Annual Awards Luncheon Features
the Usual Honours - And Some Extras
Sunday, July 19, 2009 was a lovely summer day on which thirty-two Garridebs met at An American Bistro in Eastchester, NY to attend the Annual Awards Luncheon. The bar opened at noon and was soon filled with Sherlockian fellowship and conversation. By 12:45 we moved to our seats and luncheon orders were taken.
Sue Vizoskie began the program by welcoming all, especially the following members who were attending their first awards luncheon: Angela Williams, Ian Dunford, Margaret Alan, Ira Eliasoph, Deborah Cohen and Diane Levine. Sue also welcomed our distinguished visitor from Canada – Chris Redmond.
Jeanne Nolan then took the floor and called for the ritual toasts, while salads were being served. Warren Randall assumed the persona of Mycroft Holmes and after describing Holmes’ older brother in glowing terms, offered the toast to “modest me.” Jane Weart, citing a New York Times article wherein it was suggested that we might be fictitious and Lysander Starr real, rejected that idea and toasted the fictional Mayor of Topeka. Margaret Fleesak, asked to toast Dr. Watson’s First Wife, voiced her conclusion, shared as she noted by Dorothy Sayers and others, and toasted Mary Morstan. Peter Crupe had the honor of toasting The Master, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
Next was Mike Berdan, who toasted Absent Friends, asking us “to recall with fondness and appreciation the bonds that we once enjoyed” with those now departed from our ranks. Joe Moran led the group in a recitation of the Musgrave Ritual, and Dante Torrese favoured us with a reading of our Constitution and Buy-laws. Michael Pollak, asked to toast a suitable unsuitable Canonical character, chose Cyanea capillata (The Lion’s Mane). This creature was surely a villain, but Michael claimed it had some redeeming value, because it allowed “Holmes a chance to enjoy… one of the summer’s most delightful recreations: bragging about your waterfront property.”
Jeanne then turned the floor over to Mike Berdan, who had asked to make a short announcement. Mike revealed an interesting conundrum. Many people have seen the BSI necktie, with its distinctive blue, mouse (gray) and purple stripes – the colours of Holmes’ various dressing gowns. And many are aware that the tie was created by Christopher Morley in the 1930’s. However, Mike passed around a book in which was reproduced a colour photo showing Theodore Roosevelt wearing just such a tie – same colours, same order of colours, same size, slant and direction of stripes – at least 20 years earlier. Much discussion and speculation ensued.
After a delicious meal, Sue called the assemblage back to order and introduced Warren Randall to award the Prescott Prize. Warren announced that the winner of the Prescott Prize for 2009 was Sandy Kozinn.
Next, Sue announced the winner of the Jan Stauber Blue Carbuncle Rubber Goose Award - for the outstanding contribution to the festive spirit of our Blue Carbuncle Luncheon. This year’s winner of the beautiful certificate, executed by Laurie Manifold, was Mike Berdan. Dante Torrese announced the winners of the quizzes at our four story meetings of the year: Art Levine, who won two, Warren Randall, Sabina Hollis, Elyse Locurto and Bud Livingston. Dante presented certificates to those who were in attendance. Yes, we had two ties.
Next, Ben Vizoskie introduced our guest speaker – Greg Darak. Last summer, in Salt Lake City, the Baker Street Irregulars sponsored an Expedition to the Country of the Saints. Among several interesting papers at that weekend, one of the stand-outs was Greg’s analysis and comparison of A Study in Scarlet with the rarely-seen play “Angels of Darkness.” We were fortunate to hear a reprise of this excellent presentation by one of this year’s newly-invested BSIs.
Dante Torrese thanked Greg for his thoughtful and entertaining presentation, and then proceeded to the remaining awards. He had a letter from Queen Victoria in which Her Majesty thanked one of our members for his many services to the scion. Dante read the letter aloud and then presented it to its intended recipient – Warren Randall. He then announced that the HAHA (Howard and Alexander Hamilton Award) was being renamed. Dante explained that in honour of the kindness and wit of one of our recently departed members, the award for the best humorous presentation at a Garrideb meeting during each year will be known henceforth as the Joe Fink Award.
Dante turned the floor over to Jeanne, who noted that there had been no humorous papers during the past year, and urged each member to present one in the coming season. Then she presented the Robert N. Brodie Award, for the best toast offered at a Garridebs meeting during the year, to Sabina Hollis for her recent toast to Lysander Starr. She also announced that the Georgia Amick Award for the best presentation at a scion meeting this year had been won by Mike Riezenman. We are very happy to report that Mike is doing well after his serious illness. Ben took the floor and citing a passage from our Constitution that allows for honorary membership, presented Chris Redmond with the first such certificate, indicating that his honorary membership would be filed in the Encyclopedia Britannica under the entry “Canadian Pacific Railway.” Ben also presented the scion’s highest honour, the Robert E. Thomalen Two-Shilling Award for scholarship and service to the scion, to Art Levine. Art was first published in the Baker Street Journal over fifty years ago and still contributes, in many ways, to the literature and our scion today. Sue concluded the awards portion of the program by presenting the investiture of “A Syracusan Coin” to Jane Weart. Sue explained that the investiture, taken as usual from “The Three Garridebs” was chosen because Jane is also known as “Penny.”
Sue announced upcoming meetings of The Three Garridebs and other scions, as well as other events. To close the meeting, as we have done at the last few awards luncheons, instead of a group recitation, we had a solo recitation of Bill Schweickert's classic poem “A Long Evening With Holmes.” This year Richard Wein favoured us with a stirring rendition of the poem.
Upcoming events on The Three Garridebs' calendar.
Sept 26, 2009. Victorian Picnic & Afternoon Tea. Crossways Field, Scarsdale, NY.
Nov 14, 2009. Hastings Public Library. "Naval Treaty."
Dec. 27, 2009. Blue Carbuncle Luncheon. An American Bistro. Eastchester, NY.
Jan. 30, 2010. Hastings. “The Golden Pince-Nez.”
March 20, 2010. Hastings. “The Retired Colourman.”
May 15, 2010. Hastings. “Thor Bridge.”
July 18, 2010 (Date tentative). Awards Luncheon.
Sept. 25, 2010 (Date tentative). Picnic &Tea.
Nov. 20, 2010. Hastings. “The Blue Carbuncle.”
A list of some area scions' contacts .
Montague Street Lodgers of Brooklyn. Peter Crupe, 1533 64th St., Brooklyn, NY 11219 (718) 259-1170. Next meeting: Nov. 7, 2009
Mrs. Hudson's Cliffdwellers. Carol and Ron Fish, PO Box 4, Circleville, NY 10919-0004 cliffdwellersnj@aol.com Next meeting: Nov 8, 2009
Long Island Cave Dwellers. Warren Randall, 15 Fawn Lane West, South Setauket, NY 11720-1346. (631) 476-1387.
Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes. Peter McIntyre, 3 Poet Dr., Matawan, NJ 07747 (732) 765-1240. Next meetings :10/10/09 and 12/5/09
Priory Scholars of Manhattan. Judith Freeman Email: judith-freeman@worldnet.att.net.
The Hudson Valley Sciontists. Lou Lewis, 2 Loockerman Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Next meeting: 10/18/09
....and from our agent in Birmingham ...
Sherlockian societies & contacts - a little farther afield.
The Red-Headed League of Jersey. Steve & Linda Morris email: RHLeagueNJ@aol.com (732) 356-9560 Meets in Bridgewater, NJ. Next meeting: 10/2/09 (deadline: 9/15)
Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse. Carol Cavalluzzi, Geology Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244 or Joe Coppola, 103 Kenny Drive, Fayetteville, NY 13066.
Men on the Tor. Meets in Connecticut. Philip Shreffler, 92 Main Street #409, Deep River, CT 06917
October 31 - November 1, 2009 - 50th Annual Running of the Chicago Silver Blaze / The BSI Silver Blaze and the BSI Silver Blaze Brunch. For complete information, contact: Susan Diamond szdiamond@comcast.net or 630 227-9127.
For the latest up-to-date information on
Sherlockian events, consult this great website:
