Trim was born in 1942 to a mother who was a lifelong civil rights activist and a father who was a professional artist as a young man.  Trim received a B.A. in English Literature from University of Michigan in 1964 and an M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University in 1965.  For three years, he taught college level creative writing, and his poetry was increasingly published in national magazines.

In 1968, Trim gave up writing and teaching to move to Seattle to work full time against the Vietnam War.  Involvement in the Weathermen Organization led to being a fugitive (remaining in the United States, mostly in Eugene Oregon) for 17 years.  During these years he was, for a time, on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list.  He returned to college using a new identity and completed a B.S. in Biology (1979) and an M.S. in Physical Therapy (1981).  He worked as a home health physical therapist.

In 1980, he started seriously pursuing his artwork.  In 1981, he met Rich Klopfer who has remained his art partner.

In 1987, he was arrested by the FBI and quickly released after four families from the Eugene community put up their homes to meet the $100,000 bail bond.  He returned to his art and to home health work until he was sentenced to two years in minimum security prison.  In January 1988, he was married in the prison chapel to a high-school friend, Ruth Evan.

Trim returned to Eugene, Oregon in 1989 and reestablished his physical therapy career.  In 1993, he resumed human rights activism and founded Campaign for Labor Rights (CLR), a national anti-sweatshop organization in 1995.  In 1997, he left his physical therapy career to work full time for CLR.

During these years, Trim continued his art which was represented in several West Coast galleries.  The proceeds from the sale of his art was largely used to fund his human rights activities.

Trim began doing painted sculpture in the mid 1990's, and this continues to be his preferred medium.

In October 2000, Trim was diagnosed with terminal cancer and began an intense battle to prolong his life.  In March 2001, he was partially paralyzed as a side-effect of a specialized chemotherapy in a "Blood Brain Barrier Program."  He continued to make sculpting a priority,  using his non-dominate right hand.  Although he determinedly focused on the patient-end of physical therapy to regain use of his left side, he was never able to sculpt with his left hand. 

On June 15, 2002, Trim was ready to go and slipped away while sleeping peacefully.  There will be a private graveside service in Lodi, Michigan at a later date.

The proceeds from the sale of Trim's art are now being used to cover his medical expenses, many of which were not covered by insurance.  If you are interested in purchasing one of Trim's pieces, please see the "ordering information" on this website.

At Trim's request, you may send donations in his memory to one of these two organizations that Trim supported through many years:

back