NORTHAMPTON — Thirty years ago, when well-known community artist Gregory Stone was a regular at TJ’s Sports Pub in downtown Northampton, he would pay for the meals of those who could not.
Kathy Fletcher, a longtime friend of Stone’s who was a waitress at TJ’s at the time, recalled that when Stone noticed someone who was down and out, he’d cover the cost of their meal, even if he couldn’t really afford it.
Now, the community is giving back to the 69-year-old Stone in his time of need. After he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, Fletcher and two of Stone’s other close friends created a CrowdRise page that quickly surpassed its $5,000 goal.
When Fletcher, Allison Kochen and Kaethe Zellner learned of Stone’s diagnosis, they launched the “Celebrating Greg Stone” page Sunday around 4 p.m., Fletcher said. Less than 24 hours later, it had raised $6,180 — 124 percent of its goal.
Fletcher said while she’s delighted by this outpouring, she’s not surprised, given what Stone has done for the community.
“I think he brings a flavor of humanity in Northampton,” Fletcher said. “Greg has always been a voice for people who traditionally haven’t had one.”
Stone’s paintings and sculptures are well known in the community, and they often draw inspiration from the community’s struggles. Fletcher said he portrays people whom society traditionally marginalizes — the homeless, the lonely, those affected by tragedy.
His website, gregorystone-artist.com, displays slideshows of his paintings and sculptures. A few, such as “Hatfield Fire Aftermath” and “Parsons Fire, Holyoke,” depict the carnage caused by flames. Others are portraits of ordinary people — construction workers, veterans, food truck workers — or images of small, local spots.
Despite the early fundraising success, Fletcher said she hopes people will continue to donate to help out Stone as much as possible. The money will likely assist him in many ways, she and Stone said, including housing, medical and art supply expenses.
Stone said he’s thankful for the money because it will allow him to continue to do what he most loves to do. Being an artist isn’t the most lucrative business, he noted.
Fletcher, Kochen and Zellner found out Stone was sick about a week ago when the lifelong friends were visiting each other to catch up and decided to give him a call. When they suggested the Crowd-Rise, he said he had no idea anything like it existed.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m pleasantly surprised,” Stone said. “I’m always surprised when people reach out and have been so good to me since I’ve been sick. It’s overwhelming.”
Patrick Goggins, a 68-year-old Northampton resident and real estate agent, said he has been friends with Stone — whom he playfully calls “Stoney” — since the artist first came to town. Goggins and his wife, Denise, made a $250 donation Monday morning.
“Keep pluggin’ Greg,” they wrote on the donation page.
Some of Stone’s sculptures and paintings are very much a part of the fabric of Northampton’s community, Goggins said.
“He has a very good way of capturing, in his work, parts of the community that are often taken for granted,” Goggins said. “His way of capturing them makes everyone appreciate them even more.”
Northampton City Council President William Dwight also donated to the page. Dwight said he wasn’t surprised, given how fond people are of Stone, but was proud that people had responded so positively.
If you’ve lived in Northampton for at least four or five years, it’s hard not to know Stone’s work, Dwight said. It might be even harder to miss him riding around town on his motorcycle.
One of his most striking pieces, Dwight said, is the sculpture of an owl on Main Street, right in front of Changes Salon. Stone made it to commemorate a legendary Northampton businesswoman, Eva Trager, titling it “The Queen of Main Street.”
“Honoring the memory of those who have had a significant impact on the vitality of downtown Northampton,” the sculpture plaque reads.
Stone’s friends and fans might argue he does the same for Northampton.
“His work is hard to separate from him,” Dwight said. “It’s an expression of his character —and he is a character.”