A Final Statement

IDENTITY

Since the birth of the Me Generation, consumers have been hungry
for goods tailored expressly for the individual. Now, they can make their
mark on the ultimate personal statement: death.

Gone are the days of the somber, anonymous wooden coffin: a
Dallas-based company called WhiteLight (www.artcaskets.com) has conceived
the "Art Casket," a tomb specially designed for you or the one you love.
Was your father an avid golfer? Send him to that great putting green in
the sky with the "Fairway to Heaven" casket. Uncle Larry a comedian? Keep
him rolling in his grave with the cheeky "Return to Sender" model
(right). On a more serious note is the AIDS Ribbon casket.

Company co-founder Dennis Sternitzky explains that he and
co-founder Patrick Fant hit upon the idea while imagining their own
funerals. "We want them to be a celebration of life," he says. While
people clearly agree--WhiteLight has sold over 200 caskets since they
started manufacturing in January--it's clear that they also want one last
chance to show off a visible symbol of the self.

"The baby boomers have been really influential in society," notes
Sternitzky. "Whether it's the tie you wear or the house you live in, the
Me Generation wants it faster, better and more unique." Death, it seems,
doesn't have to be the common fate that unites us all. Says Sternitzky:
"Nobody's life was a blank. This is the last opportunity to make a final
statement."

ILLUSTRATION (COLOR)