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Matchstick man

Paradise man turns flame starters into art

HEY, WE MATCH – Don Register gifted a model ambulance made out of matchsticks to Wise County EMS in 2020. Messenger photo by Austin Jackson

In between his thumb and his index finger, Don Register picks up one matchstick and places it carefully among thousands of others.

In a few months, after lacquer, glue, re-measurements and countless cuts with an X-Acto knife, it will be something special.

For now, it just looks like a bunch of matches.

“I don’t have much talent for art, whatsoever, I can’t paint by numbers,” Register said. “But I can do this.”

The former military intelligence officer, who spent 23 years in the Army Security Agency, which later merged into the National Security Agency, has taken up the tedious hobby of turning the flame starters into model ambulances, military ships, tanks and fire trucks.

Among his masterpieces is a replica of Noah’s Ark compromised of 50,000 matches, with moving parts and matchstick models of animals inside. It took 10 months.

“It can be trying at times,” Register said.

After tours of service in Vietnam and throughout the Cold War, Register has settled into a quiet life in Paradise, where much of his time is spent creating art from a rare medium to give away.

His pieces have ended up at local schools, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Wise County Veteran’s Office, fire departments and area churches.

The off-kilter hobby started while Register was stationed in Panama decades ago.

“I started it during the rainy season,” Register said. “I could do puzzles, but what do you do with them afterwards. I found I could do this and it was something unique and give to a friend.”

GIFTING STICKS – Don Register gave Paradise ISD a Panther “wall-hanger” to show his appreciation for the school district in 2020. Messenger photo by Austin Jackson

Giving back to friends started again during retirement in Texas. Wives of service members made requests, and Register started honing the craft. He made humvees, tanks, iceberg carving ships and air craft carriers. He’s even made a matchstick dog for the ASPCA that was auctioned.

It takes attention to detail, crafting small features with a blunt instrument. Hundreds of matchsticks are sliced into fire hoses, headlights, tiny little license plates and grill guards. There’s no blueprint.

Register will go out and take measurements of items and then try to design his art to scale.

“Once I have an idea, I take out a bunch of graph paper. I’ll take a roll of brown butcher paper and draw what I want to do,” Register said.

Register builds a skeleton of the models then fills it in.

Getting the shapes and sizes right would seem simple from afar, but building something using thousands of pieces of small, brittle wood that can cave or deform under pressure, is far from it.

Register has plenty of patience and time. But primarily, he has a passion for giving.

“The main motivation is to see the smiles on the faces of people I give them to,” Register said.

As Wise County EMS were responding to emergencies both in Wise County and in South Texas amid the pandemic, Register gifted a replica of one of its ambulance units to the department. It took 7,000 matches. The ambulance now sits proudly in the entryway of the station in Decatur.

“It’s a neat thing. It’s special” said Wise County EMS Administrator Randall Preuninger. “It’s special that he took the time to make it for us.”

On a plaque, sitting by the ambulance, Register left a note.

“This model is dedicated to all of the brave first responders, because of your service, the community can rest assured that assistance is always nearby,” Register said.

None of it is easy, but that’s not the point. The point is putting in effort to create something special for people and groups that Register cares about.

With each piece comes an increasing challenge.

The most recent is a wall hanger rendition of Rotenburg, Germany, crafting 3-D buildings.

“It’s something different, people enjoy receiving them because they are unique. I can do plastic models, but what do you do afterwards? It’s the challenge, asking myself, ‘can I do this?'” Register said.

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