RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Where others saw trash, Vollis Simpson saw whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs, creations with hundreds of moving parts that turned and twirled.
The whirligigs were made from recycled heating and air conditioning systems and reflector material Simpson patiently cut into thousands of tiny pieces that made the works shine when lights hit them in the dark. His work was featured in museums, backyards, dentist offices and the 1996 Olympics.
"I got caught with a lot of material, and I worked it out," Simpson said in a 2010 interview with The Associated Press.
Simpson, 94, died Friday, Beth Liles of Joyner's Funeral Home said.
Folklorist Jefferson Currie, who began working with Simpson about three years ago to record stories about the whirligigs and their creator, said Simpson's daughter told him he died at his home in Lucama, about 40 miles east of Raleigh.