History of HGMS Annual Show--Part 1
by Scott Singleton
HGMS
President
Prolog: This is a history of the HGMS
annual show. However because the show is a function of the Society, it is not
always possible to separate one from the other in an historical accounting. This is
particularly true in the early days when the show was a small affair
held by a much smaller society. As the Society grew, functions were
separated into committees who were responsible for them. But even then,
some Society decisions were so far-reaching that they affected the show
in one way or another. In these cases, the events or decisions will be
discussed only inasmuch as is necessary to lay the groundwork for a
full understanding of the situation surrounding the show.
Because the annual show has
been occurring for over a half century, its history could become very
unwieldy if not broken up into digestible chunks. Thus, I will split
this accounting into several articles whose covered periods are
dictated by logical breaks in the historical progression of the show.
These breaks and article titles are as follows:
PART 1: 1948-1968
– Early Days
PART 2: 1969-1977 – Rise to Prominence
PART 3: 1978-1989 – On Top of the World
PART 4: 1990-2000 – Fall From Grace
PART 5: 2001-Present – The Phoenix
(Addendum: I will shortly be writing
Parts 2 and 3. I have talked to a number of you out there who were
around during those days, but it’s growing increasingly difficult to
find anyone who was here prior to 1980. If you were around prior to
1990 or 1980, I would like to talk with you. Please let me know via
e-mail [fossilwood@houston.rr.com] or phone [713-664-9033], and I’ll
make arrangements to discuss your recollections with you. Thanks in
advance!)
PART 1: 1948-1968 – Early
Days
Formation of a Society: In October
of 1942, Mr. W. V. Vietti transferred back to Houston after an
assignment in Columbia as a production engineer for The Texas Company
(which changed its name in 1959 to Texaco, Inc.). He started collecting
gemstones and rough as best he could, which was not easy during the
war. It apparently was even more difficult to find lapidary equipment,
and his first was a homemade arbor and wheels that a friend sold him.
He was advised to wait until the end of the war before trying to
organize any sort of group of like-minded hobbyists. He became friends
with Jerrie Swain and her husband, St. Elmo Swain, after his release
from the armed forces. St. Elmo was a silversmith and a machinist with
Humble Oil.
Together they plotted to form a
rockhound club. Jerrie, who also worked in the Humble Oil offices,
arranged for notices and photos to be printed in the Houston Post. In
early November of 1948, an organizational meeting was held in the Swain
home. About 10 people showed up, and that was enough to set up an
organization. The second organizational meeting was held on December 3,
1948, again at the Swain “studio.” About 26 people attended. They
agreed on a plan whereby Mr. Vietti would submit a formal notice of
organization to the State Mineral Society of Texas (later changed to
the Texas State Federation of Mineralogical Societies), a necessary
step since its organization predated Houston’s by several years.
 |
Left: HGMS Formation letter
Above: Notice sent to members present at the
first planning meeting to be present for the second planning meeting of
the new lapidary club (upper text). This notice was spliced onto a
newspaper clipping (lower image), probably from 1949, showing the
founders of the Society along with their wives.
Below left: A quaint newspaper clipping from
January, 1949, showing the wives of the Society founders working in the
Vietti workshop.
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The
HGMS Letter of Formation was sent to the regional society on
December 7, 1948, by Mr. W.V. Vietti, founder of the Society.
Recognition by the regional organization was a necessary step in our
formation.
That same day the first official meeting of the
Houston Rock and Lapidary Club was held at the Vietti residence. (The
original name was Houston Lapidary Club, but “Rock” was added in order
to attract collectors). This meeting was attended by 28 people who
became charter members in the new Society after paying initial dues of
$7.00. Mr. Vietti then drew up a set of bylaws and mailed it to the
charter members. (This was the origin of the same bylaws we use today).
The bylaws were approved at the second official meeting of the
HR&LC on January 7, 1949, and a Society was born. Meetings were
held at the Houston Public Library at McKinney Ave. starting with this
second official meeting and continuing until 1955.
Meetings were well
attended in 1949.
There were few formal programs, but members were content to share
knowledge and experience about their hobby (which was one of the early
primary functions of the new Society). Usually there were swaps and
informal sales of personal material at meetings.
The First Exhibits: Attendance
dropped off in 1950, and it became apparent the new Society would have
to find some activities in which to engage. One was a Christmas dinner
which ended up being a traditional annual activity of the club. Also,
since meetings were held at the library, it was a natural fit for
members to have exhibitions there. The first exhibit was held in 1950
(dates were not specified). The second was held for the month of May,
1951. Interestingly, by this time four members had “studios” (i.e.
lapidary workrooms), including Mr. Vietti and Mr. Swain. Members were
invited to socialize at these shops, and the response was good.
The library exhibit was held
for the
month of April in 1952. Mr. Vietti announced in June that the State
Mineralogy Show (held jointly with the Rocky Mountain Federation of
Mineralogical Societies Show) would be held in Houston in early May,
1953 (at the Sam Houston Coliseum), and a motion was passed that the
club would act as host. (Mr. Vietti was president of the State Society
in 1953, and thus he was able to secure Houston as the site of the
annual show that year). The library exhibit was moved to the month of
April so the club exhibits could be used for the show. Mr. Ken Fry
(president, 1951, and owner of one of the 4 “studios,” also a vice
president in the State Society) was the show chairman. A sapphire was
donated for the door prize and was mounted.
Unfortunately, no club records exist
of the show but several references allow us to piece together some of
the details. The list of show committee personnel posted in the State
Society’s publication (The Mineral Hobbyist) consisted mostly of
charter members of the Houston club. Mrs. Massingill (secretary,
1951-1955, and the club historian until 1970) noted that it was the
first show if its kind in Houston and that attendance was good (she
handled registrations at the show). It was a dealer show, and it had
competitive exhibits. The show’s sponsors (the State Society and the
Rocky Mountain Society) gave our club $200 in November, 1953 as a gift
for our participation. It seems clear that while we organized the show
and supplied personnel to run it, we were doing this as members of the
State Society, not as members of the Houston club. Our financial
records indicate we did not incur any financial liability in the event
nor did we take in proceeds, except for the $200 gift.
In 1954, the club authorized
payment
to the Odessa club to construct four cases for us so we could exhibit
at the state show in Odessa that year. The library exhibit was already
booked for May, and we could not change it so that the library material
could be used in the Odessa show (also in May). In September, Mr. Fry
led a discussion regarding organizing a hobby show for the city. The
idea met with the approval of the members at the meeting. It was agreed
that it would be for exhibitors; no dealers would be allowed. However,
no vote was taken so no action was initiated.
The Houston Gem and Mineral Society:
1955 was a busy year for the budding club. In January the club was
invited to participate in the International Flower and Garden Show to
be held in the Coliseum in early March and to assist in the planning of
this event. The club agreed to do so. Mrs. Eleanor Smith was appointed
chairperson of the committee to head that effort. In February, she
organized another committee to decide on the design specs of cases to
be built to hold club exhibits. Six were constructed in February for
$99.30, making a total of 10 cases owned by the club. The Garden Show
went off well, with the club helping to sell tickets and earning $40
from ticket sales. Our exhibit generated a lot of interest. But it was
apparent the club would need to rethink its financial strategy as there
was $124.50 in expenses on the $40 return.
In April, Mr. Vietti proposed
several
changes to the bylaws, among them a name change to The Houston Gem and
Mineral Society. These were approved. Subsequently at the state show in
Corpus Christi, the regional society changed its name to The Texas
Federation of Mineralogical Societies. Our club helped rewrite the
constitution of that society.
In October, the club was
invited to
participate in the Men’s Garden Club Show in the Garden Center at
Herman Park in November. This was approved and we did so, using our new
cases. There was no financial income or outlay for this show.
In January of 1956, permanent
standing committees were approved and formed for the first time. Among
these was a Display Committee that was in charge of exhibits the club
placed in various shows, with Mrs. Myra Byrd being the first
chairperson. Among the first responsibilities of this new committee
were the organization of our exhibits for the library and the Flower
and Garden Show, both to be held in April. A separate committee was
formed to head up a “sales” booth at this show. Members were requested
to donate material (jewelry, slabs, etc.) for the booth.
It was a big success. The
booth
generated $207 net profit on expenses of $74. Following the show,
discussions were held regarding the need to generate our own publicity
for the event and to appoint a display committee well in advance of the
show. This was done, and planning began in the summer for the 1957
Flower Show with a Mr. Fischer presiding.
In addition to these two
events in
1956, the club continued its usual practice of sending at least one
delegate and case (usually more) to the State Federation show. In
November, the club participated for the second time in the Men’s Garden
Club Show in the Garden Center.
Houston, we have a show: 1957 marked
an historic watershed event for the club: Its first show was held on
April 6 and 7 at the Garden Center. This followed their annual
participation in the Flower and Garden Show in March (organized by Mr.
Fischer). There is no indication of any financial outlay or income from
the Flower and Garden Show.
The chairman of our first-ever
show
was not specified, most likely due to the lack of good minutes from
1957. Nonetheless, the sales booth was headed by Eleanor Smith, Bill
Vietti, and Ken Fry, all of whom were experienced hands by this time
(each helped run the Federation Show in 1953). They requested donations
from members of such items as slabs, cabochons, and baroques. There
were no dealers at the show, and the exhibit committee reminded people
that they were permitted to show any material within their personal
collections, regardless of whether it was “new work” or not. The show
earned $535 in income, which is pretty remarkable from only a sales
table. Their net profit for the show was $145. This net profit was
offset by the construction in March of another 10 club cases for $206.
The other watershed event in
1957 was
our incorporation as a nonprofit society (probably as a 501(c)(6),
meaning donations were not tax-deductible. Incorporation as a 501(c)(3)
would take another couple of decades).
In February, 1958, there were
ongoing
discussions regarding the two upcoming shows in the spring—a “Hobby
Show” being held at the Shamrock Hotel at the end of March (Mrs. Brydon
chairman) in which the club was invited to participate, and the “local”
show (meaning the club’s show) to be held April 12–13 (Mr. Fischer
chairman, Mrs. Eleanor Smith sales, Mrs. Mulvey publicity). These shows
were successfully carried out by the busy young club. In April it was
announced that the club had won 1st place at the Hobby Show for the
most professional exhibit. There were apparently no financial
transactions at that show.
At our “local” show (Garden
Center),
there was a faceting machine and a trim saw operated as demos in
addition to a substantial number of cases which were being lined by Mr.
Vietti. The minutes are rather skimpy, so no details are known about
the show. The sales booth generated $295 in sales, a significant drop
from the previous year, and this income was offset by $290 in expenses.
1959 began with serious discussion
about a show. The date was chosen to be April 10–12 at the Garden
Center after Mr. Fischer was able to secure this date. Mr. Dick Potter
was show chairman, Mrs. Carey was sales chairman. Mrs. Carey and
committee came up with the idea of putting labeled mineral specimens in
boxes and selling them. Club volunteers were elicited to help with this
project (although it should be noted that a substantial number of
specimens were purchased specifically for this purpose). From brief
references in the minutes, it appeared to be a struggle to get
everything properly prepared for the show. From today’s perspective, we
can surely understand considering they started planning in January for
an April show.
At the April general meeting
(following the show), it was reported that the show was an outstanding
success. And indeed it was: An income of $741 was realized against $490
in expenses.
To cap off the year, the club
exhibited at Weldon’s Cafeteria in late October or early November.
The Early 60s: By 1960, the show and
a regular, standing show committee were considered standard business
necessities. All the committees that we are familiar with were present
such as sales, publicity, property (including floor plans),
hospitality, demonstration, florescent light, and mineral
identification. There were also some we are not familiar with: Floormen
Committee and Rock Garden Committee. Apparently a “floorman” is a
person who circulates on the floor of the show performing any such task
as necessary, such as answering questions from visitors, keeping order,
and being ready to explain the use of equipment on display. However,
often spare floormen ended up being stolen by the sales booth, since
this was really the lifeblood of the club at this time.
The shows from 1960–1962 continued to
contain no retail dealers. Exhibits and demonstrations were the main
focus, with an increasing number of demonstrations being slotted. The
club earned a profit from the sales booth which consisted of club
member-donated items such as mineral specimens, slabs, cutting rough,
and tumbled stones. Grab bags were also a big item as they sold cheaply
and were good repositories for low-grade material. Hundreds of these
were made for each show.
The main detraction at the
time was
not show related: They were having problems with the IRS in 1960 for
their failure to properly file returns. A rewrite of the constitution
and bylaws followed in order to be in compliance with nonprofit
statutes. In 1961, the Texas Federation followed suit due to the same
difficulties. 1961 president Richard Offeman dealt with the State of
Texas regarding our tax-exempt status, as there were difficulties there
also.
Also, in 1962 the club started
meeting in the Garden Center. This was a positive move because the club
had been floating from one meeting place to another since they left the
Downtown Library in 1955. The Garden Center finally represented a home
for the young club, and one they kept for the remainder of the decade
and well into the 1970s.
Following the 1960 show, the
club
voted to move the show to the fall. The 1961 show, in addition, was
moved to the Downtown Recreation Center because the Garden Center was
undergoing renovations and they couldn’t book it far enough in advance
to give the show committee a proper lead time for preparations. It was
held September 15–17. Show Chairman Irene Offeman did her customary
wonderful job preparing and organizing the show and thoroughly
documenting these preparations as well as the results. Her show
chairman handover document detailing what, when, and (at that time)
with whom things were to happen was exquisitely detailed. It
constitutes the first surviving version (that I’ve found) of the master
show preparation and planning document that has been passed down
through the decades.
Business card
flier announcing the 1960 show in the Garden Center. Notice the lack of
a year on the card. Also notice the closing time of the show. At the
Shamrock, they went to a full 3-day show with 10-hour Friday and
Saturday hours!
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1961 business
card flier announcing the 1961 show in the Downtown Recreation Center.
Notice the lack of a year on the card.
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The 1960 and 1961 shows both
netted
between $330–350, resulting in profit margins of 50–60%. Not bad for a
sales booth.
The club started its library in 1962
and also voted to start judged competition for juniors at the fall
show, including having monetary awards, ribbons, and trophies. When
they started discussing preparations for the next show, they first had
to select a show location from among three possible choices: The
Downtown Recreation Center where they just had a show, the renovated
and enlarged (but still rather small) Garden Center, or the Shamrock
Hilton Hotel exhibition hall. The Recreation Center had lots of space
(far more than the Garden Center) but it had restrictions placed on it
because it was a city-owned facility (the club had to get a special
dispensation from the city in 1961 to be able to sell material from a
sales booth). The Garden Center received the most votes. Mrs. Byrd was
the Show Chairperson.
The 1961 annual show had a net
loss
of $12. This was due to the combined effects of a drop in sales booth
income of about $200 and an increase in expenses of about $200 over the
previous year. Although there is no mention in the minutes of this
having adverse repercussions, I think it would be a fair assumption
that this was the case, considering the club had experienced three
straight years of good net profits from the show. My guess is that it
was starting to get more difficult to impose the “request” or
expectation on the club’s members that they donate, every year, enough
material to make the show’s sales booth successful.
In August 1962, the month before the
show, a motion was brought before the general meeting to move the show
to Bellaire so that the club could hold a dealer show. This motion was
tabled and referred to the Board of Directors, who that very year, were
given authority to decide major issues independently of the general
meeting. In January 1963, the Board approved a dealer show and brought
the issue before the general meeting, where it was approved. In March,
they selected the Shamrock Hilton Hotel over the National Guard Armory
for a three-day show and specified that a minimum of 12 and maximum of
16 “diversified” dealers be contracted for the show.
Unfortunately, minutes of many
of the
meetings in 1963 are missing, including all the minutes for the first
four months of the year. This was a critical juncture for the club
because of the decision to change the show to a dealer show. Also
simmering in the background was removal of the requirement to discuss
all business at the general meeting (a decision that was voted on at
the general meeting, by the way). My guess is the sparks were flying
because not everyone in the club wanted to move to a dealer show. As in
any major change, there are always significant portions of the
membership that want to keep doing things the way they’ve always been
done.
Consequently, sometime during
1963
but presumably in the early spring when the Board’s decision was
brought before the general meeting for a vote, at least a dozen members
were so infuriated by the decision to move to a dealer show where
tickets were sold for entrance into the show, that they officially
resigned their membership in the HGMS. These ex-members started a club
called the Houston Lapidary Society. This club also held annual shows
for quite some time. The shows were free and carried on the tradition
and style of the early HGMS shows. They sometimes held “mall” shows to
exhibit their material. Some HGMS members had dual membership in both
societies, and invitations to Lapidary Society shows were frequently
read at HGMS meetings. However, in the end the new club did not attract
sufficient new blood (in contrast to the HGMS which had significant
growth in the next two decades), and it eventually dissolved as its
members grew old.
The Shamrock Hilton Hotel: At this
point, the show evolved further into an entity very similar to what we
have now. Tickets were sold, and thus the sales chairman morphed into
the ticket chairman. Twelve dealers was the standard throughout the
remainder of the 1960s because it was felt this was the maximum number
we could fit into the Shamrock. This number wasn’t increased until 1973
(the reasons for this will be discussed in Part 2). However, eventually
the dealer chairman (a new position in 1963) started assuming a lot of
power since he was the person with the authority to allow a dealer into
the show. This didn’t change until the late 70s (which will also be
discussed in Part 2).
The first show at the Shamrock
went
off well. Attendance jumped about a thousand from previous shows and
more or less held that number for the remainder of the 60s. Profit
margins at the 1963 show and subsequent shows were still in the 40–60%
range, but all the financial numbers increased by a factor of three in
1963 and kept climbing as the years passed.
Perhaps I’m biased, but in my
opinion, the fact that Irene Offeman accepted the position of publicity
chairman for the 1963 show was in large part responsible for the
increase in attendance. Her meticulous plans and notes were superbly
documented. I was impressed with the fact that she got a dispensation
from the city to hang a banner over Main St. at Lamar. Not a small feat!
Also responsible for the success of
the 1963 show were the dual show chairmen, Bill Frank and Bill Lathrop.
Today we would say that Bill Lathrop was the Assistant Show Chairman,
but that position apparently wasn’t defined yet. Mr. Frank was an
experienced club member who had been around a number of years and had
held Board positions as well as helped with numerous shows*. Bill
Lathrop joined the club in 1962 and was already Assistant Show Chairman
in 1963. His contribution to our show and club from 1963–1972 cannot be
emphasized enough. Appendix 1 describes his legacy.
*footnote: Bill Frank passed away in
late 1966, whereupon his wife, Anne, became very involved with the
club. She had held positions before, but in 1968 she became treasurer
and held that position until well into the 70s. She also was the
financial consultant for the show committee in the 70s. She will be
further mentioned in Part 2.
The other major change in the
show
that was coincident with the move to the Shamrock was the initiation of
competitive exhibits and judging. As one might expect, Irene Offeman
was one of the leading proponents. Records indicate that 41 exhibits
were competitive in 1963, although this number dropped off in 1964 and
later. For the remainder of the decade, show chairpersons were
continually reminding people to get their competitive exhibits put
together for the show, and another annual task of the show committee
was to find qualified judges. Dr. Al Kidwell and Dr. Dick Zingula
started giving presentations on mineral and fossil identification,
respectively, and they assisted people in labeling and showing
specimens.
This development led to
another
interesting idea in the inquisitive mind of Irene Offeman:
Identification of specimens. Why, she thought, couldn’t we provide this
service to the general public? It’s a service that we, as rockhounds,
continually need, so it follows that the general public should also be
in need of this service. With that as the formative idea, another
component of the show was born: The Identification Service. The first
year for this was 1968 when Irene documented 500 identifications
performed by mineral, fossil, and gemologist experts. They had their
own special area of the show, and Irene had made up signs listing the
experts and the schedules for those experts. She also performed her own
advertising to get the word out to the public, thus adding to the
publicity effort for the show.
Due to the tireless efforts of Irene,
The Identification Service rapidly expanded into a major force within
the show in subsequent years, and thus was one of the reasons for the
soon-to-come explosion of the HGMS show into the Houston mainstream.
The Identification Service will be one of the major topics in Part 2 of
this history.
Federation Affairs: By today’s
standards, the Shamrock shows were small affairs held by a small club
(less than 100 members in the 60s). Expenses were small, profits were
small, and they were space-constrained to only 12 dealers. But we need
to put everything in proper context: They had just left the Garden
Center, which was miniscule compared to the Shamrock. The club’s new
digs gave them the space to actually have 12 dealers, plus working
displays and competitive and noncompetitive exhibits. The shows were
healthy, showing around 50% profit margin and essentially funding the
young club. And in the 60s, organized shows such as this were still not
common.
In actual fact, the show was doing
quite well by comparative standards. It was known as one of the best
shows in the Texas Federation (which soon changed its name to the
South-Central Federation and became affiliated with the American
Federation). During this era, the club knew that it had a good thing
and had investigated having the Federation show in Houston. In the
mid-1960s they were told that in order to be considered for such an
event, they had to have delegates attend the annual Federation meetings
and participate in the regional Federation shows. This they did, with
one or more members regularly receiving awards at these events*.
*
Footnote: In the 1964 AFMS show in
San Antonio, Mrs. George Gains won 1st place in carving, Irene Offeman
2nd place in fossils, Kirby Gee 3rd place in faceting. In the 1967 AFMS
show in Washington DC, Irene Offeman won 1st place in fossils. Mrs.
George Gains and Irene Offeman were thus awarded lifetime HGMS
memberships for their awards in national competition.
Thus, in 1965
they applied to have
the Federation Show in Houston in 1967. Oddly enough, their bid was
turned down because “too many of the recent [Federation] shows have
been held in this area”! (This was a quote from the general meeting
minutes). This is one of the most interesting reasons I’ve heard for
being turned down. However, as a consolation prize, the Federation did
suggest that the “little club that could” make a bid for the National
Show instead. After some discussion, the club felt that it was not
ready for such a large step at that point in their development. So, by
1968 they were deliberately saving as much as they could so they would
be ready to host either a Federation Show or a National Show, both of
which they realized would have significantly higher expenses than their
regular show.
Epilog: And thus the stage was set
for the sea-change that was getting ready to shake the young club. At
the end of the 1960s, they were ready and prepped for the next step
which, as history would prove, they would handle admirably. We will
discuss these “large leaps for Mankind” (to quote an appropriate
expression from that time period) next month with Part 2, starting with
the year 1969.
APPENDIX
1: The Legacy of Bill
Lathrop.
Bill Lathrop was active in the
club
for 10 years, from his joining in 1962 until leaving after his term
expired in 1972 to retire. He had sold his business, Lathrop’s
Lapidary, in 1971 to Jimmy and John Kachinski (who will be discussed in
more detail in Part 2). He had started his business officially in 1967
but was a dealer long before that [he probably was one when he joined
the club in 1962].
Because he already was a dealer, he
was able to fit right in with the show committee when they started
hosting a dealer show. The list of his positions is extremely
impressive: 1963: Assistant Show Chairman; 1964, 1965: Show Chairman;
1966, 1967 (?): Dealer Chairman; 1968: Show Chairman; 1969-1972: Dealer
Chairman. Add to that list: 1964, 1965: Board of Directors; 1968: VP;
1969, 1970: President; 1971: Board of Directors.
From the recollections of
people who
knew him as well as references to him in the minutes and show records,
we can start to piece together what he was like. He was a soft-spoken
fellow but was very nice to others and always helpful in any way he
could. He was very action-oriented and obviously devoted to the club.
He would be the type of person who would often file motions to do
something. His name is often mentioned as the person giving a program
on one subject or another. He and his wife helped with the Christmas
party more than once. (His wife, Amy, by the way, was very active also.
She took her turn at Board positions, as Treasurer in 1965 and
Secretary in 1966, as well as other volunteer committees including the
show. She was quiet, but like her husband, had a nice disposition and
was always helping as needed).
His legacy with the show
covered the
first decade of it being a dealer show. This new phase in our show
needed someone who knew showmanship and knew dealers. Being a dealer
himself as well as having an activist personality, he fit that bill
perfectly. Several times he gave programs on the subject of
showmanship; in other words, how an individual could display material
so that it would be appealing and interesting to others.
There is no doubt he wielded
vast
influence in the show. Thus, it might be said that the shows from 1963
to 1972 were “his” shows, although that label would probably offend
other significant contributors of the time (including the other show
chairpersons). To cap off his legacy, his years as VP and President on
the Board of Directors were marked by significant movement of a smaller
club into a larger, more diverse club. Those changes will be discussed
in Part 2.
Such absolute control of
dealer
access to our show, however, eventually started defining our show, at
least as far as other dealers were concerned. This was not a problem
(that I could tell) in the 1960s because the show was still quite
small. However, it became a significant issue in the later years of his
legacy (1969–1972). The economic principles of that era are not
apparent to us now (in Part 1 of this history), but the show went
through a huge change during the end of his “reign.” Since a dealer was
essentially required to go through Bill Lathrop to get into the show,
it became known as a show that was impossible to get into because he
had his favorites and only those favorites got in. This is an issue the
club has dealt with throughout its history (club member dealers serving
as dealer chairman) and it usually leads to complaints. These issues
will be discussed further in Part 2.
APPENDIX
2: The Great “Show Number”
Conundrum
In the early years, sometimes
the
show publicity would not use a show number (see 1960 show card) and
sometimes they did (see 1961 show card). However, the ones that did
give a number have an puzzling story in mathematics. The 1961 show
publicity says that the HGMS was holding its 5th show that year, and in
1963 they say they were holding their 7th show. All is well at this
point because that would indicate the first show was in 1957.
However, by 1966, a puzzle had
emerged. That show announced that it was the 13th show, 1968 was the
15th show, and onward in succession from there. Now, I’m not a great
theoretical mind, but if the 1963 show said it was the 7th show, then
how can the 1966 show say it was the 13th show? Was there a time warp I
missed? Was Timothy Leary a guest speaker in 1966?
Maybe there was some very
“creative”
accounting going on in the great minds of the club at that time, or
maybe some "show-like" occasions ended up being counted as shows. It
appears that we may be forever stuck with a 4-year artificial
“enhancement” in the age of our show. I'll let you know in Installment
2 if I've learned the answer to the puzzle.
Acknowledgements: The recounting of
the earliest years of the club is made possible only by the efforts of
two individuals. Mrs. Alvin Massingill joined the new club in 1949 and
became the secretary from 1951 through 1955. She continued being very
active, and her name is associated with many events, including the
show. In the latter part of the 1960s a new position was created called
“Historian.” Mrs. Massingill filled that position until her retirement
in 1973. During that time, she wrote and otherwise compiled a history
of the club from its formation until 1970. Her summaries of the later
years (in the 1960s) are merely abbreviated Board and general meeting
minutes, but her early summaries (in the 1950s) contain information
that is not preserved in the sometimes scanty or missing general
meeting minutes. In addition, she assembled and preserved items such as
newspaper clippings, photos, rosters, and treasurer ledgers from the
early years.
In 1976, Carleton Reid
accepted the
position as Historian. He held this position until his retirement in
1984 at age 85. Carleton had the job of assembling Mrs. Massingill’s
historical documents into a form that would withstand the rigors of
time. Most of the documents are now contained in two binders for which
he had cloth covers made (in the club’s burnt orange colors, of
course). The documents were all individually placed in plastic sleeves
for preservation as some were yellowing and would certainly eventually
decompose. It is due to his efforts that the early history is preserved.
A few individuals are still
alive and
in good health, and they contributed to Part 1 of this history. Irene
Offeman was an integral part of the club in the 1960s and continued to
be active in the Paleo Section until her retirement in the 1990s. She
was very diligent in recording and saving an account of what she did
with the club and show. After her retirement, hers and Richard’s
records were passed to me, whereupon they will be properly preserved
with the history of the club following the conclusion of this series of
articles. I also want to thank her for spending time recounting events
of 40 years ago.
Various other individuals have
commented on items they remember. Dr. Dick Zingula, Bill Cox, and David
Harleston (current owner of Lathrop’s Jewelry) have added remembrances
of Bill Lathrop, plus general developments in the club in the latter
part of the 1960s and 1970s. Bill Cox and Irene Offeman will be two of
the major players in Part 2 of this history.