover operating costs, educational programs offered to area youth, and more.

Tickets for the event are $130 per person. Make reservations by calling the PSO ticket office at 972.473.7262 or visit planosymphony.org.
—Cindy Boykin