Dawk's Schematic
"Few people know what an electron tube is, let alone how it works. This is
why many repair people can replace tubes, but do not know what is really
going on inside of an amplifier."
A Prodigy is Born
Dawk's talents are inborn. His grandfather, a Renaissance man, was an
expert in the field of explosives, an avid photographer, a printer who
constructed his own printing press and lathe, and a geology professor at
Cornell University. Tragically, he was killed during an expedition in the
South Pacific, when the volcano he was researching unexpectedly erupted.
Dawk's father, a chief lineman for his local power company, oversaw the
upgrading of power lines throughout Central New York during the 1940s. His
grandmother, a renowned piano teacher who studied in Vienna, Austria, began
giving the youngster free lessons when he was eleven.
"The guys in school would teach me rock and roll chords," he remembers.
"Then I would go home and play them and my grandmother would smack my hands
and yell, 'No. That is not music.' Then she would play a classical piece
and blow my mind."
Dawk's uncle not only owned one of the first turbine-driven lumber mills,
but was also a respected cabinetmaker.
"When my uncle was in his prime, craftsmanship -- not high wages -- was the
impetus for creating quality products," he says. "It was about taking the
time to get things right and having pride in your work."
Dawk's talent was evident from his infancy. His mother fondly recalls the
time she found him crawling outside the crib that was constructed by his
aforementioned uncle. Helen Stillwell soon discovered that baby Dawk did
not merely climb over the bars or force his way through a weak panel that
was ready to give. The future engineer managed to remove his mattress and
figure out how to unfasten the springs from the base of the crib allowing
him access to the adult, free world.
By the way, the crib, which has been passed down through the Stillwell
family from generation to generation, is still in use.
It All Started with an Old Radio
At the ripe old age of six, Dawk took an interest in radio, first listening
to music ("It was just after World War II and marching music was popular,"
he remembers), then working on radios around the house. It was not long
before he was repairing car radios and ham radios for neighbors. "I'd charge
around five bucks [for parts and labor]," he remembers.
In high school, the faculty would be at a loss to work problematic equipment until
Dawk arrived. He did not mind this assignment, however, as he was the only one
who could run the projectors. "Because of my experience with ham sets and car
radios, I learned how projectors worked and why they broke down," he says. "The
guy that ran the visual aid department also happened to be the driver education
teacher, so he didn't have the time to do it. I was constantly being called out
of classes to preside over all demonstrations and film projects."
Working at the Ithaca Gun Company, for a brief time, where he assembled
shotguns, gave him his first real taste of craftsmanship. The quality and
excellent standards of the world famous shotguns are respected world-wide.
The Beatles Change the World
After graduating high school, Dawk attended Cornell University, where he studied
electrical engineering, and then Ithaca College, where he studied film. Like much
of America, however, his life changed the night he watched the Beatles perform
on the Ed Sullivan Show February 1964.
"They blew every other band in the world into the toilet," he remembers.
"They sang, they played their own instruments and they wrote original songs.
It was then that I knew that I had to start working with bands."
Build It Yourself
Swept up in Beatlemania, Dawk was inspired to learn how to play guitar and
start a band. He was not alone, however, and quickly discovered that
finding good equipment in Central New York would be no easy feat. Although
he grabbed the last guitar his local Sears had in stock (a Gibson Les Paul
knockoff made by Kay), he was unable to find a good amplifier, so he built
one.
"Using an old tube radio, I built it on my parent's kitchen table," he recalls.
"I went down to the local junk store and bought a small P.A. amplifier that was
made during World War II. I rebuilt that. Then I took a plastic garbage can and
mounted a piece of wood and a 15-inch speaker, which I pointed at the bottom of
the garbage can creating a reflex cabinet. I bought another small speaker that
I mounted on the front to act as a horn." When employees from a local electronics
store came to watch Dawk's band rehearse, they were so impressed with his homemade
amplifier that they offered him a job.
"The place was called Alcor, Inc., which stood for All Cornell Engineers,"
he recalls.
A Love for Music and a Passion for Technology
During the 1960s, the only place a musician in Central New York could go to
get his or her equipment repaired was at a local electronics shop. So,
combining his main interests -- music and technology -- Dawk took advantage of the
musical equipment drought and began working with local bands, repairing and
modifying their existing amplifiers and instruments.
"Each semester at Ithaca College and Cornell University, kids would form
bands that would break up at the end of the school year," he remembers.
"They made up a third of the bands in the area. The rest were professional
bands, which included Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, Dove, and The Brass
Buttons.
"It was during this time that I came up with a personal acronym: KISS,
which stands for 'keep it simple, stupid.' When working on equipment, a
person should always use the best parts, always take his or her time, and
always do it right the first time."
The Origin of "Dawk"
It was Gary Hall, lead guitarist for Brian's Idols, who bestowed John
Stillwell with his unusual nickname.
"Gary loved Mad Magazine," he explains. "In one issue there was a story about
a mad scientist name Dawk. A band approaches him and asks him to build the world's
largest amplifier. The results are so big that the mad scientist has to build
it on the moon. When the band finally plugs in and strikes its first chord, the
impact destroys the Earth." It was a fitting moniker and a hint at things to come
from John "Dawk" Stillwell.
Dawk and Dio
One of the first bands to approach Dawk at Alcor, Inc. was Ronnie Dio and
the Prophets.
"At one point the band was in a serious car accident and most of their
equipment was in splinters," recalls Dawk. "But I restored it.
The Prophets soon became The Electric Elves, then the Elves and finally,
Elf.
"Only a few people [from Central New York] have gone on to do anything of
note," he continues. "One of the first times I spoke with Ronnie James Dio,
he said, 'There is nothing here. This is small potatoes. The world is
waiting for you and me.' He told me that he was getting out and he did.
[The legendary vocalist] had his stepping stones and he made the most of
each one.
"Through Ronnie, I was able to meet and work with Deep Purple, Rainbow and
Black Sabbath. It was because of him that much of my future snapped into
place."
