Sam Maloof, one of America’s most widely admired contemporary furniture craftsman was welcomed on Wednesday by the Cerritos College Woodworking Association.

Born in 1916, Maloof began working on furniture in 1948. Entirely self-taught, he started by collecting plywood along railroad tracks with four to five hand-me-down tools. Fifty-five years later, Maloof’s woodwork is considered to be a legacy.

“Woodworking has been very kind to me, it brings me the most satisfaction and it’s very inspiring,” Maloof said. He is one of only a handful of furniture designer-craftsmen to make his entire living through working full-time with his hands.

His crafts consist of black walnut, cypress, rosewood, ebony and maple. He has sculptured cradles, chest, tables, desk, music racks and chairs.

Many items have been donated and auctioned off. One small chair that was crafted specially for an auction in Chicago was sold for an astonishing $90,000.

His signature piece is the exquisite Maloof rocking chair. Described as a long tailed rocking chair, low to the ground, polished and perfectly sculpted to fit the human body. “I’ve been (wood) working for 20 years and the sculpting on this furniture is amazing, it’s not easy,” said Paul Sanchez, a woodwork student in the chair design class.

“Just about every major museum in the country has my work,” Maloof said. His furniture can be found across the world in many museums including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., Vatican Museum in Rome, Italy and the Los Angeles Art Museum.

And these are only a few of the many places where his furniture is collected. “I feel that the most important thing about a piece of furniture,” Maloof explained, “is the soul the woodworker invested in it.”

Ex President, Jimmy Carter also owns his personal collection of Maloof’s hand-crafted chairs. Given that Maloof’s peices are so in demand, he is backed up five to six years in orders from clients all over the country.

The audience inside the Student Center was in admiration of Maloof as he spoke of his extraordinary talent and accomplishments. “I’ve heard of this guy for years and I wanted to see him,” said Kevin Johansen, woodshop student.

People were heard whispering “neat furniture” while others took pictures, purchased books and got autographs by Sam Maloof. “I never dreamt that it would be this way at all,” said Maloof, “I just thought it would be an easy way of making money.”