"A Remarkably Rich Tenor Voice" [VALL]

It came as a great surprise and shock to me to receive notice of the passing of Bruce Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") on Saturday, June 21. He was, for many years, the voice and spirit of the Baker Street Irregulars annual dinner in New York, where he would invariably sing the BSI's unofficial anthem, "Aunt Clara."

Monty, as he was known by all (a name we both shared) picked up where his father, James Montgomery, BSI ("The Red Circle") left off. The elder Montgomery was also a gifted tenor and provided musical entertainment during the BSI's early years. He passed away very suddenly and very prematurely in 1955, as his Christmas Annual was being printed. As a side note, I actually own a copy of that annual, with a note from Jim's wife:

"My husband died very suddenly on November 9th. It was his expressed wish, however, that I should get out this little booklet in the envelopes which he had already addressed."

Constance P. Montgomery
Christmas, 1955

Like his father before him, Monty was a victim of heart failure - which is ironic, because he had a big heart that was dedicated to bringing joy to all around him. A more upbeat and friendly man I have yet to meet. He brought his special variety of joy in a variety of settings, from the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (which he brought to a BSI dinner one year), to the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia, to the artwork he took up upon his retirement.

An example of his artwork, which can be ordered as notecards, reminds me of one of the illustrations from "The Lion's Mane":

Thankfully, Monty's contributions will not be forgotten. His artwork lives on, and his voice will live on in the BSI's archives - which will now include digital media. Click on the arrow below to hear Bruce give his last BSI performance, recorded at the BSI dinner in New York City on January 11, 2008.

I was honored to stand in his presence on a number of occasions and share the microphone with him. While my singing voice is fairly good, it paled in comparison to the consummate professional who stood beside me. Good night, Monty. You'll be terribly missed.

You can read his obituary from the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Do you have your own memories of Bruce Montgomery? Please share them as a comment below.

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"We Shall Know a Good Deal" [SUSS]

One of the benefits of the volunteer work that I do with the Baker Street Journal (yes, the BSJ is primarily a volunteer-led enterprise; only our printing and distribution are handled by a professional firm) is that I get to interact with customers. What it means is that I correspond with hundreds of people via email throughout the year and that I get to greet nearly everyone who enters the vendors' room during the BSI Weekend.

Occasionally I have to break bad news to people - that a shipment is delayed or that we've sold out of an item. And while I don't like disappointing anyone, I do like the little surprises that come with the territory. And have I got one such surprise for you.

The Baker Street Irregulars have become a publishing powerhouse in recent years. The Journal is and will continue to be the mainstay, but when you think about the other complementary publications that have some along, it's pretty impressive:

• Five volumes in our History Series
  
• Five volumes in the Manuscript Series
  
• Two volumes in the International Series
  
• An expedition publication (with another to follow)
• A joint imprint with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London
  
• 10 years worth of Christmas Annuals

And we've sold out of two of our hardcovers and 4 of our Christmas Annuals along the way. Not bad for a 300 member literary society!

The good news is that I've opened new section of bakerstreetjournal.com called Deal Table where I offer specials on items from time to time. Items may include extra copies of items that were thought to have been sold out, or perhaps bundled titles that we need to move. Take a look for yourself from time to time to see what we've got. You might be able to "fill that gap on that second shelf."

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"In the New Almanac" [VALL]

Peter Blau very kindly pointed out that Garrison Keillor mentioned The Baker Street Irregulars and Sherlockian societies in a recent episode of The Writer's Almanac on American Public Media. For those of you who don't have access to public radio or whose local markets don't pick it up, not to worry. Such shows typically have the audio available on the Interwebs.

In this case, we've got an audio link to the 5-minute program from May 7, 2008 that you can access by clicking here. You'll need RealAudio to listen. It's a free download and the software is free as well.

The show notes are a little more extensive than Keillor's commentary (after all, he's only got 5 minutes). Here's what he had to say about the BSI and other societies:

Novelist Christopher Morley founded, in 1934, the Baker Street Irregulars to celebrate the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and today there are many groups of Sherlockians, including the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, who developed in protest to the men-only Baker Street Irregulars. Both of those groups now admit members of both sexes. The London Sherlock Holmes Society, which began in its current incarnation in 1951, has an annual dinner and regular meetings, and produces a Sherlock Holmes Journal twice a year. There are also occasional mock trials, trivia challenges, pub nights, London walks, and cricket matches against the P.G. Wodehouse Society.

I think Christopher Morley would be proud - not necessarily that his creation still lives on - but that he's noted as a novelist.

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"A Cry of 'Cooee!'" [BOSC]

It is once again with a heavy heart that I pick up my keyboard to write of another member of the Baker Street Irregulars passing beyond the Reichenbach. This time the Southern Hemisphere has lost one of its own with the death of Alan Olding ("Cooee!").

Alan was the President of the Sherlock Holmes Society of Australia, and his membership extended to other Aussie societies, such as the Sherlock Holmes Society of Melbourne and the Sherlock Holmes Society of Western Australia. An active member of the Hounds of the Internet for quite some time, where his nom was "Holy Peters, of Adelaide, whose speciality is the beguiling of lonely ladies."

According to his biography on his Sherlockian Who's Who page,

Alan Olding migrated to Australia in 1951, after service in the British Army during WW2. He brought with him his new bride, Olive. They lived in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, before setlling in the Adelaide Hills in 1970. Alan is a retired Insurance Executive. He was invested in the BSI in 1988 under the name "COOEE", and President for the Sherlock Holmes Society of Australia.

His loss is a great one for anyone who knew him.

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"The Principal Difficulty in Your Case" [NAVA]

I was just informed that another Irregular has passed beyond the Reichenbach. Earlier this week, David Galerstein, BSI ("Bert Stevens") passed away. A former principal and member of the New York City Board of Education, he was always interested in educating those around him.

I remember meeting Dave for the first time at one of my early meetings of the Men on the Tor at Gillette Castle. He was more than happy to spend time with a young and relatively uninitiated Sherlockian. He suggested that I follow up some of my Canonical reading with other related stories, such as Houseboat on the Styx by John Kendrick Bangs. As he slowed down in recent years, he still kept his keen and innate curiosity about him and was able to faithfully attend the BSI weekends.

From Ben & Sue Vizoskie, of the Three Garridebs - one of the many scions that Dave belonged to - comes this writeup:

We were saddened to hear this morning that David Galerstein, a long-time Sherlockian and member of the Three Garridebs, died on April 29th. Dave was very active in the New York area and belonged to many scions, including the Long Island Cave Dwellers, Mrs. Hudson's Cliffdwellers, the Montague Street Lodgers of Brooklyn, the Priory Scholars of Manhattan, the Retired Colourmen and the Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes.

He was invested in the Baker Street Irregulars in 1972 as "Bert Stevens."

Dave was a frequent contributor to The Baker Street Journal and to Prescott's Press. In 1990, he and Marlene Aig co-edited A Singular Set of People; and in 2002, he compiled and Caroline Bryan edited A Singular Sense of Humor: A Compilation of Stuff and Nonsense by and for Sherlockians.

He is survived by his wife Roz and their children. According to the death notice in today's New York Times, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.

You can read his death notice in the New York Times.

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"To Whom Also You Will Give a Shilling" [HOUN]

As you may have seen in the Twitter stream (the section on the right titled "Holmes Was a Very Busy Man"), the coveted Baker Street Irregulars investitures were awarded tonight at the BSI Dinner. Mike Whelan states that it's his favorite part of the dinner - and I can certainly believe him. Much joy was given, much joy was received.

While the dinner is about much more than the investitures, it's clearly the thing on everyone's mind at the dinner. Having been someone who attended a number of dinners before I was called up to the podium, I can honestly say that the old Oscars cliche "it's an honor just to be nominated" does in fact ring true. I hope that this year's attendees feel the same.

In the order they were announced, here are the latest Baker Street Irregulars:

• Betsy Rosenblatt, "Lucy Ferrier"
  
• Dana Richards, "The Priory School"
  
• David Morrill, "Count von Kramm"
  
• Barbara Roisman Cooper, "Mary Maberley"
  
• Randall Stock, "South African Securities"
• John Genova, "Harry Pinner"
  
• Guy Marriott, "The Hotel du Louvre"
  

And this year, Mike gave the coveted Two-Shilling Award to a Baker Street Irregular who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to the BSI. The Two-Shilling Award went to:

• Sherry Rose Bond
  

I'm particularly pleased because the new class skewed significantly younger. I can point to John, Randall and Betsy as 30-somethings who are now part of this august organization - a sign that we're beginning to set the stage for the next generation, but we've still got a ways to go. Congratulations to one and all!

Fair warning to the new BSIs: I'll be hunting you down to ensure you subscribe to The Baker Street Journal. And to my dear readers: you subscribe to the BSJ, don't you?

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"The Print of a Recent Horror" [SILV]

The Baker Street Irregulars' Distinguished Speaker Lecture took place as planned at the Williams Club on Thursday evening, January 10. The speaker was Sir Christopher Frayling, author of Nightmare: The Birth of Horror.

We were treated to a very interesting talk lasting about 45 minutes, the subject of which was The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Christopher noted that of the 220+ (221?) films that have been made about Sherlock Holmes, The Hound is the single most popular story, having been made and remade 18 times. And I think everyone assembled agreed that it has not yet been filmed satisfactorily.

But the point of Sir Christopher's talk was to investigate the timing around Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's authorship of the book. The generally accepted timing has given way to the ridiculous supposition that Doyle murdered Fletcher Robinson, who gave Doyle some background information that helped with the creation of the story.

In his lecture, Sir Christopher built an airtight case against this while doing some detective work of his own. The key element that helped Frayling in his efforts is an item that he picked up at the Christies' auction of Doyle memorabilia: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's self-registering diary for 1901. He said that since it was so small, it went unnoticed by other collectors, who were there for more significant items. He managed to get it for a relative bargain. I won't give away the full story here, as it's best told in context - and it's likely to appear in a future issue of The Baker Street Journal (now would be a good time to subscribe, if you don't yet).

We were very lucky to have been treated to a talk by this consummate researcher and scholar. He certainly has a great depth of knowledge about Victorian horror and gothic elements - but he's also a font of knowledge on spaghetti westerns, if you can believe it.

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"Our Little Drama" [SIGN]

I'll be in New York for the BSI Weekend, participating in many of the activities. As a service to the community, I'll be providing live updates for those who can't be there - I'll be using Twitter, a microblogging service that is free to join. But you don't have to join to follow along.

I'll be posting on http://twitter.com/S_Holmes, where you can follow along - but I'll also have those updates streaming in little boxes at the top of The Baker Street Blog and The BSI Weekend sites, so you can follow the action there as well. You see that section over to the right labeled "Holmes Was a Very Busy Man"? That's the section where you can see the Twitter updates.

But if you so elect, you can also get updates on your desktop via Twitterific or Twitteroo, or through your browser by using Twitterfox or Twitbin; or you can get the updates sent directly to you on your mobile phone or through IM.

I'll try to mention people I meet, things that are said, food that is eaten, and sites that I see. But for the ultimate updates, follow me around 10 p.m. EST on Friday, January 11 for real-time updates of those who will be receiving their Investitures into the Baker Street Irregulars.

In addition to "live-tweeting" the events, I'll also put up longer posts here on the blog, so you can learn a little more. I invite any of my readers who are attending the following events - the Gaslight Gala, ASH Wednesday, the Clients of Adrian Mulliner, and Lost in New York with a Bunch of Sherlockians - to please be in touch with me about writing a guest post about your experience with these events. Please email me or leave a comment below.

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"Wiggins Has Just Been Up to Report" [SIGN]

Are you at all curious about the Baker Street Irregulars? Have you perhaps heard of the organization but don't really know what it does? Or maybe you're an old regular (or Irregular) at the BSI Weekend festivities every January in New York.

In any case, you'll be interested to know that the latest episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, the audio program for Sherlock Holmes devotees is now available. On Episode 14, you'll hear Burt Wolder and me interview Michael Whelan, the current Wiggins of the BSI.

In this first part of a truly excellent two-part series, you'll hear Mike tell about his origins with Sherlock Holmes, how he got involved in Sherlock Holmes societies and the BSI, his ascent to head the organization, and how he has steered it in his decade at the helm.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in another week or so - including a contest that will require reader/listener particiaption - plus another key episode toward the end of December, as the countdown to January 10, 2008 continues...

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"The Chaplain, No Less!" [GLOR]

Once again, it is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write of the passing of another member of the Baker Street Irregulars. Benton Wood, BSI ("A Scandal in Bohemia") passed away in Florida on Saturday, December 8. Ben had been in failing health for years and passed way very peacefully, according to his wife Joan.

For many years, Ben was the official chaplain of the Baker Street Irregulars, presiding over the dinner's blessing. By trade, he was a headmaster of an Episcopal school, which made his local investiture in the Pleasant Places of Florida - Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable - all the more appropriate. His accomplishments include the publication of The Philatelic and Numismatic Holmes (that's stamp & coin collecting). Ben received his investiture in the BSI in 1979; his wife Joan was honored as 'The Woman' at the 1991 dinner.

While I didn't know Ben personally (I only met him a couple of times), fellow Floridian David McCallister, over at the Sherlock Holmes Social Network, writes:

Ben was the second invested "Scandal in Bohemia" of the BSI, and its chaplain. He followed Leslie Marshall in this investiture and role, and also as the long-time head of the Pleasant Places of Florida scion. He was given the Two Shilling award by Tom Stix, and will be remembered by his many proteges and friends as an indefatigable apostle for Sherlockiana. His wife Joan, is one of The Women, to whom our condolences are expressed.

There are no funeral services planned. If you would care to do so, you may write to Joan at:

9840 Sucia Circle
Parrish, FL 34219-9080

I join other Sherlockians around the world in remembering Ben and wishing Joan and their family my heartfelt condolences.

If you have any other information about Ben, or memories that you'd like to share, please use the comment link below. I'm sure other Sherlockians would like to know.

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"Suddently Sold Out" [VALL]

I've been informed that the block of rooms that the Baker Street Irregulars booked at the Algonquin Hotel for the BSI Weekend has been sold out. I also understand that its smallish rooms were part of a remodeling project that resulted in queen beds replacing the twin beds. The end result is that some potential weekend visitors may be without a room.

Fear not! I have some resources that I can share with you, if you're looking to book a reasonable room in New York. There are links on the sidebar on the BSI Weekend site, or you can click on any of the links below:

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"Keenly On His Guard" [HOUN]

Sadly, the Baker Street Irregulars have lost another one of our own, just over a month after the most recent obit. Paul Smedegaard, BSI ("The Randall Gang") passed away suddenly on November 14.

Paul, who proudly hailed from Racine, Wisconsin, received his investiture in the BSI in 1977 and had been a stalwart member of a number of Sherlockian societies of the Midwest - too many to mention, really - but if you check out his profile on the Sherlockian Who's Who site, you'll see what I mean.

Paul was not only a joiner, but a leader. And everything he led, he led with a fire-in-the-belly passion that ignited similar feelings in others. It was a joy to see Paul get truly excited about things.

If you didn't know Paul, here are a few of his Sherlockian activities worthy of note:

• His involvement in Hugo's Companions, where he was was one of Vincent Starrett's own picks and served as Sir Hugo XIII (lucky 13!). You can read Paul's thoughts on "What Is a Sherlockian" in Sir Hugo's Literary Companion: A Compendium of the Writings of Hugo's Companions, Chicago On the Subject of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the volume just edited and released by David Humphrey.
  
• Paul's honorary membership in the Sherlock Holmes Klubben i Danmark, as it hearkened back to his father's roots in Denmark.
• His membership in the Master's Masons, a group founded by Ron Fish for Sherlockians who were also Master Masons. Paul took great pride in his affiliation and was an officer in his lodge.
  

Paul was progressive - well, as progressive as a midwestern Sherlockian could be. He advocated for bringing women into Hugo's Companions, and when he did, he was voted off of the executive board. But he hung tough and supported the decision of Tom Stix, BSI ("The Norwood Builder") in his decision as head of the Irregulars to make the group co-ed in 1991. And Paul was very proud of that fact. You can read something of the drama - and of a good deal of Paul's life in the excellent two-part interview that Gael Stahl did with him in 2000.

I had many occasions to chat with Paul during the BSI Weekends, and I even saw him last year in Philadelphia, when I visited the Copper Beeches. Paul had driven all the way from Wisconsin to be there. He was that dedicated. And during teh 2006 BSI Weekend, Paul decided to have an "episode" at the Gillette Lunch, where he turned ghostly white (even for a Wisconsoner) and had to be whisked to the emergency room. True to form, though, he showed up for the BSI Dinner later that night.

So I'm sure the crew at From Gillette to Brett II is going to miss Paul this weekend. The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis were part of his roster and I'm sure he would have made the drive down to Indiana to take part in such a wonderful event.

Paul was one of the nicest Sherlockians out there and he will be missed by many people around the world. He leaves behind his wife Margaret, who is also an Irregular ("The Criterion Bar") a son, a daughter and six grandchilren. Paul's funeral will be Saturday morning at 10:00 AM at Unitarian Universalist Church, 625 College Ave., in Racine. Visitation will be Friday night and Saturday morning from 9 to 10. The full obituary is available from the Racine Journal Times.

Please consider leaving a comment below that we can forward on to Paul's family as a sort of guest book.

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"Those Week-End Parties" [SOLI]

To every Sherlockian, it is always the weekend.

This is it! The long-awaited announcement of the January festivities that we Sherlock Holmes devotees always look forward to. For many of us, it's been nearly a year since we rubbed shoulders with each other from venues such as the Algonquin Hotel, Ollie's Noodle House, a city club or two, or just the streets of New York.

This year, rather than reproduce the entire schedule here, I'm trying something a little different. In order to be much more comprehensive in my approach, I've created a separate site where you can find all of your BSI Weekend information - from schedules, to maps, to links to travel site and the general RSVP form for download. You can find this and more at the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend site.

If you join the Baker Street Blog Facebook group, I'll be adding BSI Weekend information and content along the way. It's a great way to meet other Sherlockians virtually and to share pictures, links and discussions with each other. Do please consider joining and seeing what it's all about.

But one of the features I'm most excited to offer this year is real-time updates throughout the weekend. You'll be able to follow these in the upper-left section of the BSI Weekend site. Just think- if you can't make it to the event, you can be the first to know who receives their BSI Investitures or who gets spotted at various events.

I hope to see you in New York in January. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve the BSI Weekend site, or if you have questions about the weekend, please drop me a line.

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"She Is Swift" [NOBL]

One of the most difficult tasks I undertake with this blog is reporting on the deaths of fellow Sherlockians, and this one is no exception, as I knew her personally. Francine Morris Swift, BSI ("The Wigmore Street Post Office") has passed beyond the Reichenbach. She died this morning after a brief illness.

Those who knew Francine remember a woman who could be at times outgoing, at at other times quietly pensive. She was a true Sherlockian, being a long-time member of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes ("Hatty Doran") and having received her investiture in the Baker Street Irregulars in 1994. I don't know about any of her local involvements - perhaps those who lived near her could fill in the gaps.

What I do know is that she found her perfect mate when she met Wayne Swift, BSI ("The Giant Rat of Sumatra"). The two made up one of those rarities in Sherlockian circles: a couple comprised of two individuals who equally enjoy the Canon. Wayne wrote about a great many subjects that he and Francine enjoyed, including trains, music, P.G. Wodehouse and horse racing, to name a few. In fact, he authored the 2000 Baker Street Journal Christmas Annual: History of the Silver Blaze, in which he recounted the first 50 years of the horse race associated the BSI. While Wayne himself was the historian behind the Annual, he noted in his Acknowledgements:

"Overall, my wife, Francine Swift, the real Swift family authority on horses as animals, has been a central bulwark throughout the effort."

When Wayne passed away suddenly following the BSI Weekend in 2001, I remember how difficult it was for Francine. The following year, as I manned the table in the vendors' room, she came by the stacks of BSJ Christmas Annuals new & old and lovingly passed her fingers over Wayne's contribution. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and her lip began to quiver before she quickly moved away. Clearly, Francine had lost the great love of her life.

Francine continued in her own right in the Sherlockian world, contributing to the Baker Street Journal from time to time, but in the end, it seemed as if her heart wasn't in it quite the same. I recently received a number of orders from her for the BSI's Manuscript Series and International Series, so I inferred that she was getting back into the game in full force.

It is my sincerest hope that she and Wayne are together again, eternally blissful and at peace.

If you have any personal memories of Francine, or if you can fill in any relevant details about her life, I invite you to share them in a comment below.

Photo credit: Dorothy Stix

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"The Activity and the Ingenuity" [ILLU]

A little over a week ago, I noticed a new web site spring up, but I kept quiet during its beta period, until the official launch was announced. Well, today is that day, so I'm sharing my secret with you.

The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis now have a web site! Well, to call it a web site is really understating the effort Ann M. Lewis has put into it. It's much more than a simple destination; it's more of a hub and a two-way communication vehicle for this venerable Midwest scion society. This is a great example of how a scion society should embrace interactive media and forge into the 21st century.

Expect to hear more about new developments in the Sherlockian world that are going to shift the way we think about online communications. I'll be covering these changes and announcements here as well as on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, which I'd love you to subscribe to.

Features Abound
You'll find all of the standard offerings there, like meeting updates, upcoming events, links, etc. But where this site stands apart is how it integrates aspects of social media. For example:

1. You can register on the site as a member. It's free and doesn't require any sensitive information from you. Registration allows you to interact with other members on the site. You can post information to your profile, such as a web site, email address, or just something you'd like to write about yourself, as well as a picture.
   
2. Everyone can view the photo gallery, and members can upload their own photos. It's a great place to put faces to names or to see what happened at events.
3. There is a section for articles and a downloads section which currently contains a PDF of the society's flyer.
4. A news section contains announcements of meetings as well as the latest trailer for the From Gillette to Brett II conference. Anyone in the community can also add their own news story as well.
5. You can contribute in another important way: in the section called Blogs. Every member can create his or her own entries and write about and share anything that comes to mind. You know I couldn't resist and opportunity like that. Here's what I wrote.
6. There's an RSS feed of both this blog and of my podcast, for which I am grateful. What? You just don't understand RSS? Then please do me and yourself a favor and spend a quick 4 minutes watching this:

If it doesn't show, I'm very impressed with what Ann has instituted on behalf of the Clients. I've often wondered why they've never had a site, because they're an active society that publishes regularly and has a fairly dedicated base of members. Indeed, this is the home turf of Mike Whelan, the head of the Baker Street Irregulars.

I'm glad to see that they've come blazing into the 21st century with a real winner of a site. Get over there and register. More importantly, join the conversation there, or here, or any other site that allows you to raise your voice. The wonder of the Sherlockian world is the degree with which we interact with each other, and current technology is giving us the opportunity to keep the conversation flowing 24/7.

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