The Baker Street Irregulars Trust

The 1974 BSI Dinner

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VfO9xixcpTC8TgJ7unACYYN9banMr_yV3g-lWfj1bm8GYg_dOU_FfFTXEci6H5bzBVwthSAgF8FTKFeNgOz-FmaxdRufQMo-KPhMcoBIMLjacLSew_ONMQdaG6o_CC8aez7KvXTsjeSz/s1600/bsi-dinner-1974-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 1974 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VfO9xixcpTC8TgJ7unACYYN9banMr_yV3g-lWfj1bm8GYg_dOU_FfFTXEci6H5bzBVwthSAgF8FTKFeNgOz-FmaxdRufQMo-KPhMcoBIMLjacLSew_ONMQdaG6o_CC8aez7KvXTsjeSz/s640/bsi-dinner-1974-v1.jpg" title="Click this 1974 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Sherlock Holmes’s 120th birthday was celebrated by 124 Irregulars and guests with “even more than the usual conviviality.” All Irregular rites were observed. Dorothy (Mrs. John Bennett) Shaw was honored as <i>The</i> Woman. Those present stood on the terrace to remember departed Irregulars.  Papers were delivered by Bruce Kennedy. Alastair Martin, Will Oursler, and John Bennett Shaw, “all of whom excelled.” Nine Investitures were given.  The Scion Society reports concluded the formal programme, after which there was some Irregular revelry and discussion.<br />
<br />
Dinner Details: January 4, 1974<br />
The Regency Hotel, 540 Park Avenue, New York<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information</h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.HOUGH:16162476?n=49">Key to People in the 1974 BSI Dinner Photo </a>(digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Three pages. Front, interior, and back. Sequence 49-51<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
<b>Investitures:</b><br />
Elic Denbo as The Ferrers Documents<br />
Constantine Evans as The Diogenes Club**<br />
Jon L. Lellenberg as Rodger Prescott<br />
Andrew Page as Lord Saltire<br />
Albert M. Rosenblatt as Inspector Bradstreet<br />
Philip A. Shreffler as Lord St. Simon, changed to Jefferson Hope**<br />
Bartlett D. Simms as Professor Coram<br />
Herbert P. Tinning as Dr. Leon Sterndale<br />
Michael F. Whelan as Vincent Spaulding<br />
* received Investiture at another event during the year<br />
** <i>in absentia</i><br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b><br />
Lloyd H. Denton<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>The</i> Woman:</b><br />
Dorothy (Mrs. John Bennett) Shaw<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The</i> Woman honour?</a><br />
<br />
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b><br />
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)<br />
Not listed in the 1974 BSJ report.<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a><br />
<br />
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b><br />
J.C. Prager & Al Silverstein, "Lowenstein of Prague: The Most Maligned Man in the Canon"<br />
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v23 n4 (December 1973) pp. 220-227 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v24 n1 (March 1974) p. 53, 60 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<br />
List of 1974 BSI Dinner Attendees (not available at this time, but see Key to the Photo, above)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
None available online at this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:16197446">1974 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Cover and interior. Sequence 47-48<br />
<br />
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/11/the-1973-bsi-dinner.html">1973 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/11/the-1975-bsi-dinner.html">1975 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html"> BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.<br />
<br />
<br />
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard </a>page.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 9/26/2015 by Tamar Zeffren<br />
This page last updated 11/10/15 by Andrew Solberg.<br />
<br />
<br />

The 1974 BSI Dinner

Sherlock Holmes’s 120th birthday was celebrated by 124 Irregulars and guests with “even more than the usual conviviality.” All Irregular ...

+ Read more »

The 1973 BSI Dinner

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTGDquEF54PYHN7qWYwVO5h-CrH49kRxpzwel3iJTudzer2ADkS2l9GSQNtwJGZlvZtBXQp6G4t0dZ3kEQVc4nS3i9jgp_JZFHx0U36dfxASuEmDAr0nLubXp6NdxkbG30pPdKzJ7dlSd/s1600/bsi-dinner-1973-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 1973 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTGDquEF54PYHN7qWYwVO5h-CrH49kRxpzwel3iJTudzer2ADkS2l9GSQNtwJGZlvZtBXQp6G4t0dZ3kEQVc4nS3i9jgp_JZFHx0U36dfxASuEmDAr0nLubXp6NdxkbG30pPdKzJ7dlSd/s640/bsi-dinner-1973-v1.jpg" title="Click this 1973 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Baker Street Irregulars celebrated the 119th birthday of Sherlock Holmes at The Regency Hotel.  The Commissionaire, Julian Wolff, intended to present the Sherlock Holmes silver medal to Mr. Rafael Sevilla-Sacasa (Director of the Philatelic Bureau of the Republic of Nicaragua) for his services in keeping the memory of the Master green by the issuance of the first official Sherlock Holmes stamp.  Unfortunately, Mr. Sevilla-Sacasa was unable to be present due to a severe earthquake in his country. The medal was awarded to him in absentia.  In his place, Mr. Jeff Oakden, of the Crown Agents, delivered a short address.  All of the BSI’s traditions were observed, beginning with the first Conanical toast to <i>The</i> Woman, Ines (Mrs. William S.) Hall, whose late husband was one of the founders of the BSI. Newcomers were introduced. Jim Montgomery’s songs were played, and papers of unusually high calibre were delivered by Will Oursler, Bruce Kennedy, John Bennett Shaw, and John Linsenmeyer.  Six Investitures were awarded at the Dinner.  The BSI, through a small committee headed by James Nelson, presented a special golden sovereign to the Commissionaire, who wrote that he intended to wear it on his watch-chain in memory of the occasion.<br />
<br />
Dinner Details: January 5, 1973<br />
The Regency Hotel, 540 Park Avenue, New York<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information</h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.HOUGH:16162476?n=44">Key to People in the 1973 BSI Dinner Photo</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Three pages. Front, interior, and back. Sequence 44-46<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
<b>Investitures:</b><br />
Leonard Cochran as Cardinal Tosca**<br />
Robert A. W. Lowndes as Langdale Pike<br />
Keith Paulison as Mr. John Scott Eccles<br />
Andrew Jay Peck as Inspector Baynes, Surrey Constabulary<br />
Rex Pinson, Jr. as Inspector G. Lestrade<br />
John A. Schrandt as Inspector Stanley Hopkins<br />
* received Investiture at another event during the year<br />
** <i>in absentia</i><br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b><br />
James Nelson<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>The</i> Woman:</b><br />
Ines (Mrs. William S.) Hall<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The</i> Woman honour?</a><br />
<br />
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b><br />
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)<br />
Rufus Tucker (The Greek Interpreter, 1944)<br />
Reginald Owen (the actor who played both Holmes and Watson)<br />
Harry Truman (former President and Honorary BSI)<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a><br />
<br />
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b><br />
Andrew Jay Peck, "The Solitary Man-Uscript"<br />
The Baker Street Journal v22 n2 (June 1972) pp. 71-73 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
<i>The Baker Street Journal </i>v23 n1 (March 1973) pp. 54-55, 60 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
See also related letter from Vincent Starrett on p. 49.<br />
<br />
List of 1973 BSI Dinner Attendees (not available at this time, but see Key to the Photo, above)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcrmD83l_RjdYB5zhy-LugvbNbPOka3X7LY8BuhtFq0LxHm3Eexo4cf79Dd_MX_AIcdu2Sb3Aju1SF-e0Tp2j5mdY0pQrkTWxp0LQ5JGl52EMAEs-n5QupVhaYC418EDBnIFxAE_GldJD/s1600/julian-wolff-1970-v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Julian Wolff, BSI" border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcrmD83l_RjdYB5zhy-LugvbNbPOka3X7LY8BuhtFq0LxHm3Eexo4cf79Dd_MX_AIcdu2Sb3Aju1SF-e0Tp2j5mdY0pQrkTWxp0LQ5JGl52EMAEs-n5QupVhaYC418EDBnIFxAE_GldJD/s200/julian-wolff-1970-v2.jpg" title="Julian Wolff, BSI" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Julian Wolff at a BSI Dinner</i></div>
<br />
In the following 7-minute vignette from the 1973 BSI Dinner, Commissionaire Julian Wolff is given a gold sovereign by James Nelson.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="45" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4040390/height/45/width/250/theme/standard/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/no-cache/true/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="250"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click to play this recording</div>
<br />
A recording of the entire 1973 BSI Dinner is available at Harvard as part of the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:16197445">1973 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Cover and interior. Sequence 37-38<br />
<br />
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/the-1972-bsi-dinner.html">1972 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/11/the-1974-bsi-dinner.html">1974 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html">BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.<br />
<br />
<br />
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 9/26/2015 by Tamar Zeffren<br />
This page last updated 3/22/16 by Randall Stock.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>

The 1973 BSI Dinner

The Baker Street Irregulars celebrated the 119th birthday of Sherlock Holmes at The Regency Hotel. The Commissionaire, Julian Wolff, int...

+ Read more »

The 1972 BSI Dinner

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIG5kJq2juFjvZV3Nk4g1pHB9x-82UHi_Qy5nhrzaA9mRzj_EDvSUIZzVPlglVAqjbEL7amNMLsfuYsN3r3NMAgF2TKdAom8Rp8ArjXtkyXhkjwh2Y9r0e2nmZXhyxtnne6RQ6awz9Lz-/s1600/bsi-dinner-1972-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 1972 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIG5kJq2juFjvZV3Nk4g1pHB9x-82UHi_Qy5nhrzaA9mRzj_EDvSUIZzVPlglVAqjbEL7amNMLsfuYsN3r3NMAgF2TKdAom8Rp8ArjXtkyXhkjwh2Y9r0e2nmZXhyxtnne6RQ6awz9Lz-/s640/bsi-dinner-1972-v1.jpg" title="Click this 1972 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Sherlock Holmes’s 118th birthday was celebrated by “a record attendance of 130” at the Regency Hotel. All Irregular rites were observed. 11 Irregulars were invested at the Dinner. Dorothy (Mrs. Herbert) Brean was honored as <i>The</i> Woman. Papers of “the highest quality” were delivered by esteemed speakers, including Tom McDade, Tom Stix (Sr.), Will Oursler, Bill Jenkins, Herb Brean, John Ball, and John Bennett Shaw.  Thoughtful members, such as Fred Dannay, Peter Blau, and Ira Wolff, contributed “keepsakes” for the enjoyment and edification of all.<br />
<br />
Dinner Details: January 7, 1972<br />
The Regency Hotel, 540 Park Avenue, New York<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information</h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.HOUGH:16162476?n=39">Key to People in the 1972 BSI Dinner Photo</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Three pages. Front, interior, and back. Sequence 39-41<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
<b>Investitures:</b><br />
John P. Crotty as Dr. James Mortimer<br />
Norman M. Davis as The Grosvenor Square Furniture Van<br />
William E. Fleischauer as Josiah Brown<br />
Matthew Fox as Vigor, the Hammersmith Wonder<br />
Andrew G. Fusco as Athelney Jones<br />
David Galerstein as Bert Stevens<br />
John M. Linsenmeyer as Tobias Gregson<br />
Alastair Martin as Colonel Sebastian Moran*<br />
Edward A. Merrill as Palladio**<br />
Norman S. Nolan as Godfrey Norton<br />
Edgar S. Rosenberger as Neville St. Clair**<br />
Donald A. Yates as Mr. Melas, changed to The Greek Interpreter<br />
* received Investiture at another event during the year<br />
** <i>in absentia</i><br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b><br />
Howard Haycraft<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>The</i> Woman:</b><br />
Dorothy (Mrs. Herbert) Brean<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The</i> Woman honour?</a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b><br />
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)<br />
Not listed in the 1972 BSJ report.<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a><br />
<br />
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b><br />
H.C. Potter, “Reflections on Canonical Vehicles and Something of the Horse”<br />
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v21 n4 (December 1971) pp. 200-204 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v22 n1 (March 1972) p. 55, 59 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<br />
List of 1972 BSI Dinner Attendees (not available at this time, but see Key to the Photo, above)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
None available online at this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:16197444">1972 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Cover and interior. Sequence 37-38<br />
<br />
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/the-1971-bsi-dinner.html">1971 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/11/the-1973-bsi-dinner.html">1973 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html"> BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.<br />
<br />
<br />
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 9/26/2015 by Tamar Zeffren<br />
This page last updated 10/22/15 by Andrew Solberg.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>

The 1972 BSI Dinner

Sherlock Holmes’s 118th birthday was celebrated by “a record attendance of 130” at the Regency Hotel. All Irregular rites were observed. ...

+ Read more »

Peter Blau Interview: Oral History Project

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik47djPv2oYlmo1HcROP7oSBUFyTdhd00D19LicUKMD4M1DDeLMfCZqqDxZjMOPUc6P-e_eOpOdyOwV1dhH9uW3daYiAUcljZd9vDpP3VEL30dQu6ZYKgfkVPv1N2TYPsSL6cGiTDJikR/s1600/peter-blau-v1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peter E. Blau, BSI" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjik47djPv2oYlmo1HcROP7oSBUFyTdhd00D19LicUKMD4M1DDeLMfCZqqDxZjMOPUc6P-e_eOpOdyOwV1dhH9uW3daYiAUcljZd9vDpP3VEL30dQu6ZYKgfkVPv1N2TYPsSL6cGiTDJikR/s200/peter-blau-v1.jpg" title="Peter E. Blau, BSI" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Peter E. Blau (Black Peter, 1959) found the world of Sherlockians as a teenager, thanks to Ben Abramson, who wrote "I publish a magazine you will enjoy reading.  Tell your father to send me $10.00."  The magazine was <i>The Baker Street Journal</i>, and it offered a wonderful introduction to people who enjoyed playing a game that was as fascinating then as it is now.  He received his Investiture ("Black Peter") in The Baker Street Irregulars in 1959, went on to become an early informal member of The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes (barred at the time from attending their annual dinner), and a member of many other Sherlockian societies.  He sometimes claims that everything he knows about being a Sherlockian and a collector he learned from John Bennett Shaw, and is happy to be the "Simpson" (secretary) of the BSI, as was John before him.  He has edited and published an informal newsletter <i>Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press</i> since the early 1970s, and has been published widely in other Sherlockian journals.  His career as a geologist and a journalist has allowed him to travel widely and meet a host of interesting and entertaining Sherlockians, and to indulge in his favorite pastime: telling stories, some of which you can listen to in his oral history.<br />
<br />
He received the Two-Shilling award in 1980.  Peter is one of America’s great storytellers, raconteurs, Sherlockians, and collectors. His interview is filled with other Sherlockians, Sherlockian historical insight, amazing acquisitions, and great fun.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="45" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3701052/height/45/width/250/theme/standard/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="250"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click to play interview Part 1</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="45" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3767623/height/45/width/250/theme/standard/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="250"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click to play interview Part 2</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="45" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3831168/height/45/width/250/theme/standard/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="250"></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Click to play interview Part 3</div>
<br />
Interviewee: Peter E. Blau<br />
Interviewer: Daniel Stashower<br />
Date: July 29, 2007<br />
Location: Bethesda, MD<br />
Description: <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Part 1: MP3, 49.1 MB, 86kbps, 1 hour 19 minutes<br />
Part 2: MP3, 42.7 MB, 112kbps, 53 minutes<br />
Part 3: MP3, 48.0 MB, 112kbps, 1 hour<br /><a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/transcript/peter-e-blau-interview-2007.pdf">Transcript of Peter E. Blau Interview</a> (PDF)<div><br />
<h4>
Interview Topics</h4>
<b>Part 1:</b><br />
First Meeting with a Sherlockian<br />
First BSI Dinner<br />
Getting His Shilling<br />
Resurrecting the Red Circle<br />
The Practical But Limited Geologists<br />
Julian Wolff<br />
Chris Steinbrenner<br />
Isaac Asimov<br />
The Beginning of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes<br />
John Bennett Shaw<br />
<i>Duet with an Occasional Chorus</i><br />
<i>Angels of Darkness</i><br />
<i>Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press</i><br />
Becoming a Collector<br />
Titular Investiture of Black Peter<br />
Most Books Signed by Conan Doyle on a Ship<br />
Conan Doyle Manuscripts and Paperclips<br />
<br />
<b>Part 2:</b><br />
Changes in the BSI Dinner<br />
Pastiches<br />
On Conan Doyle<br />
Richard Lancelyn Green<br />
Marquis of Donegall<br />
<br />
<b>Part 3:</b><br />
Peter Blau’s Christmas Tree<br />
Sherlockian Travel<br />
The BSI Dinner as a Moveable Feast<br />
Magic, Sherlockian and Non<br />
Jack Tracy<br />
William S. Baring-Gould<br />
Michael Harrison<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">Explanation of BSI Honours & Other Terms</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Materials</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvoECodJ_gjmchFYoIDPwLjigjs9dTv-Q25EnpfdPc1jd0I5TAWFuOEyNhrHSF3zllcMlBZ5xpgRJISyax5fIlOL8nP60KjT2uTI8-dsHB0Dc2NjoWs_VwLJKi8EFVOl5kXWk75GZQWfU/s1600/peter-blau-1959-bsi-dinner-v1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peter Blau at 1959 BSI Dinner" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvoECodJ_gjmchFYoIDPwLjigjs9dTv-Q25EnpfdPc1jd0I5TAWFuOEyNhrHSF3zllcMlBZ5xpgRJISyax5fIlOL8nP60KjT2uTI8-dsHB0Dc2NjoWs_VwLJKi8EFVOl5kXWk75GZQWfU/s200/peter-blau-1959-bsi-dinner-v1.jpg" title="Peter Blau at 1959 BSI Dinner - click to enlarge photo" width="188" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Peter E. Blau gets invested at the 1959 BSI Dinner with Jim Iraldi</i></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/07/the-1959-bsi-dinner.html">The 1959 BSI Dinner</a><br />
Peter Blau received his Investiture at this BSI Dinner.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.redcircledc.org/index.php?id=39">Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press</a><br />
Peter Blau's monthly newsletter for Sherlockians<br />
<br />
<a href="https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/2001/12/30/angels-of-darkness/">Angels of Darkness: A Drama in Three Acts</a><br />
A BSI Manuscript Series book edited by Peter E. Blau.<div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://bakerstreetirregulars.com/2018/12/26/peter-blau/">Peter E. Blau: A Festschrift</a></div><div>Honoring the 60th Anniversary of his investiture in the BSI.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.redcircledc.org/">The Red Circle of Washington, DC</a><br />
The Scion Society in which Peter Blau holds no office.<br />
<br />
<br />
For an index to all OHP interviews, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/oral-history.html">Oral History Project Summary</a> list.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/search/label/Audio+Oral%20History">Interviews recently added online</a> (sorted by when recording was posted online)<br />
<br />
<br /><span style="text-align: center;">Material in the BSI Archive may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our </span><a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html" style="text-align: center;">BSI Archive</a><span style="text-align: center;"> page</span>.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 10/8/15 by Andrew Solberg<br />Page updated 10/13/15 by Andrew Solberg</div><div>Page updated 6/16/21 by Randall Stock.</div><div>This page last updated 11/27/21 by Marsha Pollak.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />
<br /></div></div>

Peter Blau Interview: Oral History Project

Peter E. Blau (Black Peter, 1959) found the world of Sherlockians as a teenager, thanks to Ben Abramson, who wrote "I publish a maga...

+ Read more »

The 1971 BSI Dinner

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztOHaBzoc48F_mQKxMNsj6WrLUT7CHWGnKSani6KU-6PGaKOdvqsz-CsRcrOdGMICr_8E-gZqtgHtjsKku-elsJR72Oor3PTjTVAGkpcT_N1-jjqJ8KqvJgOKE1YZTDPVDkBYEg66ONf2/s1600/bsi-dinner-1971-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 1971 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztOHaBzoc48F_mQKxMNsj6WrLUT7CHWGnKSani6KU-6PGaKOdvqsz-CsRcrOdGMICr_8E-gZqtgHtjsKku-elsJR72Oor3PTjTVAGkpcT_N1-jjqJ8KqvJgOKE1YZTDPVDkBYEg66ONf2/s640/bsi-dinner-1971-v1.jpg" title="Click this 1971 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“100 thirsty enthusiasts,” in Commissionaire Julian Wolff’s inimitable words, commemorated Sherlock Holmes’s 118th birthday at the Players Club. This auspicious evening featured several worthy guests, including Alfred Drake, President of the Players, “whose address revealed him to be a real Sherlockian scholar”; Brooks Atkinson, the famed <i>New York Times</i> theatre critic; Fred Dannay (one half of Ellery Queen); and the Reverend Leslie Marshall, who demonstrated that “the stage had lost a fine actor when he entered the ministry.”<br />
<br />
All Irregular rites and customs were “strictly observed.” Dorothy (Mrs. Thomas L., Jr.) Stix was honored as <i>The</i> Woman. Five new Irregulars received their Investitures.  Fred Dannay generously supplied each of those present with the February issue of the <i>Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine</i>, a tradition that still continues today. Attendees stood on the terrace to have their “last quiet talk with those Irregulars” who had crossed over the Reichenbach in the past year. The close relationship between the Irregulars and the Players was appropriately dissected. In fitting style, John Bennett Shaw delivered “a most amusing talk…showing evidence of much research and truly specialized knowledge, but, unfortunately, unpublishable.”<br />
<br />
Dinner Details: January 8, 1971<br />
The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South, New York<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information </h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1971-photo-key.pdf">Revised Key to People in the 1971 BSI Dinner Photo</a> (PDF)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
<b>Investitures:</b><br />
Robert N. Brodie as The Gloria Scott<br />
Raymond A. de Groat as Harraway**<br />
August Derleth as Inspector Baynes, of the Surrey Constabulary**<br />
Matthew Fairlie as Barrymore*<br />
Robert L. Fish as Barker, My Hated Rival**<br />
H. C. Potter as The Final Problem*<br />
Evan M. Wilson as The Right Honourable Trelawney Hope*<br />
Ezra A. Wolff as Sir James Damery<br />
* received Investiture at another event during the year<br />
** <i>in absentia</i><br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b><br />
Marquis of Donegall<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>The</i> Woman:</b><br />
Dorothy (Mrs. Thomas L., Jr.) Stix<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The</i> Woman honour?</a><br />
<br />
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b><br />
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)<br />
Not listed in the 1971 BSJ report.<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a><br />
<br />
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b><br />
Edward A. Merrill, "Holmes and Brunton: Civil Engineers"<br />
<i>The Baker Street Journal </i>v20 n1 (March 1970) pp. 39-47 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v21 n1 (March 1971) pp. 50, 54 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<br />
List of 1971 BSI Dinner Attendees (not available at this time, but see Key to the Photo, below)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1971-photo-key.pdf">Revised Key to People in the 1971 BSI Dinner Photo</a> (PDF)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.HOUGH:16162476?n=35">Original Key to People in the 1971 BSI Dinner Photo</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Front and back. Sequence 35-36<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
None available online at this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:16197443">1971 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Cover and interior. Sequence 33-34<br />
<br />
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/the-1970-bsi-dinner.html">1970 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/the-1972-bsi-dinner.html">1972 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html">BSI Dinner Summary</a> list.<br />
<br />
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html">BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 9/26/2015 by Tamar Zeffren<br />
Page updated 10/9/15 by Andrew Solberg.<br />
This page last updated 12/5/19 by Randall Stock.<br />
<br />
<br />

The 1971 BSI Dinner

“100 thirsty enthusiasts,” in Commissionaire Julian Wolff’s inimitable words, commemorated Sherlock Holmes’s 118th birthday at the Player...

+ Read more »

The 1970 BSI Dinner

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDd6A4WEybkjgIf1IDxkFeOcWJC4IlvnYNuJR4MJ0B4qhC-Ww-RNMux2msjPro4CpY5h8qCSBmzNH8RDeHYrpfGBIxfi-Tb48qHOcMjrbfT33G41djE6B2nh9XEpfMKeyezhyphenhyphenPA2GU8px/s1600/bsi-dinner-1970-v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 1970 BSI Dinner group photo" border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDd6A4WEybkjgIf1IDxkFeOcWJC4IlvnYNuJR4MJ0B4qhC-Ww-RNMux2msjPro4CpY5h8qCSBmzNH8RDeHYrpfGBIxfi-Tb48qHOcMjrbfT33G41djE6B2nh9XEpfMKeyezhyphenhyphenPA2GU8px/s640/bsi-dinner-1970-v1.jpg" title="Click this 1970 BSI Dinner photo to see a larger version" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The celebrations of Sherlock Holmes’s 116th birthday were held this year at the Players Club,  “the club of many present-day and old-time Sherlockians—among them Frederic Dorr Steele, Christopher Morley, and Basil Rathbone. The most appropriate and delightful atmosphere contributed much to the great success of the occasion.”<br />
<br />
Proper attention was paid to all Irregular rites and rituals. Molly (Mrs. Howard) Haycraft was honored by Tom Stix (Sr.) as <i>The</i> Woman. Five Irregulars were invested. Attendees then “stood on the terrace to recall…our last quiet talks with several faithful Irregulars.” The papers of the evening demonstrated “the usual high calibre” that has come to typify this yearly tradition.<br />
<br />
Dinner Details: January 9, 1970<br />
The Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South, New York<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Dinner Photo Information</h4>
Click on the above photo to see a larger version of it, and maximize your browser window to see the most detail.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1970-photo-key.pdf">Key to People in the 1970 BSI Dinner photo</a> (PDF)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
BSI Honours List</h4>
<b>Investitures:</b><br />
Paul S. Clarkson Jr. as Morse Hudson*<br />
Thomas Frederick Foss as Colonel James Barclay*<br />
Martin J. King as Mr. James M. Dodd<br />
Mo Lebowitz as Arthur H. Staunton, the Forger<br />
Howard Luther as The Duke of Holdernesse**<br />
Walter Pond as Brunton, the Butler, of Hurlstone<br />
Ira Wolff as Douglas Maberley<br />
* received Investiture at another event during the year<br />
** <i>in absentia</i><br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is an Investiture?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Two-Shilling Award:</b><br />
Charles Honce<br />
Baron Gore-Booth*<br />
Allen Robertson*<br />
* received award at another event during the year<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is a Two-Shilling Award?</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>The</i> Woman:</b><br />
Molly (Mrs. Howard) Haycraft<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is <i>The</i> Woman honour?</a><br />
<br />
<b>"Stand with me here upon the terrace..."</b><br />
(as named at this Dinner, not their year of passing)<br />
Not listed in the 1970 BSJ report.<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the origin of “standing on the terrace?”</a><br />
<br />
<b>Morley-Montgomery Award:</b><br />
William H. Miller, "Some Observations on the Alleged Use of Cocaine by Mr. Sherlock Holmes"<br />
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v19 n3 (September 1969) pp. 161-165 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/glossary.html">What is the Morley-Montgomery Award?</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Reports on the Dinner</h4>
<i>The Baker Street Journal</i> v20 n1 (March 1970) pp. 54, 57 (available in the eBSJ).<br />
<br />
List of 1970 BSI Dinner Attendees (not available at this time, but see Key to the Photo, below)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://files.bsitrust.org/pdf/dinner/bsi-dinner-1970-photo-key.pdf">Key to People in the 1970 BSI Dinner photo</a> (PDF)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Recordings</h4>
None available online at this time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
Related Material</h4>
<a href="http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:16197442">1970 BSI Dinner Menu</a> (digitized image at Harvard)<br />
Two pages. Cover and interior. Sequence 31-32<br />
<br />
Previous dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/09/the-1969-bsi-dinner.html">1969 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
Next dinner: the <a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/10/the-1971-bsi-dinner.html">1971 BSI Dinner</a><br />
<br />
For an index to all BSI Dinners and photos, see our<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/dinner-summary.html"> BSI Dinner Summary list</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
The BSI Archive is located at the Houghton Library at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Archival material may be used by any qualified scholar, subject to the normal rules and regulations of the Library. For links to a detailed finding aid and related information, see our<a href="http://www.bsitrust.org/2015/01/archive.html"> BSI Archive at Harvard</a> page.<br />
<br />
Page composed on 9/20/2015 by Tamar Zeffren<br />
Page updated 10/1/15 by Andrew Solberg.<br />
This page last updated 12/6/19 by Randall Stock.<br />
<br />
<br />

The 1970 BSI Dinner

The celebrations of Sherlock Holmes’s 116th birthday were held this year at the Players Club, “the club of many present-day and old-time...

+ Read more »