The AMICA BULLETINAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1999 VOLUME 36, NUMBER 5

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Entire contents © 1999 AMICA International 265

VOLUME 36, Number 4 September/October 1999

FEATURESNominating Committee — 267

From Affiliated Society — 270

AMICA Boston — 271

AMICA Annual Board Meeting — 275

Annual Reports — 278

AMICA Annual Membership Meeting — 285

Convention Chapter Reports — 287

Convention Photos — 288

The Organ That Missed The Boat — 304

CD Review — 308

The Town That Dolge Built — 312

DEPARTMENTSPresident’s Message — 267

From the Publisher’s Desk — 268

Letters — 268

Calendar of Events — 270

Tech Tips — 305

Chapter News — 317

Classified Ads — 327

Front Cover: The Town That Dolge Built, Felt & Sounding Board Factory Building,from Adirondack Life, Fall 1974, sent in by Edith Pettitt.

Inside Front Cover: 1908 Post Card

Inside Back Cover: 1923 Post Card

Back Cover: 1890 Ad for Sohmer Pianos which appeared in “Puck” Magazine, sent in by Anthony Engels.

THE AMICA BULLETINAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION

Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distributionand enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books. AMICA was founded in San Francisco, California in 1963.

ROBIN PRATT, PUBLISHER, 630 EAST MONROE ST., SANDUSKY, OH 44870-3708 -- Phone 419-626-1903, e-mail: pianola@aol.comVisit the AMICA Web page at: http://www.amica.org

Associate Editor: Mr. Larry Givens Contributing Editor: Mr. Emmett M. Ford

AMICA BULLETINDisplay and Classified AdsArticles for PublicationLetters to the PublisherChapter News

UPCOMING PUBLICATIONDEADLINESThe ads and articles must be receivedby the Publisher on the 1st of theOdd number months:

January JulyMarch SeptemberMay November

Bulletins will be mailed on the 1st weekof the even months.

Robin Pratt, Publisher630 East Monroe StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3708Phone: 419-626-1903e-mail: pianola@aol.com

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

New Memberships

Renewals

Address changes and corrections

Directory information updates

Additional copies ofMember Directory

Single copies of back issues($6.00 per issue - basedupon availability)

William Chapman (Bill)2150 Hastings CourtSanta Rosa, CA 95405-8377707-570-2258e-mail: shazam@sonic.net

To ensure timely delivery of yourBULLETIN, please allow 6-weeksadvance notice of address changes.

AMICA reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any and all submitted articles and advertising.

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AAMMIICCAA IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERSPRESIDENT Linda Bird

3300 Robinson PikeGrandview, MO 64030-2275

Phone/Fax 816-767-8246e-mail: OGM Bird@AOL.Com

PAST PRESIDENT Maurice Willyard1988 NW Palmer LaneBremerton, WA 98311

360-692-8885VICE PRESIDENT Dan C. Brown

Chapter Coordinator N. 4828 Monroe StreetSpokane, WA 99205-5354

509-325-2626e-mail: pianola@cet.com

SECRETARY Shirley NixAMICA Headquarters 6030 Oakdale Avenue

Woodland Hills, CA 91367818-884-6849

e-mail: nixmusic@pacificnet.netTREASURER Robert DeLand

Registered agent for legal matters 485 Gatewood LaneGrayslake, IL 60030

847-548-6416 - Fax 847-548-8615e-mail: rdeland@owc.net

PUBLISHER Robin Pratt630 E. Monroe Street

Sandusky, Ohio 44870-3708419-626-1903

e-mail: pianola@aol.comMEMBERSHIP SECRETARY William Chapman (Bill)

2150 Hastings CourtSanta Rosa, CA 95405-8377

707-570-2258e-mail: shazam@sonic.net

— COMMITTEES —TECHNICAL Harold Malakinian

2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098PUBLICATIONS Robin Pratt

515 Scott St., Sandusky, OH 44870-3736AMICA ARCHIVES Shawn Fox

1319 Pearl St., Sandusky, OH 44870419-621-9758

AUDIO-VISUAL Harold Malakinian2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098

CONVENTION COORDINATOR Liz Barnhart919 Lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431

HONORARY MEMBERS Mike Walter65 Running Brook Dr., Lancaster, NY 14086-3314

716-656-9583WEB MASTER Terry Smythe

55 Rowand Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J 2N6204-832-3982 — e-mail: tesmythe@videon.wave.ca

BOSTON AREAPres. Edward Bordelieu - (603) 472-5566Vice Pres: Ken VolkSec: Robert HuntTreas: Alan JayneReporter: Don BrownBoard Rep: Sandy Libman

CHICAGO AREAPres: Richard VanMetreVice Pres: George WilderSec: Curt CliffordTreas: Joe PekarekReporter: Kathy Stone SeptonBoard Rep: Marty Persky

FOUNDING CHAPTERPres: Bing Gibbs - (408) 253-1866Vice Pres:Sec: Lyle Merithew & Sandy SwirskyTreas: Richard ReutlingerReporter: Tom McWayBoard Rep: Richard Reutlinger

GATEWAY CHAPTERPres: Dorothy Crowley (314) 843-2140Vice Pres: Yousuf WilsonSec: Mary WilsonTreas: Mary WilsonReporter: Cynthia CraigHistorian: Larry HollenbergBoard Rep: Gary Craig

HEART OF AMERICAPres: Ron Bopp - (918) 786-4988Vice Pres: Tom McAuleySec/Treas: Linda KoehlerReporter: Joyce BriteBoard Rep: Ron Connor

LADY LIBERTYPres: Keith Bigger - (718) 528-9443Vice Pres: David PalterSec: Richard KarlssonTreas: Joseph HutterReporter: Bill MaguireBoard Rep: Dianne Polan

- (516) 673-0388

MIDWEST (OH, MI, IN, KY)Pres: Harold Malakinian -

(248) 528-3111Vice Pres: Liz BarnhartSec: Judy WulfekuhlTreas: Alvin WulfekuhlReporter: Christy CountermanBoard Rep: Liz Barnhart

NORTHERN LIGHTSPres: Dave KemmerVice Pres: Jerrilyn Boehland -

(612) 780-5699Sec: Jason E. Beyer - (507) 454-3124Treas: Terry GoepelReporters: Paul & Barbara WatkinsBoard Rep: Dorothy Olds

PACIFIC CAN-AMPres: Mark SmithbergVice Pres: Kurt MorrisonSec: Halie DodrillTreas: Ward FolsomReporter: Dan Brown Board Rep: Fran Willyard

SIERRA NEVADAPres: John Motto-RosVice Pres: Sonja LemonSec/Treas:

Tom & Virginia HawthornReporter: Doug & Vicki MahrBoard Rep: John Motto-Ros

SOWNY (Southern Ontario,Western New York)

Pres: Anne LemonVice Pres: Mike HamannSec/Mem. Sec: John & Diane ThompsonTreas: Holly WalterPhotographer: Garry LemonReporter: Frank WarbisBoard Rep: Mike Walter

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAPres: Herb Mercer Vice Pres: James WestcottSec./Reporter. Shirley NixTreas: Ken HodgeBoard Rep: Frank Nix

TEXASPres: Ken LongVice Pres: Tony Palmer

Michael BarisonekHaden VandiverBryan Cather

Treas: Janet TonnesenSec: Janet TonnesenReporter: Bryan CatherBoard Rep: Dick Merchant

SOUTHERN SKIESPres: Debra Legg -

(813) 734-3353Vice Pres: Bill ShriveSec: Howard Wyman (813) 689-6876Treas: Dee Kavouras (352) 527-9390Reporter: Dick & Dixie LeisBoard Rep: Debra Legg

CHAPTER OFFICERS

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONSAUSTRALIAN COLLECTORSOF MECHANICAL MUSICALINSTRUMENTS19 Waipori StreetSt. Ives NSW 2075, Australia

DUTCH PIANOLA ASSOC.Nederlandse Pianola VerenigingEikendreef 245342 HR Oss,Netherlands

PIANOLA INSTITUTEClair Cavanagh, Secretary43 Great Percy St., London WC1X 9RAEngland

INTERNATIONAL PIANOARCHIVES AT MARYLANDPerforming Arts Library, Hornbake 3210University of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742

MUSICAL BOX SOCIETYINTERNATIONALP. O. Box 297Marietta, OH 45750

NETHERLANDS MECHANICALORGAN SOCIETY - KDVA. T. MeijerWilgenstraat 24NL-4462 VS Goes, Netherlands

NORTHWEST PLAYER PIANOASSOCIATIONEverson Whittle, Secretary11 Smiths Road, Darcy Lever,Bolton BL3 2PP, Gt. Manchester, EnglandHome Phone: 01204 529939Business Phone: 01772 208003

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONDivision of Musical HistoryWashington, D.C. 20560

PLAYER PIANO GROUPJulian Dyer, Bulletin Editor5 Richmond Rise, Workingham,Berkshire RG41 3XH, United KingdomPhone: 0118 977 1057Email: jrd@ngcscd.demon.co.uk

SOCIETY FOR SELF-PLAYINGMUSICAL INSTRUMENTSGesellschaft für Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente (GSM) E.V.Jürgen HockerHeiligenstock 46 D-51465 Bergisch Gladbach GermanyPhone: 2202-932524Fax:. 2202-932526

INT. VINTAGE PHONO & MECH.MUSIC SOCIETYC.G. Nijsen, Secretaire General19 Mackaylaan5631 NM EindhovenNetherlands

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This is the first “down time” I have had since the Conven-tion. We have had a wonderful month with AMICAn’s.We drove to Boston (from Kansas City) and spent a little

time sightseeing before arriving in Boston. The Convention was agreat success. A huge vote of thanks goes to Dorothy Bromageand her committee for a job well done. We always enjoy renew-ing friendships and meeting new people. Our two weeks follow-ing the Convention were spent with English friends that were atthe Convention for the first time and in the USA for the first time.We traveled home with the Davis’s in tow via Niagara Falls andChicago. What fun it is to experience the wonders of our countryand of our many collections through new eyes. When the Davis’sleft, the Mercy’s arrived. What a marvelous time we had compar-ing our countries, sightseeing and visiting collectors. One of thegreat things about our organization is the opportunity for friend-ships with people from many countries with whom we have acommon interest in mechanical music.

The annual Board Meeting was held on Wednesday before thestart of the Convention. I would like to point out a few things thatwere voted on that day. The full report can be found in this issuebut I know many of you don’t wish to wade through it.

1. All chapter secretaries should check the new directory fornew members in their area and send them an invitation to a meet-ing and to join their chapter.

2. People that do not renew their membership on time will notbe sent back issues of the Bulletin at the time they renew. (Thesehave to be sent first class and it was a growing expense.) So, besure to get your dues in on time!

3. Judy Chisnell was appointed chairperson of the MemorialFund Committee to replace Richard Reutlinger.

4. All members of AMICA that have a web site involvingmechanical music are requested to put AMICA on as a link.

5. A dues increase was approved. The new dues will be $37per year.

6. A By-laws committeewas appointed to review theBy-laws. Mike Walter is chair-man. If you have any input,please contact Mike.

7. A brochure holder wasapproved and should be readyfor sale to the chapters and toindividual members soon.

I would like to again con-gratulate our award recipientsfor this year. The Leo OrnsteinAward went to Jeffrey Morgan.The AMICA International Award went to Richard Reutlinger. ThePresident’s Award went to Frank and Shirley Nix. We again hadour pumper contest and the Footsie Award went to Karl Ellisonthis year.

A Nominating Committee was elected at the Board Meeting.Maury Willyard will be the chairman of this committee. If youare interested in becoming an officer, or would like to recommendsomeone, please contact Maury soon.

Again this year, a video was made of Hi Babit. This time itmainly involved Hi taking requests and playing them. Many ofyou would enjoy having this performance by our honorary mem-ber. Please look in the Bulletin for the ad giving purchase infor-mation.

I think that is about all of the important Convention news. Besure to read the entire report elsewhere in this issue. The plans areset for Sacramento and for Melbourne, so visit the AMICA website at www.amica.org, or watch the Bulletin for further details.Enjoy your fall meetings and the nice weather that accompaniesthis time of year. I hope to see many more of you in Sacramento.

Linda

President’s Message

The following were voted by the Board to constitute the Nominating Committee to nominate members to serve as AMICA Offi-cers for the two year term commencing at the close of the Annual Meeting to be held in Sacramento, California in 2000.

Maury Willyard, 1988 NW Palmer Lane, Bremerton, WA 98311, phone (360) 692-8885, e-mail: mdwfmw@silverlink.net

Richard Groman, II, 2512 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18017, phone (610) 865-9055

Ed Strain, 6555 44th Street North #2006, Pinellas, FL 34655, phone (813) 521-1597

Jerrilynn Boehland, 9773 Quincy N.E., Blaine, MN 55434, phone (612) 780-5699

Janet Tonnesen, 903 Sandalwood, Richardson, TX 75080, phone (972) 235-4497

Lloyd Osmundson, 804 East Park Lane, Santa Anna, CA 92701, phone (714) 997-1355, e-mail: llbro@pachbell.net

If you, or someone you know, are willing to be nominated to serve as one of the AMICA Officers, please check the AMICA By-laws, ARTICLE VIII, ELECTIONS to verify the fulfillment of the necessary qualifications and submit your name to one of the abovelisted committee members.

The By-laws are printed near the back of the 1999 AMICA membership directory.

The proposed nominee names must be received by a committee member no later than January 1, 2000.

Nominating Committee:Maury Willyard, Chairman

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Dear Editor,I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to AMICA for presenting me with the prestigious Leo Ornstein Liter-

ary Award; I shall cherish it always. I would be remiss if I failed to mention those whose many contributions helped my efforts;so . . . I would like to thank:

Robin Pratt for his commitment to excellence, his patience, and his perseverance in order to “get it right!”Larry Givens for his endless encouragement, editorial suggestions, proof-reading talents, commitment to accuracy in journalism,

and last but not least, his kind friendship.Dick Howe for his encouragement, his goading me to search for the answers or, at least, find the right questions, and for unfet-

tered access to his vast galactic-sized archive which now resides at the University of Maryland.Finally, a few words of caution about history and truth. During my search through literally mountains of archival material, many

popular myths vanished. Many myths born in the 1940s and 50s seem to have taken on a life of their own in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.I might add that some even had their origins as early as the 1920s and 30s. As the myths evaporated, villains often turned into heroesand vice versa. Yet, so much work remains to be done.

Thank you all very much again!Cordially, Jeffrey Morgan

Dear Robin,

Quick note to show you what I’ve been doing for additional information to the AMICA folder, as an insert, for my traveling visi-tors. Many ask where they can get assistance in their home state, and your directory is invaluable, as I give them a copy of that statealong with the folder. But then, some say “I don’t want to bother strangers, etc.,” so I’d attempt to explain - so thought it would servethem best if I’d furnish them with the AMICA Objectives, somewhat indicating that their inquiries would be welcomed.

I feel that the inclusion of the Objectives in the new membership folder would be very useful. Other uses for anObj-List could be for auctioneers, music stores, schools, etc., etc. I find it rare, to meet people anywhere that had never heard of anold player piano somewhere, but many that are unaware of a player piano organization.

Glad to receive my new directory last week, as my ‘95 issue is all loose-leaf and shopworn, with so many trips to the copymachine!

Time to run, take care.

Sincerely,Klint Schlake - 409 Pine Street, Big Springs NE 69122

Letters:

Well folks, it IS happening . . . just like I said.

Dear members who are concerned about the preservation of antique automaticmusical instruments in their original form.

In the past several months I have been told or gotten wind of stories about instru-ments being gutted for the insertion (injection?) of disc playing player attachments. Inother words, the disposal of the original pneumatic mechanisms through eviscerationof historic instruments. Of course, these stories, while seemingly believable, alwayshad a tone of the fantastic about them. They couldn’t be true! Well, today I wasoffered (to remove and purchase) the mechanism out of a Bush and Lane Welte-Mignon Licensee grand piano. The owner of the instrument wants a disc playerinstalled. Want to know the “fantastic” part? The Mignon system was ALREADYRESTORED AND PLAYING!!!

Those of you who were foolish enough to think that this would not/could not happen because, well, “people just wouldn’t doTHAT!” are only fooling yourselves. It is happening and at an alarming rate. Like I and others have said in the AMICA Bulletinbefore, soon there will be none left.

I am literally sick at my stomach as a result of these butchers. Of course the retail dealers are all for this. I am sure they willneglect to mention to the customers that they will still have to restore the PIANO before they put in the “trouble-free” solenoid sys-tem. Plus, aren’t there about a billion non-automatic grands out there sitting in corners unused? Why not install the units in thoseinstruments?

Personally, I can’t wait for the first electrical storm.Sincerely,Robin Pratt

From the Publisher’s Desk . . .

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Circus World Museum426 Water StreetBaraboo, Wisconsin 53913Phone 608-356-8341 or Fax 608-356-1800

Explore Unusual Exhibits at Circus World Museum All YearBARABOO, WISCONSIN - Going to the circus may seem as if it’s only a summer experience, but Circus World Museum visitors

in Baraboo, Wisconsin can run away with the circus all year long. The state historic site will remain open throughout the fall and win-ter, offering visitors a wide array of spectacular, educational, fun - and unusual - exhibits to explore.

The Museum’s 1999 fall operation began on Tuesday, September 7 and runs daily through Sunday, October 31. Hours will befrom 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday.

During the fall, Museum visitors enjoy self-guided tours of three contemporary exhibit facilities and two historic Ringling Bros.Circus winter quarters buildings.

In the Irvin Feld Exhibit Hall and Visitor Center, guests discover a carriage built for Cinderella, a costume made for the world’ssmallest man, and a video program that explains what made the Ringling Brothers “The World’s Greatest Showmen.” There’s also avehicle that carried a unicorn, a three-legged chair that Clyde Beatty used in his famous wild animal act, and rare posters of Jumbo theElephant and Gargantua the gorilla whose names are now part of our everyday language.

Across the river in the C.P. Fox Wagon Restoration Center, Circus World Museum craftsmen carry on the tradition of building andrestoring circus wagons. The artisans display their construction, woodcarving, welding and painting skills for visitors to witness.

Next door in the W.W. Deppe Wagon Pavilion, 50 magnificent, restored circus parade wagons have been placed on exhibit forguests to observe, touch and photograph. An exploration of the football field-size pavilion reveals the giant green dragons of TheGolden Age of Chivalry wagon, the six-foot-high wooden wheels of the Bostock & Wombwell Band Carriage, and a glass-enclosedwagon where Mrs. Al Ringling once paraded as a snake charmer. There are also wagons representing Asia, America and France,another that’s the sole survivor from an Irish circus, and yet another with bowed sides that allow a “Hippo From the River Nile” toturn around inside.

In the historic Ringling Ring Barn and Ringling Elephant House, an exploration reveals such unusual circus treasures as tiny fleacircus props, funny distortion mirrors, a miniature circus with its own performers and parade, and the spiked ceiling beam that OldJohn the elephant tried to pull down with his trunk. The Ring Barn and Elephant House were once part of the Ringling Bros. Circus’svast winter quarters complex, providing stables and training areas for performing horses and elephants. In 1884, five young Ringlingbrothers began a circus in their hometown of Baraboo. Until 1918, the famous circus family wintered their show along the banks ofthe Barboo River. Today, Circus World Museum preserves eight of those original Ringling buildings and barns.

Following the Museum’s fall season, the Irvin Field Exhibit Hall and visitor Center, C.P. Fox Wagon Restoration Center and W.W.Deppe Wagon Pavilion will remain open for the winter. The winter season will run from November 1 through May 5, with hoursMonday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 4: p.m. (closed on major holidays).

For more information, please call Circus World Museum at (608) 356-0800 or visit the Museum’s new web site at www.circus-worldmuseum.com

August 28, 1999To all AMICAns,

Thanks so much for the good wishes and “get-well” card that was sent to me on behalf of all of you.

Having emergency surgery for removal of an infected gall bladder isn’t terribly uncommon, but it’s sort of a nuisance to have ithappen to one while traveling in Russia!

It takes a while to recover from “abominable” surgery, I’m told, but every day shows evidence of a little progress.

Harvey Roehl3533 Stratford Drive, Vestal NY 13850-2222 - Phone 607-766-0726, Fax 607-797-2624

Letters:

REQUEST FOR BOSTON CONVENTION TAPESVideo taping at the Boston Convention Banquet required that a copy be given to the band.

Please send tape to Dorothy Bromage, 8 Skyline Drive, Billerica, MA 01821.

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CHAPTERS CALENDAR OF EVENTSANNUAL CONVENTIONS

December 11, 1999: Lady Liberty ChapterDr. Len Wert will host our meeting from 12 to 5:00 p.m.in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania

June 22-25, 2000 AMICA Convention, Sacramento, California

February 16-26, 2001 AMICA Convention, Melbourne, Australia

June 26-30, 2002 AMICA Convention, Springdale, Arkansas

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

From Affiliated Society

EEUUPPHHOONNYY RREEVVIIEEWWThe Friends of Scott Joplin, Member of the Arts and Education Council — August 1999

MMaaxx MMoorraatthh aatt tthhee SShheellddoonn

The one and only Max Morath came to town for two days of entertainment June 19 and 20 at the Sheldon bringing his one man show of music,

song, anecdotes, and comedy as only he can. Mr. Morath combines the 1890’s and 1990’s in a seamless effort that often had us rolling in the aisles

while combined with a marvelous piano technique that earned “The Ragtime Man” standing ovations and numerous requests for encores. The

Friends of Scott Joplin would like to thank everyone who attended, the people and crew of the Sheldon and Metrotix for running everything like clock-

work and especially Mr. Max Morath, a true class act in every sense of the word. Can’t wait to get him back to St. Louis.

TToomm TTuurrppiinn MMoonnuummeenntt DDeeddiiccaattiioonn CCeerreemmoonnyy

The Friends of Scott Joplin are pleased to announce the dedication of the monument on the previously unmarked grave of Tom Turpin, the

Father of St. Louis Ragtime, Sunday, September 12, 1999. The ceremony, featuring live ragtime music took place in Section 29 of St. Peter’s Ceme-

tery, 2101 Lucas and Hunt Road in Normandy.

The long-awaited monument is mahogany granite, stands 24 inches tall by 24 inches wide atop a 30 by 12 by 6 inch base, and features Turpin’s

photo. Inscribed on the rear of the stone are the names of the five family members also buried in the grave, including Tom’s brother Charles Turpin,

the first black to be elected to public office in St. Louis. The monument is being prepared by the Rosebrough Monument Company, a longtime vener-

able local institution.

We would like to thank all of you who made generous contributions to ensure that this giant of ragtime would be memorialized at his final resting

place. In particular, we wish to commend Ann Steele of the Tom Turpin Ragtime Festival in Savannah, Georgia (Turpin’s birthplace), and the

Kansas City Ragtime Revelry. The monument would not exist without commitment from these dedicated groups.

JJoohhnn SSttaarrkk AAllssoo iinn SStt.. PPeetteerr’’ss CCeemmeetteerryy

John Stillwell Stark, the publisher of many of the works of Scott Joplin and other classic ragtime composers, a true champion of the classic rag,

is also buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery with his esteemed family. While you’re at the Turpin ceremony, why not pay a visit to the Starks in Section 24?

There you will find monuments marking the graves of John, Sarah Ann, Etilmon J. (composer of Billiken Rag and others), Sarah E. And Margaret R.

Stark.

TTrreeeemmoonniisshhaa 22000000

Scott Joplin’s opera will open the St. Louis Opera theatre’s 2000 season, and it’s going to be a spectacular production. The soloists are all won-

derful young African-American artists, the conductor is Jeffrey Huard, who has led acclaimed productions of Showboat and Ragtime on Broadway,

and the director is Rhoda Levine, who staged The Life and Times of Malcolm X at the New York City Opera.

Treemonisha will open with a gala performance on Saturday, May 20. The opera will be presented again on May 24 and 26, and on June 3, 8,

11, 14 (mat), 17 (mat), 20, and 24. There will be a special matinee for churches and school groups on June 1. The Friends of Scott Joplin are cur-

rently making special arrangements for the production. More will follow in the November issue of Euphony Review. You can also learn more about

the production by visiting the website: http://www.opera-stl.org

RRaaggttiimmee RReennddeezzvvoouuss RReeppoorrtt

The Friends of Scott Joplin continue to carry forth for three hours each month at Dressel’s. Participants during the last quarter year have includ-

ed: Jim Andris, Jan Douglas, Rich Egan, Vann Ford, Don Franz, Steve Hinson, Patsy Madinger, Barry Morgan, Roy Pennington (a newcomer with a

very capable Gladiolus Rag), Al Stricker, and (last but certainly not least) Trebor Tichenor. Don’t miss out on future Ragtime Rendezvous, the first

Sunday of each month from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Dressel’s Pub.

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The beautiful Westin Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts wasthe setting for many of the AMICA Boston 1999 activities. Thefirst for everyone, however, was a trip on Thursday into Boston.Seeing this world class city was accomplished by foot in theQuincy Market/Faneuil Hall area or by riding in a trolleythroughout the many neighborhoods and districts that have his-toric sites, such as the Charlestown Navy Yard with the USSConstitution (“Old Ironsides”).

Boston University is noted, among other things, for theJohn R. Silber Symphonic Organ in Metcalf Hall. Followingthe tour of Boston, we got a look at this organ. Curator NelsonBarden described how it grew from two residence player organsinto the instrument now enhanced in the electronic age. Thedemonstration was followed by a short silent movie, “Luke’sMovie Muddle,” with movie music accompaniment from theorgan’s computerized archives. The film was provided and pro-jected by Roger Colson of the Eastern Massachusetts ChapterATOS. The organ is designed not only for listening but also forviewing, and one can see on monitors the registration and otherfeatures of the performance. The physical design is availablefor viewing as well, and we walked through the organ while itplayed.

There was a convention breakfast Friday morning followedby a traditional feature of AMICA conventions, the Seminars.AMICA Boston 1999 had eight of them from which to choose.Presenters were Bill Koenigsberg, Gary Rasmussen, AllanJayne, Mel Septon, Bob Hunt, Larry Norman, and Ken Volk,with Liz Barnhart holding court in the hotel lobby with thosewho kept busy that morning creating a needlework souvenir ofthe convention logo.

Many AMICAns have never seen an accompaniment rollused for a performance. Margaret Davis of England, sopranowith the talent and experience to carry it off, remedied this afterthe Lantern Luncheon. She sang with two Ampico rolls andthen performed another solo with accompaniment by TonyAustin.

Dating back more than two centuries, the magic lantern isthe unique forerunner of the movies. Terry Borton, of the Amer-ican Magic-Lantern Theater, presented a show in the style ofVictorian America. With the help of singer-accompanist JackieAlvarez, Terry entertained by means of a collection of antiquemagic lantern slides with a patriotic theme. The slides weremade to do various antics besides hovering still on the screen.Audience participation included two patriotic selections sungwith enthusiasm to piano rolls.

The busy day proceeded with an Organ Grind in the foyerof the ballroom. A variety of instruments were played by organgrinders Ken Volk, Ed Everett, Cynthia Craig, Gary Craig, andWalter “Hap” Holmes.

Another event that has been traditional, since introduced atAMICA Boston 1989, is the Pumper Contest. Tony Austin wasthe master of ceremonies for the contest. Julian Dyer who wasthe Footsie winner last year, presented the “Golden Footsie”award for best roll interpreter to Karl Ellison. Prior to launch-ing the contest, Tony introduced Paul Lehrman, editor of an

online magazine for the recording indus-try (mixonline). In November, Paul willpresent the world premiere of the first (1923-24) version of George Antheil’s “Ballet Mecanique” in the Con-cert Hall at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Modernmusic technology will come into play to synchronize 16 playerpianos. Also on the program will be several world premieres ofpieces for multiple player pianos. A web site is devoted to theproject: antheil.org.

In the evening, buses once again headed for Boston andRowes Wharf where the catamaran ship “Freedom” was thescene of dinner and dancing and cruising the Boston Harbor.Back at the hotel, as is the case at AMICA conventions, theHospitality Room attracted and held conventioneers who werenot ready to quit just yet. Instruments for the Hospitality Roomand various performances elsewhere in the hotel were loanedfor the convention by Ken Volk, Ed Bordeleau, Bill Koenigs-berg, Bob Hunt, Greg Volk and Kirk Russell of Avery PianoCompany in Providence, Rhode Island. Also on Friday night,on the other side of the hotel lobby in the Ports Room, Hi Babitcould be heard playing requests. The session was video tapedby Keith Bigger, who will make the tapes available to membersof AMICA.

The Saturday of an AMICA convention is always a fullday. This one began with the Mart at which automatic musicrelated items were in good supply. Everyone then boardedbuses for venues in the Merrimack Valley west of Boston. Firstopened in 1960, the American Textile History Museum is onlytwo years old at its present location in Lowell. One could seehow cotton, wool, flax, and horsehair went from the raw materi-al to various useful and decorative products. In a re-creation ofan 1870’s factory, one level of the Museum was busy all daynoisily spinning and weaving and making cloth, with commen-tary by a Museum docent.

The Charles River Museum of Industry is visited by cross-ing over the Charles River on a footbridge where the riverwinds its way through Waltham. The Museum is located in theformer Boston Manufacturing Company mill complex, aNational Historical Landmark. This structure, which opened in1814, was the site of the first power loom to be used in theUnited States and the first place where spinning and weavingwere done in one operation under the same roof. Exhibitsincluded a player piano and also covered topics such as thewatch factory, an auto plant (complete with Stanley Steamer), amachine shop, a power house, and an employment office.

The Saturday bus tour continued to the city of Woburn anda stop at the home of Joe and Pat Lavacchia. They are alwaysgracious hosts and on this day, they did what they do best,welcoming four busloads that appeared in sequence throughoutthe afternoon. Coming up the driveway, guests were greeted bythe sounds of the Wurlitzer 146 band organ. Inside, Joe’sAmerican Fotoplayer was put to work with Joe at the controls.It was also activated by a G roll installed in the back. Theirhome is rich with unusual instruments and with a specialcollection of wicker.

AMICA BOSTON 1999By Dorothy Bromage

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In Eastern Massachusetts, it is possible to visit major his-toric sites while touring inland. In Concord, the Old NorthBridge drew the attention of everyone, while in Lexington,there were historic buildings to be seen as well as the LexingtonGreen.

Although the Saturday night Banquet meal was an event initself, the highlight of the evening was the performance by StanMcDonald’s Blue Horizon Jazz Band playing Dixieland stylemusic and effectively causing many people to leave their seatsat the table and head for the dance floor. Traditional jazzmusic is alive and well in New England, confirmed by Stan’sgroup.

During one intermission, a contest was held. The people atthe winning table received miniature spinning wheels as a prize.They won for most accurately naming the titles of the tunes ona QRS piano roll, “Tea for Two” played by Liberace who enter-tainingly wove fragments from other songs into his arrange-ment. Another time, when the band took a break, Ginger Chris-tiansen presented the convention table favor, a 2-cup teapot.Chris Christiansen demonstrated, by pouring tea from the potinto a cup, that the teapot could actually be used as such. As helifted the teapot from its stand, the music of “Tea for Two”was heard confirming that the souvenir contained a music box.

Sunday morning’s Farewell Breakfast was followed by theAMICA International Annual Meeting, presided over by LindaBird. At the close of the meeting, the AMICA banner waspassed by Dorothy Bromage to John Motto-Ros so that it mayreappear in Sacramento, California at the year 2000 convention,hosted jointly by the Founding Chapter and the Sierra NevadaChapter. Some people headed for the airport but several were

observed to dash away in other directions. These were the hostsfor the four Open Houses held in Massachusetts and NewHampshire. Aided by a special Open Houses booklet preparedby Ginger Christiansen, travelers went to visit Chris and GingerChristiansen who opened their home, as did Allan Jayne, bothhomes being in Nashua, New Hampshire. In Massachusetts,Open Houses were held in Concord at the residence of Bill andBeverly Koenigsberg and in Billerica at Dorothy Bromage’shouse.

At AMICA Boston 1999, countries represented were USA,England, Canada, and Japan. Among the attendees were twofamous Honorary Members, Ramsi Tick and Hi Babit, bothwith undeniable connections to QRS. The souvenir roll wasproduced at QRS with the expertise of Bob Berkman. Specialrecognition goes to the Core Corps (Convention Committee):Dorothy Bromage, Chairman, Mart Coordinator,

Pumper Contest CoordinatorAllan Jayne, Treasurer/RegistrarKen Volk, Transportation Coordinator,

Table Favor CoordinatorGinger Christiansen, Seminars Coordinator,

Open House CoordinatorBill Koenigsberg, Display CoordinatorDon Brown, Photography, Liaison with Magic Lantern ShowSandy Libman, Liaison with AMICA Board of DirectorsGreg Volk, Souvenirs CoordinatorChris Christiansen, Bev Koenigsberg, Don Brown, and

Dorothy Bromage, Bus Captains

AMICA BOSTON continued . . .

AMICA BOSTON CONVENTION 1999

By Karl Ellison

During the early part of summer of 1999 much of theNortheast U.S.A. has been experiencing severe drought condi-tions and periodic heat waves. Sultry days, uncharacteristicallyrelentless sun and “dry” thunderstorms have been the norm forthe prior weeks making it very unpleasant to do any outdooractivities. But on the week of August 12-15 1999, AMICA gotlucky. The week of the convention saw a break in the heat,allowing all of us to enjoy the planned activities in relativecomfort. Despite some weekend clouds, the weather was themost comfortable it’s been in months!

The 1999 AMICA convention was headquartered at theWestin Waltham Hotel in Waltham, Massachusetts - a 30minute bus ride from downtown Boston. Why so far from thecity? Given that the room rates in downtown Boston would beapproximately double our convention rate of $95/night is per-haps one factor. Our hotel is made mostly of sweeping glassfacades containing all of the amenities that one would expectnear a major metropolis. People started to arrive a day earlyfrom around the world.

Living only a 40 minute drive away, I attended Wednes-day’s committee business meeting. President Linda Bird

chaired the meeting, covering old business in the morning, newbusiness after lunch. The committee members adjourned fordinner, while I popped back home to later return to the hotel tostay for the week.

Arriving for my 3-night stay at the hotel Thursday morn-ing, I glanced about the hospitality room while checking in.Look at the instruments! A Crown piano that interfaces to aTelectric and a Telectric console, with an original cabinet andlot of brass roll cassettes. There was a Mason & Hamlin Ampi-co B grand, a Steinway Duo-Art grand, a Chickering Ampico Agrand, and an Ampico Upright with a clockwork spoolboxmotor (that was wound when you pumped - yes - it was anexperimental unit from the factory, the owner told me), a nicestandard 88n pumper, and an shiny ebony Knabe grand withnew Pianodisc. People brought boxes of rolls for anyone toplay. The hospitality room looked like the piano section of a1920’s department store. The room was full of old friends andfriendly new faces.

Shortly after 1 p.m. we boarded busses to go to the heart ofBoston - the historic Faneuil Hall District. Site of the first townmeeting in America, Faneuil Hall was host to revolutionary

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gatherings in the 18th century, antislavery assemblies in the19th, and temperance and women’s suffrage rallies in the 20th,hence its moniker, the “Cradle of Liberty” - ironic, because theplace was built by merchant Peter Faneuil with proceeds fromthe slave trade. We were let off at the Quincy Market - threelong buildings of shops adjacent to Faneuil Hall. The touristhordes at the Quincy Market building make it seem like a cir-cus. Since I work in downtown Boston I’ve spent many alunchtime in this area. During the summer, jugglers and fire-eaters perform free for the teeming masses to make the impres-sion complete. Irish fiddlers, Andean flutists, frenetic clownsand a faux-Ben Franklin strolls the property to answer anyquestion a visitor may ask, jokers and smokers and “aspiringpoets” - they all perform during sunny summer days in the areaimmediately surrounding the marketplace, the middle buildingof the three that make up Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Some con-vention attendees walked around the area shops, while mosttook the scheduled combo trolley/open-air bus sight-seeing tourof the more historic extremities of the city. Our colorful tourguide (Melinda - colloquially pronounced “Ma-lin-der) gave anexcellent narrative of little known objective as well as subjec-tive facts of every view. Sites visited were: The CharlestownNavy Yard - home of “Old Ironsides - the oldest currently com-missioned ship in the US Navy, MIT, the history Back Bay sec-tion, Boston Public Commons (garden), Bunker Hill, etc. Uponreturning to the Faneuil Hall area, many ate a quick bite at themarket building containing an ethnic food court. After this “din-ner on your own” we popped across town to the Boston Univer-sity, a.k.a. BU.

The BU “John R. Silber” Symphonic Organ - 30’ high, 10’wide and weighing 22.5 tons - is located in the university’s Stu-dent Union building. Nelson Bardon (Boston’s premiere Aeo-lian-Skinner organ builder) gave a brief narration of the instru-ment’s history, whilst his assistant Shawn sat up in the balconyoperating the organ through the computer player interface. Thisis a unique instrument in that it’s generally a combination of anAeolian and a Skinner organ (but not to be confused with anAeolian Skinner instrument proper). The first instrument, theSkinner, was originally installed in the home of Percy A. Rock-efeller in Greenwich, Connecticut. Other divisions came fromother instruments, including one previously installed inBoston’s John Hancock building. The original roll-playing con-soles are displayed in the well lit blower/controller room. Atemporary master console is in place on the main balcony; Nel-son Bardon & Associates are working on a proper console. Theinstrument also has a computer interface - The Boston Universi-ty Symphonic Organ Recorder (BUSOR). This proprietary soft-ware/hardware music interface was developed in England usinga specially designed kind of MIDI (regular MIDI is too slow -BUSOR is capable of 1000 note changes/second) to play theinstrument. Television screens around the auditorium are usedto display the graphics of this software, showing all the virtualstops and console keys moving as they’re being played. Thecrumbling and deteriorating player rolls that were part of theindividual residential organs that make up this instrument havebeen digitally recorded for use on BUSOR. The purist may betempted to sniff at BUSOR, yet it’s flexibility and speed all buteliminate human limitations, making it “an artistic medium init’s own right”. The organ isn’t just an orchestral organ, it hasmany attributes of a theater organ - many traps and theaterorgan type stops. The entire instrument was built with a fullcorridor tunneled through it so you could see all of the works,

well lit behind Plexiglas. After all, this is a college - a place oflearning and experimenting. This instrument is the culminationof 16 years of work, and it’s metamorphosis continues to thisday with the plans for a “Fanfare” division which is now in theplanning stages.

I swear the busses got lost upon returning, so we didn’tarrive back at the hotel until late. I again popped into the hospi-tality room to find Hi Babit playing for a small group. Extem-poraneously, as usual. Someone in the room said “Play ‘NewYork, New York’”. Another voice quietly said “I’m sick of thatone”, to which Hi replied “YOU’RE sick of that one?!?”

Friday morning began with a continental breakfast andmore greetings of new friends. The seminars followed shortly.It’s a shame, but due to time restrictions one is only allowed toattend three of the 6 or so seminars offered. Larry Normanadded his usual comical aire to his seminar on preserving andrepairing music rolls, Bill Koenigsberg gave a well documentedhistorical tour of his 1000 hour task of his Mason & HamlinAmpico B, and Ken Volk showcased the history and details ofoperating his Tel-Electric expression player. These were thethree I was able to attend.

Lunch at the hotel was a formal served affair, after whichimmediately followed a Magic Lantern show. Slides were pro-jected that contained moving components, liquids between theslides for effects, and other projectable motions. It can be bestdescribed as a slide show with certain mechanical motionsinduced by superimposing other moving slides. The audiencewas instructed where to interject their participation within thenarrated stories. Silent movies and Magic Lantern shows wererarely silent, involving sound effects and audience participation.Magic Lantern shows long before adopted this concept to theNth degree. Also highly enjoyed after lunch was MargaretDavis of Loughton, England, who sang a whimsical solo selec-tion accompanied by Julian Dyer on the pianola.

Following the singing and lantern show was an organ grindin the hotel parking lot. A sneak peek below the hood of oneorgan revealed a computerized song selector, but the instru-ments were pneumatically powered by crank bellows.

Before Friday’s pumper contest, we were given a presenta-tion by Professor Paul Lehrman on his forthcoming edition ofAntheil’s “Ballet Mechanique” for 16 Disklaviers. I was not inattendance, so I’ll let Julian Dyer of the UK step up to themicrophone to give you his 2-paragraph synopsis -

“Antheil wrote this (in)famous piece in theearly 1920s for 16 player pianos (in the case Pleye-las), in Paris, to go with a Dadaist film. However,the device that Pleyel had devised to synchronisethe rolls on the 16 instruments proved to beunworkable, and the piece was never played in theform intended. Over the years a number of alterna-tive cut-down versions have been produced; arecent performance in Europe by Ensemble Mod-erne has used two Ampico grands (provided by Jur-gen Hocker) with pianists and orchestra. However,none of these address the original intentions of thepiece. Paul Lehrman has been commissioned bySchirmers music publishers to recreate the originalform of the work, sponsored by Wired magazine(who will publish details in their November maga-zine). This new performance will be premiered inLowell, MA, on 18th November in a free concert,

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which will be repeated around the US in followingmonths. The MIDI files will then be issued with thescore by Schirmer’s.

Paul described the history of the piece, and alittle of the colorful history of Antheil. He describedsome of the technical difficulties he has experi-enced in getting MIDI to perform the piece accu-rately enough - the rate notes are played being toogreat for MIDI to handle accurately. We were givena short demonstration of a synthesised performance.The composition may not be to everyone’s taste,but it’s an interesting aspect of musical history thatcertainly should be revived now that, some 75 yearslater, technology has finally caught up with it. Refs:http:\\www.antheil.org - Paul Lehrman’s web site“Bad boy of music” - Antheil’s autobiography ($12from Amazon)”

Immediately following professor Lehrman’s presentationwas the pumper contest. Tony Austin of the UK played emceefor the affair, and this year I was disappointed to find there wereonly a handful of participants, relative to the 1998 competition.Somehow always the center of attention, Larry Norman’s twist-ed psychology failed to influence the judges and psyche out theother contestants this time as in the past - as he arrived this yearat the contest dressed as a house painter, replete with fullpainters coveralls, tool kit, buckets and brushes. But it wasyours truly who happened to win the contest with my newlyacquired copy of “Raggedy Ann” QRS 2539 played by HerbertClair, that I won in a Mike Montgomery mail auction. I promiseto dust the Golden Footsie Award every week, and give it peri-odic Desenex treatments as needed. I’ll be certain to return theFootsie to my successor in Sacramento next year!

Friday night was the Harbor Cruise Banquet Dinner. Weagain were bussed to downtown Boston’s Rowes Warf, wherewe all boarded the good ship “Freedom” for a 3 hour cruise anddinner. While the boat was still moored at the dock, it was everso slightly pitching with the waves lapping against the dock,and this land lubber began to feel dizzy. Oh great. Upon goingabove deck to the observation deck, I met a few others whowere also experiencing the beginnings of the unfortunate phe-nomenon of motion sickness. However, as soon as the boat tookoff, everything leveled off beautifully, and everyone was ok.Dinner was a tasteless lump of lasagna, but what of it? Thecompany was good, there was a bar on board, I was hours andmiles away from my work-a-day cares (even though my officebuilding loomed in the background). What more could I askfor? The city is very pretty when viewed from the water atnight.

Saturday morning started with the Mart. Relative to lastyear, this one was lacking in variety somehow. There was plen-ty to see, but to me, there just didn’t seem to be the diversity ofitems for sale that I expected. Having a table myself, I didn’tget the time to browse as I would have liked. There were somenew business there - myself (New England Music Rolls, Salem,Ma.), Tim Baxter (Meliora Music Rolls, Atlanta Ga.) and DavidSaul (Precision Music Rolls, El Cajun, Ca.).

That afternoon was the busiest part of the convention - themassive road-tour to view a remarkable home collection as wellas local sites and museums of interest.

My bus’s first stop was to the home of Mr. & Mrs. Lavac-chia - a wonderful, gracious and hospitable couple that opened

their home to our tour. They had coffee and snacks prepared foreveryone! We were all free to roam throughout their entirehome. Clearly the result of years of collecting, there were bandorgans, Pipe-organ consoles, and a fully-restored Photoplayer(see pgs. 377/8 of Bowers Encyclopedia Of Automatic MusicalInstruments) - all of which was demonstrated. Passing anantique peep-show viewer and equipment on the staircase goingup, you arrived in their living room where a Mills DoubleViolano Virtuoso was playing (see pg. 522 of Bowers). Thatwas just the start of the instruments and memorabilia placedthroughout the house.

Next stop was the American Textile History Museum inLowell, Mass. The Museum houses the nation’s largest collec-tion of artifacts and documents relating to America’s textilemanufacture. They boast to have the largest collection of spin-ning wheels in the world. Young girls would work with heavyequipment 6 days a week for 12 hours a day producing theyarns and strings that fed the massive looms. Semi-modern(1950’s) looms were demonstrated. Wear your earplugs!

Getting tired now ... but we move on, our bus drivesthrough very scenic areas of Northern Massachusetts to ournext destination, The Charles River Museum of Industry inWaltham, Mass., where their mission is “... to be a center forexploration of the history of industry and technology and tostudy the dynamic process of innovation in order to encourageand inspire future innovation in America.” The group toured thepast, present and future of the machine age. The top floor wasdevoted to the remnants of the Waltham Watch Company, con-taining artifacts, parts, equipment, and finished products. Comi-cally ending the tour was a sad looking player piano. Butcheredfor “maximum viewing”, this neglected upright needed muchhelp. This ostensibly was to be the grand finale of the tour, butended up being more of a coups de gras. A fun place to pokearound, in any event.

Aaabh ... back to the hotel, where everyone was all toured-out. A welcomed happy hour preceded the Banquet dinner.

The “Blue Horizon Jazz Band” played though the dinner,though I found this a bit loud for dinner conversation. RamsiTick, past president and owner of QRS music happened to walkover and sit next to me for dinner. He has fully recovered fromhis emergency bypass operation this time last year (judgingfrom the prime rib dinner he had ordered!). I consider it a rareprivilege to be able to discuss industry topics with people whohave been there and lived it - wonderful! Couples danced on themain floor, where I saw David and Ann Saul - wonderful com-petition ballroom dancers they are, showing their stuff -smooth! Afterwards, a group of 20 or so stayed up late at thehotel bar, generally being silly. I don’t think I laughed so hardin my life (thanks, “Reverend” Fox).

The Sunday farewell breakfast was a fully served affair,after which the open business meeting took place. The Wednes-day Board meeting activities were highlighted. John Motto-Rosgave a slide presentation of the sights and activities that havebeen booked (a done deal!) for the June 2000 convention inSacramento, CA. Discount air fares to Melbourne for 2001 arein the works. When the meeting was adjourned around 11 a.m.,the mass exodus began to the airports and to the local openhouses. So many people left so quickly, it was difficult to indi-vidually say goodbye. Ah well, until next year in Sacramento ...farewell!

- Karl Ellison

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The meeting was called to order by President Linda Bird at 8:37a.m. Roll call was called, and the following officers and board repre-sentatives were present: Linda Bird, President; Dan Brown, VicePresident; Maury Willyard, Past President; Shirley Nix, Secretary;Board Reps.: Sandy Libman, Boston; Ron Connor, Heart of Ameri-ca; Richard Reutlinger, Founding Chapter Rep. and Memorial FundChair, retiring; John Motto-Ros, Sierra Nevada; Liz Barnhart, Mid-west Rep. and Convention Coordinator; Gary Craig, Gateway; MikeWalter, SOWNY; Fran Willyard, Pacific Northwest; Dorothy Olds,Northern Lights; Dick Merchant, Texas; and Frank Nix, SouthernCalifornia. Others attending: Shawn Fox, Chairman of the ArchivesCommittee; Dorothy Bromage; Judy Chisnell, who is our newMemorial Fund Chairperson. The minutes from the 1999 Meetingwere approved as published.

Officers’ Reports: (Reports follow minutes)President’s Report (R-1)

Linda Bird, President, stated that it had been a good year, withpeople calling or e-mailing with ideas and concerns. The big projectwas the Directory, which is now out. Linda has tried to do as muchas possible by e-mail, which saves on phone bills. She wants anevaluation of the By-laws.Vice-President’s Report (R-2)

Dan Brown, as Chapter liaison, mentioned that he has not heardfrom the Chicago Chapter, while the Gateway Chapter is being revi-talized, and the West Pennsylvania Chapter is still in limbo.

As head of the Awards Committee, he said the nominationswent well this year, with good response from the chapters. ShawnFox and Bob Taylor (Pennsylvania) were on the committee forAwards.

The plaques cost $9.00 more this year than last.Secretary (R-3)

The minutes of the last meeting were typed up and published,some cards were sent to members who were seriously ill, and the vot-ing was tallied on the By-law changes. (Both changes passed by alarge majority.)

The agenda for this meeting was typed and mailed to all BoardMembers and Chapter Reps., along with a letter.Treasurer (R-4)

Rob DeLand could not attend, but submitted his report to LindaBird, a copy of which is attached.

A discussion took place about Convention funds and how theyare handled, with Mike Walter mentioning that SOWNY had sent$1600 after their Convention, and he couldn’t see where the money isaccounted for.

Maury Willyard said he believed it was absorbed, and notaccounted for specifically. He said he felt the new By-laws shouldspell out the Treasurer’s accounting requirements. Ron Connor,however, felt the Board should set the guidelines, not the By-laws.This makes it easier to amend if necessary.

Dorothy Olds felt a Budget Committee would be in order. Itwas agreed that Rob is doing a good job of pulling things together,and perhaps he could appoint a committee himself.

Convention Seed Money was discussed. Sandy Libman said theincome and expenses for Conventions should be done by the Con-vention Committee hosting the event to facilitate the accounting.

Maury Willyard made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Reportas written. Dorothy Olds seconded. This motion was passed unani-mously.

Past President (R-5)Maury Willyard, past president, is chairman of the Nominating

Committee. Expenses were minimal, but will be more next year dueto the expenses of the Nominating Committee in an election year.Publisher (R-6)

Robin Pratt could not attend this annual meeting, but a reportwas submitted, and is attached.Membership Secretary (R-7)

Bill Chapman could not attend due to the illness of his sister,but he sent a report. He urged us all to encourage membership, andfeels we need exposure on the MMD.

A discussion ensued, and it was decided that meetings in mem-bers’ homes should not be published on MMD, but public eventsshould be on this venue . . events such as organ rallies and displays.John Motto-Ros reminded us that we need to focus on AMICA, andwe must get the organization in front of the public. One suggestionis that new members of AMICA International should be sent lettersfrom the local chapters inviting them to attend a chapter meeting andto join the local chapter. We need to get our brochures out in publicplaces.

Maury Willyard made a motion that dues paid in advance beaccepted at face value, regardless of current dues, and the same holdtrue for the brochures. Ron Connor seconded. The motion passedunanimously.

Maury Willyard made a motion to stop sending past issues ofthe Bulletin when dues are paid late. A discussion ensued. RonConnor said that only new members should get back issues, since itis very costly to mail them out to people who are late with their dues.Ron Connor made a motion that back issues be mailed only to first-time members who join later in the year - late renewals should not besent back issues. Maury Willyard seconded. The motion passedunanimously.

Dan Brown mentioned that there were some errors in the direc-tory. A discussion took place regarding errors in the Directory. Asuggestion was made to put a letter with renewals for necessary cor-rections.

Linda reminded us all that all members must be Internationalmembers before they can join a local chapter, and the chapters shouldbe checking on this. Chapter Reps. should be responsible for askingnon-AMICA International members to join.Audio-Visual (R-8)

Hal Malakinian could not attend, but he sent a report.There was a discussion regarding video tapes, which have a

short life, and what format should be used for historic purposes. Theproblem is, it is expensive to copy everything over every ten years orso. Ron Connor said that a miniscule part of the archives will be ofinterest to anyone in less than fifty years, and we should not build amountainous library that no one will care about.

Linda mentioned that if a performance is taped at a Convention,it must be pre-sold to be viable.

Dorothy Olds asked how long records were expected to be kept,such as minutes and other such information. The secretary said shefeels once they are printed in the Bulletin, they are no longer neces-sary in paper form. The President said she will thin out her recordsdrastically before handing them to the new president.

At 10:05 a.m. we took a ten minute break.Technicalities (R-9 a, b, c)

There are three reports under this heading, one each by HalMalakinian, Shawn Fox, and Terry Smythe. I have grouped them asone report.

AMICA ANNUAL MEETINGMinutes of Board Meeting — Wednesday, August 11, 1999

Westin-Waltham Hotel — Boston, Massachusetts

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One important issue is that we need to encourage members tosubmit technical articles. This is important, and they have droppedoff drastically.Convention Coordinator (R-10)

Liz Barnhart gave us a rundown on the upcoming AustralianConvention in 2001. Registration will run $500-$700, and will notinclude many meals. The Australian dollar is $1.52 to our dollar, sothe exchange rate is good. There will be Registration Forms at theBusiness Meeting.

Sacramento is next year, and John Motto-Ros gave us someinformation on this meeting.

In 2002 we will be going to Arkansas. The hotel will be theHoliday Inn, which has a waterfall, an atrium, and various extras.There will be a trip to Eureka Springs and Joplin, Missouri. We willalso go to the home of Ron Bopp for a barbecue.Award Committee (R-11)

Dan Brown submitted a report, his committee consisting ofShawn Fox, Robert M. Taylor, and Dan as chairman. He gave abreakdown of costs.Memorial Fund (R-12)

A report was submitted by Richard Reutlinger, and included acopy of I.R.S. requirements for charitable contributions.

A discussion of how to handle contributions of instruments andwhether it should be at the discretion of the committee. Ron Connorfelt an auction might be the answer. Richard Reutlinger made amotion - it is at the discretion of the committee to accept donations ofinstruments to AMICA, and to handle disposal of same. This motionwas not seconded.

Maury Willyard made a motion that Richard Reutlinger andJudy Chisnell get their heads together and submit a proposal to Presi-dent Linda Bird for Board approval. Linda will submit this proposalto Board members. Dick Merchant seconded, and the motion passed.Honorary Membership Committee (R-13)

Report submitted by Mike Walter.A discussion of Honorary Membership took place, and Ron

Connor said it had been decided to limit the bestowing of HonoraryMembership to those whose careers were over. This was done toavoid having Honorary status used as a sales tool. Linda said she feltit should be a subject for the By-laws Committee. Maury Willyardmade a motion that the subject of any changes to Honorary Member-ship be made a point of discussion for the By-laws Committee, andsubmitted to President Bird for further action and review. Ron Con-nor seconded. Mike Walter added to the motion that the HonoraryMembership Committee Chairman should be a member of the By-laws Committee. Sandy Libman seconded. The amended motionpassed unanimously.Publications

See Publisher’s Report (R-6)Web Master’s Report (R-14)

Terry Smythe did not attend the Annual Meeting, but submitteda report, and requested an extra $60 for the Web Site to increase ourdisk space. Shawn Fox made a motion that the $60 requested by theWeb Master be granted. Maury Willyard seconded. The motionpassed unanimously.

Links to personal pages have been deleted from our Web Site,since there were complaints about some people who were linked tothe AMICA site.

It was agreed that all commercial aspects of links should beavoided.

Linda Bird read a letter from Bennet Leedy. He feels all adsshould be on a special page if we want to use them.

Dan Brown and Ron Connor felt it was best to avoid all com-mercial links and ads so we aren’t seen as supporting them.

Dick Merchant mentioned that the value of the net to AMICA isthat it takes extremely spread out interests and combines them into agroup. It allows one to eventually get to us and should bring in newmembers.

Dan Brown mentioned that our page has AMICA Goals, chap-ters, officers of chapters, and what the various chapters are doing. It’sgood public relations.

Robin wants us to be more accessible. He would like to see alink to our page from anyone in AMICA who has a Web site if possi-ble, and wants us to mention it at the business meeting.

Our address is www.amica.org This is a permanent address. Besure you use the .org.Chapter Reports

Boston (C-1)Sandy Libman gave a small recap of the Convention in progress

in Boston.Lady Liberty (C-2)Dianne Polan sent the report since she could not attend.Northern Lights - Dorothy Olds reported that this chapter had

three meetings since the last Convention, and have meetings plannedfor all of 1999 already.

Pacific Can-Am (C-3) - Fran WillyardSierra Nevada (C-4) - John Motto-RosSOWNY - Mike Walter reported they have had four meetings

since the last Convention, and have three more planned for this year.They have 20 members, and their biggest concern is what to do withthe proceeds from their Convention last year.

Southern California (C-5) - Frank NixTexas (C-6) - Dick MerchantHeart of America - (C-7) - Ron ConnorMidwest (C-8) - Liz BarnhartSouthern Skies - Dee KavourasThis chapter is having problems with meeting sites. They had a

joint meeting with MBSI in Georgia, and gained members from thatmeeting. They are hoping to continue to grow.

We broke for lunch at 12:11 and returned at 1:30 p.m.Old Business

Old business was handled out of order, but I have put it back inthe order in which it was listed in the agenda.

A. Meeting of Mechanical Music Federation in Germany andthe possibility of paying the registration for Liz and Mike Barnhart,who have been asked to represent AMICA. Discuss latest letter fromFrank Metzger. (OB-1)

Maury Willyard made a motion that we fund the registration feefor attendance at this meeting for Mike and Liz Barnhart and autho-rize them to speak for AMICA worldwide. Mike Walter seconded.The motion passed unanimously.

The idea of the Federation is to join all societies for mechanicalmusic under one umbrella. Costs will probably be very high. MBSIhas suggested getting private donors. The executive committeewould have one member from each of the five largest societies in thegroup with regard to membership.

See the letter from Frank Metzger. Liz was told to listen, butnot to commit.

B. Ads in other publications. None have been placed to date,but it is hoped that this year they will be.

C. AMICA Directory - It was decided to leave it as it is, since itwas very expensive to put out. Frank Nix suggested that in the futureit could be sent to the President for proof reading.

D. Ways to increase membership - Brian Cather’s article wasdiscussed. Subject: The Need for More Young People. Ron Connorsaid that organizations of all types are having membership problems.Younger people are not interested - no time or money for this.

Mike Walter said kids need to be introduced. He fell under thespell of a Wurlitzer jukebox at a fish restaurant. Maury Willyardsaid he amused himself on a foot pumper in the living room at age 8.He and Fran have scout groups through to see their collection andthey seem very interested. Ron Connor said we have to rememberthe difference between interesting kids and getting new members.

Restoration was mentioned by a couple of members as a costlything, and something that young people can’t afford. It was decidedthat we need to expose our collections any way we can, and hope wepick up new members from that.

E. Piano 300 Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Linda Bird feels very strongly that AMICA should be involvedin this. She has contacted the Smithsonian, but has had no results.The Player Piano Guild is a part of the event. Mike Walter said thatwe have a member who works at the Patent Office, and perhaps hecould help.

F. Piano Roll Leaders (OB-2)We had a discussion of price, amounts, etc. It would be a big

outlay, with no guarantee of getting the money back. The generalfeeling was that this was not a necessary project for AMICA.

Liz Barnhart made a motion that we no longer provide copies ofroll leaders other than what is on hand. Maury Willyard seconded.The motion passed.

New BusinessA. Possibility of officers serving terms to coincide with fiscal

year, but be elected at annual meetings. Linda Bird said she thoughtthis would give a better transition period, since it is hard to take overmid-year and do all that is required, especially for the treasurer. RonConnor suggested changing the fiscal year to July 1-July 1. Therewas a discussion about the transition period and problems associatedwith this. Ron Connor felt the transition could be made by phone,with help from the current officer. After the discussion, the matterwas dropped and left as is.

B. Proposal by Maury Willyard about publishing articles aboutMIDI, etc. Maury Willyard sent a letter to Linda requesting we havearticles about the MIDI and other electronic systems. There was along discussion about this matter. Robin hasn’t published anythingin this area. There were pro and con arguments. Some felt the MIDIsystem is here and we shouldn’t try to hide from it. Others worryabout pianos and other instruments being converted in a mannerwhich destroys the original system. Shawn Fox is against substitut-ing electronics for pneumatics, and Bob Taylor of Missouri saysthere is nothing wrong with MIDI, but it isn’t for AMICA. Othergroups can push MIDI. He says we should stay true to the originalgoals of AMICA - preservation and restoration of mechanicalmachines.

Maury Willyard says he would like to see us widen the scope ofthe AMICA Bulletin.

The question arose of whether the Publisher should have controlof editorial content. Everyone agreed that they didn’t want to see theBulletin become mostly MIDI. John Motto-Ros suggested we havethe chapters discuss this and make their feelings known.

Linda suggested that we suggest to Robin an occasional articleconcerning MIDI in a reasonable way would not be out of line, andmight be of interest to some members. A lively discussion ensued,with suggestions of a guest columnist writing about this area. Oneplus is that disks don’t take the storage space that rolls do. This canbe a compelling argument for some people. Rolls can be scarce, andMIDI can answer that problem.

John Motto-Ros said he felt Robin was afraid that it wouldbecome a Bulletin about MIDI, and very little else. Frank Nix sug-gested that we stay away from pianos and only have articles on othermachines where no damage is done to the machine’s originality. Thebasic idea is that if MIDI doesn’t affect the originality of themachine, then it’s probably O.K.

Liz Barnhart suggested that we leave it to the president to talk toRobin about an occasional article. That idea was satisfactory to all.

C. Proposed dues increase. Robin suggested an increase of $3-5. The cost of publications is increasing, and it has been three yearssince our last increase. John Motto-Ros made a motion that weincrease our annual dues to $37 per year, an increase of $5. DanBrown seconded. The motion passed with one opposed.

After the motion passed, a further discussion occurred. Thecosts of printing, postage, phone, even the plaques have gone up. Weare spending more than we are taking in.

D. Appoint By-laws Committee. Linda Bird officially appoint-ed Mike Walter as chairman, Dan Brown and Dorothy Olds as mem-bers.

The members of the By-laws Committee are to review the By-

laws, make suggestions for change if found necessary, and furnish intime to publish By-laws before the next meeting. Their report shouldbe in the hands of President Linda Bird before February 15, 2000 soit can be published in March of the year 2000. Ron Connor hadworked on the existing By-laws, and will look them over also. Thecommittee can call Ron for any needed assistance.

E. Discussion of ways to increase membership (Bryan Catherarticle) - This issue had been discussed under old business, and sowas dropped from new business.

F. AMICA Brochure Holder. Karl Ellison has found a sourcefor holders for the brochures to place in piano stores, on displays, onindividual band organs at the rallies, and for other places of display.John Motto-Ros had discussed this with his local chapter, and theyfound it to be a good idea, very cost efficient. Dan Brown’s chapterdid not approve.

A discussion followed, with questions of whether these holderswould stay filled in stores. However, it was generally thought that itwould be a good idea for band organ rallies, any type of public dis-play, and for house tours. Shawn Fox suggested we purchase themas a group in bulk and he will handle the distribution when they areordered by the local chapters. The cost is $1.79 each for orders of300 or more, with an added cost to add our logo on the front. JohnMotto-Ros made a motion that we purchase 300 brochure holderswith logos and let the chapters pay for them as they are ordered.Gary Craig seconded. The motion passed with two opposed. Shawnwill handle distribution.

G. Robin asks that we discuss the possibility of more thoroughjob descriptions for the officers. This could possibly be made anitem for the By-laws Review Committee. Linda directed all currentofficers and committee chairs to make a description of their job andsubmit it to the By-laws Committee chairman, Mike Walter, by Octo-ber 1st, 1999. Mike gave us his e-mail address for easy access -mikew@freewwweb.com

H. The By-laws, Article IV, Section 9, requires that the Mem-bership Chairman and the Publishing Committee Chairman be “elect-ed” by the Board of Directors at the Annual Board Meeting in theodd-numbered years.

The Publisher is under contract with AMICA until June of 2000,so there was a question of whether it would be a moot point to electhim. Linda said that perhaps the wording “Publishing CommitteeChairman” made it necessary.

Sandy Libman made a motion that we elect Bill Chapman asMembership Chairman and Robin Pratt as Publishing CommitteeChairman. Frank Nix seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

I. Nominating Committee Report - Maury Willyard

Maury suggested the following committee members: MauryWillyard, chairman; Ed Strain, Pinellas Park, Florida; Richard Gro-man II, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Wes Neff, Findlay, Ohio; JerrilynnBoehland, Blaine, Minnesota; Janet Tonnesen, Richardson, Texas;Lloyd Osmundson, Santa Ana, California. Ron Connor made amotion to elect the Nominating Committee as listed. Liz Barnhartseconded. The motion passed unanimously.

For the election in the year 2000, Dan Brown has agreed to runfor president, but we will need a vice-president and secretary. Mauryfelt with this committee representing people from all over the countrywe should get a good response.

Other New Business:

Liz Barnhart had had correspondence with the Rocky MountainChapter, which is trying to get up and running again, and they won-dered if they could get their treasury back. Ron Connor said thatunder the By-laws, if the money stays in the AMICA treasury forfive years it is not refunded. Liz felt the Rocky Mountain treasuryhad been turned over to AMICA much more than five years ago, so itappears they won’t get it back.

Frank Nix made a motion to adjourn. Sandy Libman seconded.The motion passed unanimously, and the meeting was adjourned at3:37 p.m.

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT (R-1)August 11, 1999This year has been a good year for AMICA. I am finding

that people are getting to know who I am and are more willingto call or e-mail with their ideas and concerns.

The big goal, which has been a long process, is the Direc-tory. There were many problems with computer programs notmatching between the membership secretary and the publish-er, but thanks to the help of many people, especially BillChapman and Robin, the directory is finally out.

I continue to try to do most of the AMICA business by e-mail and find that I have saved quite a bit of money on phonebills. I would hope that all officers and committee chairper-sons will try to cut the amount of their phone bills now that somany of us have e-mail.

There are some concerns coming before the Board, onebeing an evaluation of the By-laws. I feel this should havebeen done quite some time ago, so I hope I can find a fewpeople willing to take on this project.

I will continue to serve you for another year to the best ofmy ability. This is a fun, although occasionally stressful posi-tion. I appreciate all the work of my executive committee inkeeping things running smoothly. I also appreciate all of thecommittee chairs that sometimes have to do more work than Ido. Please continue to feel free to contact me at any time.

Respectfully submitted, Linda Bird, President

AMICA VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT 1999 (R-2)The duties of the Vice-president include serving as a liaison

with chapters and I rely upon receiving chapter newsletters and meet-ing announcements to stay informed of their activities. I am pleasedto report a significant increase in the number of chapter publicationsI have received this year and compliment these chapters for keepingme on their mailing lists: Southern Skies, Texas, SOWNY, Heart ofAmerica, Northern Lights, Southern California, Pacific Can-Am,Founding, Midwest, Lady Liberty, and Gateway. I have not receivedmailings from the Boston Area, Chicago Area, or Sierra-Nevadachapters this year. Compliments are due to the Texas (The Old PianoRoll News), Founding (Pneumatic Pneus), SOWNY, Southern Cali-fornia, Heart of America, and Lady Liberty chapter publications forparticularly interesting and colorful publications.

As soon as I receive information about a scheduled chapteractivity, I e-mail this information to both Bob Fitterman (MechanicalMusic Digest) and Terry Smythe (AMICA), who then post the activi-ty on the calendars of the MMD and AMICA web pages. Thesepostings are usually made promptly and I urge AMICA members tocheck these sites for upcoming chapter and AMICA activities.AMICA has been listed twice this year in the semi-annual listing ofcollector organizations published in The Antique Trader weekly.There are no costs involved in this listing except the expense ofpostage to submit the information to the publication.

The Gateway Chapter was inactive in 1998, but appear to haveresumed activity this year. I have not heard of any new chapters indevelopment this year, but since there had been initial chapter estab-lishment activities in the western Pennsylvania area last year and nofurther activity, I constructed an interest survey and sent it to 50members in the general area to determine the level of interest inestablishing a chapter. I received 11 responses, which indicated thatthere was interest. Copies of the surveys were forwarded to the threemembers who indicated the greatest interest in taking an active rolein establishing a chapter. A copy of the survey is attached.

The nomination and selection process for the Leo Ornstein Lit-

erary Award and the AMICA International Award is also the respon-sibility of the Vice-president. A report of award activities has beensubmitted separately. This year, the process proceeded smoothly andin a timely fashion.

Total Vice-president expenses this year were $163.46, $144.38of which was related to the awards. This was within the anticipatedbudget submitted for this year.

Respectfully submitted, Dan Brown, Vice-president

Chapter Interest SurveyName(s): ______________________________________________________Address:_______________________________________________________Telephone: (home) ______________________________________________

(work)_______________________________________________e-mail: _____________________________________________

Interest in forming an AMICA Chapter in the area:Not interested slightly interested moderately interested strongly interested excited to try

1 2 3 4 5To support forming an AMICA Chapter, I’d be willing to (check all that apply):___ Host an open house/potluck dinner___ Coordinate a meeting in my area___ Work with someone else in the area to organize a meeting___ Contact other members___ Find a location where a meeting or activity might be held___ Help draft a constitution and by-laws___ Find an activity that might be interesting to members at which

we might meet___ Meet at the Boston Convention in August with other area members___ Travel up to _________ milesChapter organization preferences:___ Prefer meetings in member houses___ Prefer meetings in restaurants or other public places___ Prefer one-day meetings___ Prefer two-day meetings

Please fold this form in thirds, with the address showing, tape itclosed, put a 33-cent stamp on, and drop it in the mailbox.

SECRETARY’S REPORT (R-3)August 7, 1999In the past year after the minutes were prepared and sent to

Robin for publication, the next thing on the secretarial agenda wasthe tallying of the votes regarding the By-law changes. Postcardswere included in the International Bulletin and returned to me.

Voting Results:Change 1 - Approved 162, Disapproved 6, No Opinion 2(All candidates shall meet the following qualifications: (1)

Each nominee shall have been a member in good standing ofAMICA for a period of not less than two years, and shall haveattended at least two of the last four Annual Membership Meetings,and shall agree to attend all Annual Meetings during the two-yearterm of their office, barring unusual circumstances. These qualifica-tions may be waived if deemed prudent and approved by a majorityvote of the Board of Directors, or by unanimous vote of the Execu-tive Committee.)

Change 2 - Approved 161, Disapproved 6, No Opinion 3(In case of an officer who does not perform the duties of office,

or who is unable or unwilling to attend the regular required AnnualMeetings, said officer may be replaced by a majority vote of theBoard of Directors, as recommended by the Executive Committee,excepting that the officer in question shall not have a vote in thismatter.)

As you can see, both changes passed by a large majority.Misc.I sent out a few cards to longtime members who were quite ill.

REPORTS

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I kept in contact with Linda Bird, and was available for anythingshe needed me for.

The Board Letter and Agenda for the Board Meeting were pre-pared and mailed out.

My expenses totaled $35.97 as of August 7, 1999.Postage (minutes to Robin) $3.00Copy Fees (copy of minutes) 3.00Get-well cards (Ramsi Tick and Cathy Perry) 2.46Postage for cards 0.64Postage (minutes to Linda) .96Postage (corrected minutes to Linda and Robin) 1.92Postage (get-well card to Harvey Roehl) 0.32Postage for agenda (19 x .55) 10.45Printing 1.00Copy fees (agenda, Board letter, reports) 10.57Postage - Agendas 1.65Total 35.97

1998 TREASURER’S REPORT (R-4)by Rob DeLandJanuary 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998

Introduction

AMICA (national and chapters combined) continued to operate“in the black” in 1998, with a total income of $84,244.94 and totalexpenses of $79,759.52. Total income surpassed expenses by$4485.42. However, this surplus is less than that of previous yearsand the 1999 budget is further hampered with the additional largeexpense of a new Membership Directory. While we do not currentlyappear to be in any serious trouble, we are clearly headed in thewrong direction. Actions should be taken to reverse this trend.

Closer inspection of the total 1998 accounting shows that mostof the $4485.42 excess was contributed by the AMICA chapters($2,874.65) and that AMICA National was ahead by much less($1,610.77). This is not a good sign!

I will continue my detailed comments on AMICA Nationalfunds primarily, because that is what has been published in the pastthree years and it is directly under control of the National Board.

Income (National Only)Total national dues collected in 1998 was $61,654.53, but this

includes 1999 dues that were collected before the end of 1998. Irefer to the membership Secretary’s report which indicates that total1998 dues collected was $50,830. This is more consistent with num-bers for 1997 and 1999 (year-to-date, or YTD).

Advertising income was the second-largest category, andreached over $6600. However, 1997 and 1999 YTD are only half ofthat, so I suspect once again that this accounting includes depositsmade in 1998 from income derived partially before and after. It isdifficult to say whether there is any significant trend here.

Interest continued to be our third-largest income category, pro-viding just over 4% of our total income. This is consistent with theinterest rate on our money market fund and interest received in 1997.Since interest rates have been coming down in 1999, this categorycan be expected to soften proportionately. In addition, I will have towithdraw $10,000 from our money market fund in August 1999 tocover expenses related to the new Membership Directory shipped inJuly 1999. This was not properly budgeted, and it is now clear thatwe should budget around $5000 a year if we anticipate a new Mem-bership Directory will be published every three years.

Besides the AMICA checking account reported here, AMICAhas a money market account which contains the balance of ourassets. The account has grown steadily due to interest earned beingrolled back into the account, but no other funds have been added to itand (as mentioned above) we will have to dip into this account tocover expenses in 1999.

1998 was the final year of income from the sale of the Weltebook. It is hoped we can find another worthwhile project to promotethe hobby and provide income.

Expenses (National only)Total national expenses in 1998 include $57,637.15 related to

the News Bulletin. I have attempted to break out these expenses asshown in the accompanying chart of expenses from 1995 to present,but it is difficult to compare these to previous years because of differ-ent accounting. I hope that next year’s report for 1999 expenses willbe more meaningful in this report.

Printing costs include the Bulletin itself, various inserts or“stuffers” which are added in most issues, and several reprints of vin-tage piano-related material. Other Bulletin-related costs include pub-lisher fees, postage and handling. Chart 3 shows those fees indecreasing order. The calculated cost per issue for each AMICAmember assumes six issues per year and 1600 AMICA members.

Chart 3 — (note: some inserts may be paid advertising)

1998 Bulletin Expenses actual annual % of total Bulletin cost per issuecost ($) bulletin cost per AMICA

Printing Bulletin $28,345.61 49% $2.95publisher fees $ 9,000.00 16% $0.94printing: misc. inserts $ 7,596.59 13% $0.79printing: reprints $ 6,286.00 11% $0.65postage: Bulletin $ 4,997.95 9% $0.52handling: Bulletin $ 1,411.00 2% $0.15TOTAL Bulletin Expenses $57,637.15 100% $6.00

There have been suggestions that we could cut Bulletin expens-es by cutting back on reprints. The data here shows that reprintshave actually cost us less than the inserts - perhaps the inserts can beconsolidated into fewer items. 1998 reprints included a large format:Chickering Centennial Booklet, Aeolian poster, and severalBosendorfer Ampico and other items. Reprinting such literature isan integral part of our tax-exempt charter, and Robin has managed toprovide high quality printing done at very reasonable rates. Withoutthis avenue many of these items might never be reprinted. Perhapslimiting the reprint budget to the current level would assure this cate-gory stays under control. I do not see any other opportunities for cut-ting back on other Bulletin-related expense. We are getting a goodvalue for our money, and any significant cost reduction could have anegative impact on the quality.

The next largest expenses included telephone and postage forbusiness conducted by our officers. Telephone costs have beengreatly improved by more affordable long-distance service, and bythe increased use of e-mail for conducting AMICA business. Thefigures for 1999 YTD indicate considerable improvement in thisarea, and I expect this trend to continue. Postage fees include ship-ping items for income, such as AMICA Technicalities. The postagecost for officers appears to be evenly distributed throughout the yearand among many individuals. The President has details, which sug-gest these costs are all a reasonable part of doing business. No offi-cer other than the publisher and membership secretary takes any feefor his or her time. We are getting a very good value for our money.

Convention “seed money” continues to average out to $1000 peryear, and continues to be returned to AMICA national, in addition toa percentage of any profit from Conventions.

Insurance costs us $1625 annually. The Boston ConventionCommittee found this insurance to be a requirement for access to cer-tain venues for our Convention, so this appears to be a worthwhileuse of our funds.

Other costs for 1998 included (in declining order) awards,audio-visual project funding, miscellaneous office supplies and pho-tocopying, and bank charges. The latter consists mostly of feesincurred for the privilege of accepting charge card payments.

Finally, expenses were incurred in 1998 for the AMICA web

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site, hosted by Terry Smythe. The $394.14 shown in the 1999 YTDcolumn is one full year actual cost, including the domain name feeand 12 months of service (July 1998 - June 1999 inclusive). Thisworks out to $33 per month, which Terry recently submitted forreimbursement.

Report on AMICA ChaptersAt the end of 1998, AMICA had thirteen active regional chap-

ters. Dues and interest were primary sources of income for each ofthe chapters, and costs related to chapter meeting notices were themajor cost. The AMICA chapters have kept their costs down and theaverage chapter bank balance increased by 7% during 1998.

Several chapters donated money to local museum funds, whichis consistent with AMICA’s tax-exempt status. AMICA Internation-al receives its tax-exempt charitable status based upon the educationand presentation to the public of automatic musical instruments, theirhistory and preservation. These activities are very important to thecontinued existence of AMICA International in its present charitableform and they should be encouraged.

Memorial FundThe Memorial Fund reported a balance of $6,111.79 in 1998. A

new AMICA brochure was printed in 1998 at a cost of $1269.88.SummaryAMICA International continues to have a sound financial base

due to a steady income from membership dues, earned interest andadvertising revenue. If we can revise the budget to be better pre-pared for Directory expenses, we should be able to afford it withoutdipping into our savings.

All required tax forms were filed in a timely fashion with theIRS, the Franchise Tax Board of the State of California, the Califor-nia Registry of Charitable Trusts and the Secretary of State for theState of California as required by law.

AMICA International continues to enjoy its unquestioned statusas a non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization registered andincorporated in the State of California.

I thank all the AMICA Chapter treasurers who reported this yearand helped to make this report complete. Thanks also to Mel Septonfor helping me prepare the 1999 budget, and to Janet Tonnesen forher wisdom and encouragement.

Respectfully submitted,Rob DeLand, Treasurer

PAST PRESIDENT’S REPORT (R-5)Year 1999During this past year, I discussed numerous items of AMICA

concern with the President, at her request, and provided my consid-ered opinion when asked for.

I was appointed by the President to be chairman of the Nominat-ing Committee to nominate personnel to fill the billets that willbecome vacant at our next Annual Meeting. I will give furtherdetails in my report as Chairman of this committee.

Our agenda for this meeting contains an item I recommended toour President for discussion. This proposal will be discussed as Item“B” under New Business.

My expenses billed for the year 1998/1999 were minimal. Theexpenses are as follows:

Telephone - $16.65, Postage - $6.60, Total $23.25.My proposed budget for this year was:Telephone - $105.00, Postage - $50.00, Stationery - $95.00,

Total - $250.00.My expenses for this forthcoming year will be greater than they

were for this past year due to the communication requirements of theChairman of the Nominating Committee. This also includes expensesthat any of the members of the committee may submit for reimburse-ment. Therefore, I propose that my budget for this next year be the

same as that which I proposed for this past year.Sincerely,Maury Willyard

PUBLISHER’S REPORT (R-6)

This has been a “business as usual” year for the Bulletin otherthan the huge task of the AMICA Directory. Bill Chapman solicitedseveral AMICA members to lend a much-needed hand with reenter-ing all of the membership data into a new format for printing/publi-cation. It took a little over a year to get everything in order for print-ing. This included sending out to all members a form for updatingtheir 1995 Directory listing. We sent out different colored up-datesheets to the members so that we could differentiate between currentmembers and new members. As we did updates until approximatelyone month before printing, this is the most up-to-date Directory thathas been printed by AMICA.

I solicited the advertisers with a copy of their ad in the 1995Directory and a letter inquiring whether they wished to run anotherad in the new 1999 Directory. Most responded favorably and placedads. This gave us some off-set of the costs of printing. It was also apleasant surprise to find that the Directory after all of the hassles ofassembly and time involved for the typesetters, printers, data enterersand Bill and I that the final cost actually came to less than the 1995Directory. 1999 Directories were mailed to all members and nowthat the file is accurate, the next printing will hopefully be in a usableformat/file and make up-dates and printing a simple matter.

Some exceptional reprints of historic booklets and leaflets wereincluded with the Bulletin this past year. 100 Years of Chickering,the Aeolian Weber Art Case piano poster, and several other playerrelated items were received with much enthusiasm and accolades.

This past year has been one of much reward for me as Publisher.I have received many letters of congratulations from our membersand also many telephone calls. Hassles (other than the monumentalDirectory) were almost nil. It was a good year other than the usuallate Bulletin situation. We’ll work on that.

Robin Pratt

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY (R-7)August 1, 1999Bill ChapmanReport Period: July 1, 1998 to July 1, 1999Active Members:

July 31, 1998 - 1606; July 31, 1999 - 1551Breakdown of members payments:Bulk mail @$32 1288 members $41,216Air Mail @$58 34 members $1,972First Class @$47 106 members $4,982Surface @$38 70 members $2,660

Total 1498 members $50,830** 26 members pre-paid 2000 dues amounting to $873 that will

not be brought in during the next (2000) renewal period. The total of$50,830 is only the result of mathematical computation of incomefrom all members. It does not account for changes of mailing duringthe year, refunds and dues paid twice during the year.

Breakdown by country:USA 1499Canada 42Australia 24England 18Japan 6New Zealand 6France 5Netherlands 5Austria 1

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Belgium 1Italy 1Scotland 1South Africa 1Spain 1

Issues: there has been a slight decline of membership in the pastyear. A number of deaths were reported (5) by either a spouse or byway of friends of the deceased. As one would expect, it is the malemember of the household reported as deceased. Approximately 53information packets were sent out during the report period. Thebrochure is effective letting people know about AMICA. The Inter-net web site also is a good source for new members. NOVA/COST-CO added processing of Discover credit cards without any additionalcost to AMICA.

Late renewals: There were 359 reminder notices sent out tothose people who had not renewed by late February ‘99. Because ofthe unusual number of late renewals and feared drop-off members, asurvey was constructed with Robin Pratt’s input. The survey wasdesigned to shed light on late or non-renewals. A notice will be putin the last bulletin of the year encouraging people to respond early tothe renewal notice. The survey indicated strong support of the Bul-letin.

1999 AUDIO-VISUAL REPORT (R-8)by Hal MalakinianMost of the activity this year has centered around recording and

preserving important people and events. The most notable event isour annual Convention. This event appears to be captured in ourBulletin with pictures and text. This seems to be the only record wewill leave for the future. We tried filming and video taping activitieswith little success. We have tried getting volunteers to tape eventswith little results. We have tried paying professionals to help us withtaping. Their results were hardly better than non-professional volun-teers.

We have requested Convention attendees to donate a copy ofany videotapes they took to add to our library with no success. Wehave abandoned professionals as their deliverables do not match theirprice. We are once again requesting and accepting any video copiesof AMICA information for our archives. At the present time we areconcentrating on volunteers interviewing important people who havecontributed to the history of mechanical music.

The plan was to recoup our expenses of a recorded interview byselling copies. This plan never materialized. We think any expensesincurred in the preservation of mechanical music is a not-for-profitventure, the same as a city would build a memorial park for theenjoyment of its dwellers. We need to preserve our history. Everyhistorical project should not be “fund raiser financed”. Any expenseshould be borne by the AMICA treasury with money set aside forthat purpose.

Last year at the 1998 Niagara Falls Convention, with the dedi-cated help of member Keith Bigger, we produced a taped interviewof Hi Babit, a piano roll recording artist for QRS rolls. The interviewwas the history of Mr. Babit’s career and interesting random com-ments about the piano roll industry. Our first order of 10 copies aregone and we have 10 more on order.

Currently all interviews are produced by volunteers on a timelybasis, whenever “interviewer” and “subject” can get together at aConvention. We hope to continue this procedure as the opportunitiesarise. As with any unpaid volunteer work, I applaud the peopleinvolved. It is truly a labor of love. We are still requesting that ourmembers send us a videotape of their instruments. We would like tomake a composite of several instruments to add to our library and todemonstrate to future members the fun of hearing and collectingautomatic musical instruments.

1999 TECHNICALITIES REPORT (R-9a)by Hal MalakinianThis has been a quiet year for the Technicalities Department.

Most of the information requested has been in the area of Ampicoreproducing pianos, especially in the “play and repeat” mode. Theproblems persist with the leather seal at the left end of the take-upspool leaking and causing intermittent rewinds. Another area of dif-ficulty is getting a Duo-Art grand piano to play softly enough to passthe test roll requirements and still play ballad rolls without missingnotes.

The emerging problem here appears to be too much friction andimproper geometry in the key and hammer mechanisms. The pianoaction needs to be checked and re-adjusted, especially after 75 yearsof use, for proper operation. I have never found an “as is” grandpiano with the proper hammer release adjustment, only one of 24regulation adjustments needed. The Duo-Art service manual lists 12of the major grand piano regulating adjustments to be checked andcorrected BEFORE using their test roll to tune up the Duo-Art playermechanism. More articles need to be written on this subject.

Not many Technicalities articles have been submitted to theBulletin lately. With the popularity of the computer Internet, infor-mation is being exchanged electronically that should be published inour Bulletin. Future restorers may have to re-discover repair tech-niques that should have been published in out Technicalities vol-umes.

On the plus side, we have been contacted on the Internet withquestions from our members, and others, regarding repair techniquesand automatic musical instruments in general. They get answersquickly, in days instead of weeks or months. An interesting aspect ofour Bulletin is there is no “start to finish” articles on restoring a par-ticular machine, be it band organ or piano. In other related musicalinstrument collector’s news bulletins, there seems to be one such arti-cle in every issue. We would welcome articles of this nature in ourBulletin. Not only would it show the level of effort our members arecapable of, but also what type of instruments are being restored. Ofcourse, some larger restorations may need to span more than oneissue.

Herein may lie the reason why we have not seen much in thisarea: (1) It takes a lot of time to write an article to be published and,(2) The annoyance by some members to criticize technicalities arti-cles to the point that the author never submits another treatise.

We would be pleased if publishing this report in our Bulletinwould motivate some reader into submitting an article to the benefitof us all.

1999 TECHNICALITIES (R-9b)by Terry SmytheBackgroundIn 1986, the previous Technicalities Editor, Mel Luchetti,

passed away unexpectedly. In mid-1988, the process of settling hisestate resulted in an appeal for an AMICA member to assumeresponsibility for assembling future issues of Technicalities. I volun-teered for the job and plan to continue doing so into the foreseeablefuture.

Some years back, responsibility for production, marketing, stor-age and shipping, was transferred to Shawn Fox, a member of RobinPratt’s Publications Committee. This has emerged as a much moreworkable arrangement, as the majority of customers are within theUSA, thus avoiding Customs problems for most.

Technicalities is basically a collection of technical articlesextracted from prior issues of the AMICA Bulletin, and assembledinto periodic collections of these articles. To facilitate this process,two additional copies of every issue of the Bulletin are mailed to theTechnicalities Editor. Two issues are necessary because many issuescontain technical articles printed back to back on the same piece ofpaper.

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The Master copy for each issue is a fragile package of individ-ual page paste-ups, individually page numbered, and supplementedby a computer produced index in author and key word sequence, inaddition to a conventional Table of Contents up front.

This Master copy is not useable by a commercial printer in thatform. From it, a single high quality copy photocopy is made tobecome a Production Master, from which a production run can bearranged at high speed at reasonable cost. The Master Copy must bestored and protected carefully.

Current Status

Since assuming responsibility for Technicalities, I have assem-bled Master copies of:

* Technicalities V - for 1981 through to 1988

* Technicalities VI - for 1989 through to 1993

I believe sufficient quantities of technical articles have beenreceived to seriously attempt assembly of Technicalities VII, for1994 through to 1999. That decision will be made following receiptof the Christmas 1999 issue of the AMICA Bulletin. Assuming a“go”, Technicalities VII should be made available to Shawn Fox inearly spring 2000. Details of sales, supplies on hand, revenue, etc.,will be provided by Shawn Fox. There are no expenses for currentfiscal year, from my viewpoint. I do have receipts for 1994 and1995, summing to $240.75 (US) at current exchange rate. Thesereceipts predate current fiscal year.

To minimize aggravation and heartburn for my successor in theunwelcome event of my similar sudden demise, albeit not expected,all material associated with Technicalities is contained within a sin-gle file cabinet drawer in my home office, clearly labeled for what itis, and who should be contacted in the event of urgent need. There isnothing else in that drawer.

Respectfully submitted,

Terry Smythe

TECHNICALITIES, ARCHIVES, BULLETINS (R-9c)

By Shawn Fox

The sales of the bound Bulletins and Technicalities have contin-ued their steady, even pace, closely followed by the stationery.

There has been an updated price list printed in the new Directo-ry with more current shipping charges and even pricing for the vol-umes.

To date there have been no new additions to the archives.

Due to space constraints from Robin’s recent move to his shopfacility, the Bulletins will once again be moved this fall to a newgarage undergoing construction at my home in Sandusky. This movewill still keep things close by and easily attainable.

Respectfully submitted,

Shawn Fox, Archives Chairman

AMICA CONVENTIONS (R-10)By Liz Barnhart2000 June 21-26 Sacramento, California2001 February 19-25 Australia

Leave Los Angeles the 16th, arrive 18th in Melbourne, Australia

February 25-28 - Sydney, AustraliaFebruary 28-March 4 - New Zealand

2002 June 26-29 Springdale, Arkansas2003 Open2004 Open2005 Los Angeles

AMICA AWARDS COMMITTEE REPORT 1999 (R-11)By Dan BrownRequests for nominations were made to chapter AMICA Board

Representatives in November of 1998 and the deadline was extendedto March 15, 1999, since the later than usual date of the Conventionallowed plenty of time for the Awards Committee to consider theirchoices. Responses were received from seven chapters: Founding,Heart of America, Lady Liberty, Midwest, Pacific Can-Am, Sierra-Nevada, and Southern California. No nominations were receivedfrom individuals this year.

This year, the Awards Committee consisted of Shawn Fox,Robert M. Taylor, and myself. No ineligible nominations werereceived. For the final selection process, all members of the AMICABoard of Directors submitted votes.

The cost of plaques was about $9.00 higher than last year. Thishas been the average rate of increase over the past several years. Thetotal cost was $134.26. Mailing expenses for the awards processwere $10.12 and the grand total for award expenses (with the excep-tion of the Convention registration reimbursement for award recipi-ents who attend the Convention) was $144.38. There remain enoughaward medallions for one more year. The total expenses were withinthe anticipated budget submitted for the year.

Respectfully submitted,Dan Brown, Vice-President

MEMORIAL FUND COMMITTEE (R-12)By Richard D. Reutlinger, ChairmanThe total amount of money available in the Memorial Fund is:As reported in 1998 $6,111.79Additions in 1999 75.00Total $6,186.70Less $2,088.00 This amount was for the original printing of the

AMICA Brochure and was paid May or June, 1977. This amount hasnever been subtracted previously.

Balance 8-1-99 $4,098.70The additions to the fund were the result of the item on member-

ship renewal forms. We did not get any additional requests pub-lished in the Bulletin, partly because we could not come up with agoal. I did research a previous goal of trying to establish an appren-tice-type program within the Piano Tuner’s Guild. I checked withseveral California chapters; they had a monumental disinterest in thisidea . . . no interest at all in training people for player work. A localtuner/technician was trying an apprentice system which did not workout and showing how difficult it might be to ride herd on such anidea. I think we need a definite goal to inspire donations to the fund.

I have received from Robert Taylor the list of all contributors tothe fund since it’s inception, and this information is included in thefolder I am turning over to Linda Bird for the next Memorial FundChairperson.

I have attached a list of proposed regulations for receiving dona-tions of instruments to AMICA. I have also attached a copy of IRSRegs pertaining to any and all donations so far as being able to writeoff amounts for donor’s income tax returns.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard D. Reutlinger, Chairman

Proposed Procedures for Donated Instruments1. Designate who on the Board of Directors should be responsi-

ble as a contact should someone leave/donate an instrument toAMICA. (The Memorial Fund Committee could act in thiscapacity.)

2. Once the donor (or his/her representative) has contactedAMICA with an offered item, make every effort to obtain detailed,accurate information on the instrument, i.e., make, serial number,age, type of mechanism, case style, additional items - bench, musiccabinet, type of roll collection.

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3. Attempt to establish the LOCAL value of the instrument bycontacting a local piano store or dealer and/or other local collectors.

4. Place ads in the local AMICA Chapter newsletter, theAMICA Bulletin, and local newspapers . . . this should be at the dis-cretion of the AMICA representative and the person’s executor (inthe case of a death). In the ad make sure it is clear if photos areavailable and/or whether the instrument may be seen. Costs of hav-ing pictures taken should be reimbursed by AMICA. State in the adthat the piano is sold F.O.B.

5. As will probably be the case that the instrument does not sellquickly, make arrangements to store the instrument locally sinceAMICA has no facility for such. Storage costs should be paid byAMICA.

6. These donated instruments should be available for sale to thegeneral public and not restricted to AMICA members to facilitate asquick a sale as possible.

7. If the Memorial Fund Committee is responsible for theseactions, the proceeds from the sale should be added to the MemorialFund. It is recognized that dealing with such donations will be a timeconsuming and, probably, a difficult responsibility in assigning avalue and consummating a sale.

Charitable Contributions - Substantiation and Disclo-sure Requirements

Under the new law, charities will need to provide new kinds of informa-tion to donors. Failure to do so may result in denial of deductions to donorsand the imposition of penalties on charities.

Legislation signed into law by the President on August 10, 1993, con-tains a number of significant provisions affecting tax-exempt charitable orga-nizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Theseprovisions include: (1) new substantiation requirements for donors, and (2)new public disclosure requirements for charities (with potential penalties forfailing to comply). Additionally, charities should note that donors could bepenalized by loss of the deduction if they fail to substantiate. The substantia-tion and disclosure provisions apply to contributions made after December 31,1993.

Charities need to familiarize themselves with these tax law changes inorder to bring themselves into compliance. This Publication alerts you to thenew provisions affecting tax-exempt charitable organization. Set forth beloware brief descriptions of the new law’s key provisions. The Internal RevenueService plans to provide further guidance in the near future.

Donor’s Substantiation RequirementsDocumenting Certain Charitable Contributions. - Beginning

January 1, 1994, no deduction will be allowed under section 170 of the Inter-nal Revenue Code for any charitable contribution of $250 or more unless thedonor has contemporaneous written substantiation from the charity. In caseswhere the charity has provided goods or services to the donor in exchange formaking the contribution, this contemporaneous written acknowledgementmust include a good faith estimate of the value of such goods or services.Thus, taxpayers may no longer rely solely on a cancelled check to substantiatea cash contribution of $250 or more.

The substantiation must be “contemporaneous.” That is, it must beobtained by the donor no later than the date the donor actually files a returnfor the tax year in which the contribution was made. If the return is filed afterthe due date or extended due date, then the substantiation must have beenobtained by the due date or extended due date.

The responsibility for obtaining this substantiation lies with thedonor, who must request it from the charity. The charity is not required torecord or report this information to the IRS on behalf of donors.

The legislation provides that substantiation will not be required if, inaccordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, the charity reportsdirectly to the IRS the information required to be provided in the written sub-stantiation. At present, there are no regulations establishing procedures fordirect reporting by charities to the IRS of charitable contributions made in1994. Consequently, charities and donors should be prepared toprovide/obtain the described substantiation for 1994 contributions of $250 ormore.

There is no prescribed format for the written acknowledgement. Forexample, letters, postcards or computer-generated forms may be acceptable.The acknowledgement does not have to include the donor’s social security ortax identification number. It must, however, provide sufficient information tosubstantiate the amount of the deductible contribution. The acknowledge-ment should note the amount of any cash contribution. However, if the dona-tion is in the form of property, then the acknowledgement must describe, butneed not value, such property. Valuation of the donated property is theresponsibility of the donor.

The written substantiation should also note whether the donee organiza-tion provided any goods or services in consideration, in whole or in part, forthe contribution and, if so, must provide a description and good-faith estimateof the value of the goods or services. In the new law these are referred to as“quid pro quo contributions.”

Please note that there is a new law requiring charities to furnish dis-closure statements to donors for such quid pro quo donations in excess of$75. This is addressed in the next section regarding Disclosure By Chari-ty.

If the goods or services consist entirely of intangible religious benefits,the statement should indicate this, but the statement need not describe or pro-vide an estimate of the value of these benefits. “Intangible religious benefits”are also discussed in the following section on Disclosure By Charity. If, onthe other hand, the donor received nothing in return for the contribution, thewritten substantiation must so state.

The present law remains in effect that, generally, if the value of an itemor group of like items exceeds $5,000, the donor must obtain a qualifiedappraisal and submit an appraisal summary with the return claiming thededuction.

The organization may either provide separate statements for each contri-bution of $250 or more from a taxpayer, or furnish periodic statements sub-stantiating contributions of $250 or more.

Separate payments are regarded as independent contributions and arenot aggregated for purposes of measuring the $250 threshold. However, theService is authorized to establish anti-abuse rules to prevent avoidance of thesubstantiation requirement by taxpayers writing separate smaller checks onthe same date.

If donations are made through payroll deductions, the deduction fromeach paycheck is regarded as a separate payment.

A charity that knowingly provides false written substantiation to a donormay be subject to the penalties for aiding and abetting an understatement oftax liability under section 6701 of the Code.

Disclosure by Charity of Receipt of Quid Pro Quo ContributionBeginning January 1, 1994, under new section 6115 of the internal Rev-

enue Code, a charitable organization must provide a written disclosure state-ment to donors who make a payment, described as a “quid pro quo contribu-tion,” in excess of $75. This requirement is separate from the written substan-tiation required for deductibility purposes as discussed above. While, in cer-tain circumstances, an organization may be able to meet both requirementswith the same written document, an organization must be careful to satisfy thesection 6115 written disclosure statement requirement in a timely mannerbecause of the penalties involved.

A quid pro quo contribution is a payment made partly as a contributionand partly for goods or services provided to the donor by the charity. Anexample of a quid pro quo contribution is where the donor gives a charity$100 in consideration for a concert ticket valued at $40. In this example, $60would be deductible. Because the donor’s payment (quid pro quo contribu-tion) exceeds $75, the disclosure statement must be furnished, even thoughthe deductible amount does not exceed $75.

Separate payment of $75 or less made at different times of the year forseparate fundraising events will not be aggregated for purposes of the $75threshold. However, the Service is authorized to develop anti-abuse rules toprevent avoidance of this disclosure requirement in situations such as thewriting of multiple checks for the same transaction.

The required written disclosure statement must:

(1) inform the donor that the amount of the contribution that isdeductible for federal income tax purposes is limited to the excess of any

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money (and the value of any property other than money) contributed by thedonor over the value of goods or services provided by the charity, and

(2) provide the donor with a good-faith estimate of the value of thegoods or services that the donor received.

The charity must furnish the statement in connection with either thesolicitation or the receipt of the quid pro quo contribution. If the disclosurestatement is furnished in connection with a particular solicitation, it is notnecessary for the organization to provide another statement when the associat-ed contribution is actually received.

The disclosure must be in writing and must be made in a manner that isreasonably likely to come to the attention of the donor. For example, a dis-closure in small print within a larger document might not meet this require-ment.

In the following three circumstances, the disclosure statement is notrequired.

(1) Where the only goods or services given to a donor meet the stan-dards for “insubstantial value” set out in section 3.01, paragraph 2 of Rev.Proc. 90-12, 1990-1 C.B. 471, as amplified by section 2.01 of Rev. Proc. 92-49, 1992-1 C.B. 987 (or any updates or revisions thereof);

(2) Where there is no donative element involved in a particular transac-tion with a charity, such as in a typical museum gift shop sale.

(3) Where there is only an intangible religious benefit provided to thedonor. The intangible religious benefit must be provided to the donor by anorganization organized exclusively for religious purposes, and must be of atype that generally is not sold in a commercial transaction outside the dona-tive context. An example of an intangible religious benefit would be admis-sion to a religious ceremony. The exception also generally applies to de min-imis tangible benefits, such as wine, provided in connection with a religiousceremony. The intangible religious benefit exception, however, does notapply to such items as payments for tuition for education leading to a recog-nized degree, or for travel services, or consumer goods.

A penalty is imposed on charities that do not meet the disclosurerequirements. For failure to make the required disclosure in connection witha quid pro quo contribution of more than $75, there is a penalty of $10 percontribution, not to exceed $5,000 per fundraising event or mailing. Thecharity may avoid the penalty if it can show that the failure was due to reason-able cause.

Please note that the prevailing basic rule allowing donor deductionsonly to the extent that the payment exceeds the fair market value of thegoods or services received in return still applies generally to all quid proquo contributions. The $75 threshold pertains only to the obligation todisclose and the imposition of the $10 per contribution penalty, not therule on deductibility of the payment.

Department of the TreasuryInternal Revenue ServicePublication 1771 (11-93)Catalog Number 20054Q

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP REPORT (R-13)

August 8, 1999

The Honorary Membership Chairman has had limited success in corre-sponding with AMICA Honorary Members. Letters have been sent out to theHonorary Members, and, for the most part, have not received much of aresponse.

I did receive a very nice letter from Emmett Ford, who sends his regardsto all the members of the group. About a year ago, he had fallen off a porchand slipped a disc in his lower spine. Physical therapy has helped in hisrecovery but his right leg and arm have been affected, which makes manythings, including typing, a bit of a chore.

I have spoken with both Ramsi Tick and Hi Babit about the possibilityof interviewing them. Both men were open to the idea. These interviewscould then be edited and published in the Bulletin.

I still hear grumblings from chapter members who are unhappy aboutthe fact that there are people who have made a significant contribution to thefield in the recent past but can not be made “Honorary Members”. I realizethat we are unlikely to have another Pauline Alpert or Rudolph Ganz make

recordings for the player piano. I also realize that the player piano does nothave the impact on the lives of millions of people every day, as it did 70 yearsago. But, if an artist, such as Jose Echaniz, received Honorary Membershipstatus for recording 10 rolls during six days of work over a five year period,why shouldn’t someone, such as Rudy Martin, who have recorded over onethousand rolls during a thirty-four year period, receive the same recognition.Maybe we should rethink the ideas which had been promoted a few years ago.Why not recognize people who are deserving of this award while they are liv-ing, instead of waiting until they are dead.

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Walter, Chairman

AMICA ON THE INTERNET (R-14)By Terry Smythe, WebMaster - July 1999

Background

On 3 December 1996, AMICA first emerged on the InterNet. Sincethen, AMICA’s web site has been visited approximately 500 times per month,summing to approximately 12,000 visitors since its birth.

At the AMICA Board Meeting, July 1998, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, theBoard formally approved an InterNet presence for AMICA, confirmed TerrySmythe as its WebMaster, and authorized expenditures covering startup andongoing costs. AMICA now has a permanent home on the InterNet knownas: www.amica.org

Regardless of where AMICA’s web site might be physically housed inthe future, it will always have this InterNet address.

Activities

As AMICA should not ever become person-dependent on any one func-tion, I am pleased to report that Meta Brown is now an Associate WebMasterfor AMICA. Meta’s e-mail address is mbrown@spss.com Our joint efforts,with cooperative ideas and development, should serve AMICA well into theforeseeable future. Furthermore, in the event of some unforeseen tragedy,access to the web site will now be possible by either of us.

Individual web sites are now available for all Chapters, all withinAMICA’s web site. Texas and Heart of America Chapters are good examplesof Chapters making excellent use of this facility. See:http://www.amica.org/heartofamerica.htm

Vice-President Dan Brown, through his individual Chapter links, hasbeen very helpful in harvesting Chapter activities to facilitate maintenance ofan Activities Calendar page off our web site. See: http://www.amica.org/cal-endar.htm

To make possible the displays currently on-line, the site now contains327 files, summing to 5.1 megabytes.

Costs

At it 1998 Meeting, the Board approved:

* An initial cost of $70 (US) to register www.amica.org with Inter-Nic, the InterNet domain name administrator.

* An annual cost of up to $300 (US) to maintain the site on the Uni-versity of Manitoba computer.

Paid invoices have recently been submitted to Treasurer Bob DeLandas follows:

* $70 (US) - InterNic

* $311.60 (US) - University of Manitoba ($391.58 Can. $$ @.66524)

* $381.60 (US) - Total

Included within the U of M billing is an unforeseen one-time charge of$33.21 (US) [$50 Can] for “DNS setup for virtual amica.org. This chargewas not previously revealed by the U of M during my initial inquiries prior tothe 1998 AMICA Board Meeting.

In June 1999, an incident occurred which basically shut down our website for three days, as a consequence of exceeding a five megabyte disk spacelimit. I had previously understood that this limit was for administrativebilling purposes, but as a consequence of the outage, I learned it is a rigidtechnical barrier. Accordingly, I have increased our disk space to 10 megs atan additional annual cost of $40 (US). This will increase annual on-goingcosts to approximately $360 (US), $60 greater than the 1998 Board approval.

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Dorothy Bromage, the Chairman of this Convention, thanked allattending members for coming, and recognized the members whoworked on the Convention. Ken and Greg Volk designed the tablefavors, Bill Koenigsberg obtained the instruments and was in chargeof moving them around the hotel, Ginger Christiansen did the centerpieces for the banquet tables, and Pat Friend, Dorothy’s sister, whocame to enjoy the Convention and ended up working on everything.There were table favors (musical teapots) left over, and would besold. Linda thanked Dorothy and her committee.

Linda called the meeting to order at 9:45 a.m.

The Honoraries were introduced - Hi Babit and Ramsi Tick

First-time attendees to an annual Convention stood to be recog-nized, and there was a large group.

Past presidents were introduced: Bob Rosencrans, Ron Connor,Mel Septon, and Maury Willyard.

Overseas members stood, with members from England, Aus-tralia, and Japan.

Linda announced that Sandy Libman had a minor accidentWednesday night in his car, and it was thought that he had a minorstroke. Sandy had been busy on the Convention.

Officers were introduced, and their reports read. (See ReportSection for text.) President - Linda Bird; Vice-President - DanBrown; Secretary - Shirley Nix; Past-President - Maury Willyard;Treasurer - Rob DeLand (absent).

The Gateway Chapter was revised from inactive status to active,the rocky Mountain Chapter may revive, and while the attempt toestablish a Western Pennsylvania Chapter has fallen apart, work isstill being done on this project.

It was announced that our Treasurer’s report gave our totalmoney in accounts as approximately $58,000. We are spending morethan our income at this time. Part of the problem was the Directoryhad not been budgeted, so the whole amount was taken at one time.

The President asked for ideas for projects. Ron Connor men-tioned that projects take money up front, so reserve must be there. Adiscussion ensued about projects, but nothing was decided upon.

Dan Brown, Awards Committee chairman, said the chapters hadresponded well this year to requests for nominations for the awards,and no non-qualifying candidates had been named. The awards wentto: Leo Ornstein Literary Award - Jeffery Morgan; AMICA Interna-tional Award (for achievements in supporting AMICA) - RichardReutlinger; and the President’s Award went to Frank and ShirleyNix. Dan reminded the chapters that they need to nominate peoplewhen the requests come out.

Bill Chapman, Membership Chairman, was absent, but he sentword that we have 1551 active members. He sent out 359 remindersto non-renewals. His report breaks down the figures.

Linda announced that the Board had voted to stop sending backBulletins for late renewals.

AMICA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGSunday, August 15, 1999

Westin-Waltham Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

Planned Activities

* Development of a Links page pointing to external web pagesmaintained by AMICA members.

* Development of a Products page listing and illustratingAMICA products for sale, such as letterhead, plaques, video tapes,back issues of Bulletins, Technicalities, etc.

* Development of a “secure” page facilitating new memberenrollment fees, membership renewal fees, and product paymentsthrough credit card charges.

* Development of a “counter” to more accurately track visits.

* More aggressive development of content for individual Chap-ter participation on our web site.

* Continuing development, under Gary Stevenson’s leadership,of an on-line index search capability of Bulletin articles from Vol. 1,No. 1.

Consideration

A single complaint was received in early Summer 1999 to theeffect that there were links to web sites that a few AMICA memberswould rather not see. At the 1998 Board Meeting, discussion aboutlinks resulted in Board direction that AMICA’s web site shoulddirectly link only to related associations and like entities.

Occasionally, requests are received from people asking that alink be added to AMICA’s web page, for a variety of reasons. Mostsuch requests are from vendors for products that may be of interest toAMICA members. For example, a request was received from a non-

member asking that a link be posted on AMICA’s web site to hiseBay auction listing for the sale of his Violano. He had already post-ed it to MMD. I did nothing.

In the interests of being helpful to both members and visitors, Ihave added a single link to AMICA’s link section jumping over tomy personal links page on my personal web site on another ISP. Ihave clearly indicated that this link is not endorsed by AMICA, andthe links within it are mine personally. The single link that someonewould rather not see is listed within my personal web site links page.

The Board may wish to consider revisiting its discussion aboutLinks and reaffirm its original direction, or reconsider an alternative.

Recommendations

* That the Board note and accept this 1999 Annual Report ofthe WebMaster.

* That the Board concur with the modest increase in annualoperating cost of the web site.

* That the Board concur with planned initiatives for futuredevelopments of the web site.

* That the Board consider additional direction it may wish toprovide.

Respectfully submitted,Terry Smythe, WebMaster, tesmythe@videon.wave.caMeta Brown, Associate, mbrown@spss.com

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Shawn Fox reminded everyone that he has all the back Bul-letins, and they are available from him, including full sets.

Hal Malakinian sent a reminder that the Hi Babit tapes are forsale, and this year the workshop given by Mel Septon was taped andis for sale. A new recording of Hi Babit playing the piano was madethis year.

Mike Walter reported that he has plans to interview Ramsi Tickand Hi Babit, to which they have both agreed. These interviews willbe published in the Bulletin.

Liz Barnhart, Convention coordinator, thanked the BostonChapter for this year’s Convention, and a plaque was given to theConvention chairperson, Dorothy Bromage.

Liz reminded us of upcoming Conventions: 2000 - Sacramento,June 21-26 - John Motto-Ros, Chairman; 2001 - Australia, February19-25; 2002 - Springdale, Arkansas, June 26-29 - Ron Connor; 2003- Open; 2004 - Open; 2005 - Southern California.

A proposed itinerary for Australia was given, with airline costsof $1872. The hotel will be the Hilton on the Park in Melbourne, andthere will be optional tours and a trip to New Zealand, all at addedexpense. Airline reservations will be made through the AAA in Day-ton, Ohio. When the cards were sent out to determine interest, Lizreceived 104 positives and 68 maybes, so it should be a well-attendedConvention.

Allan Jayne asked whether there would be other combined Con-ventions with MBSI, and if so how AMICA could be protectedagainst being overwhelmed by the larger society. Linda said she did-n’t want to see more combined Conventions, since MBSI has longermeetings, and it makes just too large a group. The feeling is we dobetter on our own.

Ron Connor talked about the Convention in 2002 in Arkansas.He said the weather would be quite warm, it’s a very pretty area -one of the prettiest highways anywhere. One day will be spent inEureka Springs, where Marty and Elise Roenigk will probably have amusical exhibit set up by then in the hotel they own. Several collec-tions will be visited, and the banquet will be at the Convention Cen-ter, with a sixteen-piece band playing 30’s and 40’s music.

Richard Reutlinger is retiring as chairman of the MemorialFund, and Judy Chisnell is going to be the new chairperson. Thefund has a balance of $4,098.70.

Terry Smythe, WebMaster, who was absent, sent a reminderthat our web site is up and running, and every member should checkit out. He is open for suggestions and complaints. Texas and theHeart of America Chapters have pages on the site. Terry asks thatanyone who has a business web site or musical site, please putAMICA on as a link.

The Chapter reps. gave their reports (see reports in Board Meet-ing minutes). The President reminded chapter secretaries that theyshould check the roster and mail a letter of invitation to anyone whois a member of AMICA International but not the local chapter. Also,remember - they MUST be a member of AMICA International tobelong to a local chapter.

Report of Board Actions at the Board Meeting:

Old Business:

A. It was voted to pay for the registration for Mike and LizBarnhart to attend the meeting in Bruschal, Germany for the MusicFederation.

B. No ads were placed in other publications.

C. The Directory is out and mailed.

D. Membership can perhaps be increased by organ rallies andpublic displays.

E. No progress so far in getting AMICA involved in Piano 300in Washington, D.C.

F. Roll leaders are too costly, and there will be no morereprints.

There was no old business from the floor.

New Business:

A. No change was made to terms of office.

B. Robin will be encouraged to occasionally print an article onMIDI

C. Dues will increase by $5.00. A suggestion from the floorthat we consider Life-time Memberships. Linda suggested this bepresented at the Board Meeting next year.

D. A By-laws Committee was set up to review the By-laws.

E. It was voted to purchase 300 brochure holders at approxi-mately $2.50 each. All chapters are urged to keep the brochures onhand and place them in piano stores, antique stores, etc. The mailingaddress on the brochures is that of Mike and Liz Barnhart, and thiswill stay the same since they don’t plan to move. The new membersusing the brochure will be accepted at the price shown on thebrochure. A discussion began about putting local chapter informa-tion on the brochures, but it is very expensive to change the brochure,and it was suggested that a small insert be made up by the local chap-ter and put inside the brochure.

F. The Nominating Committee Chairman, Maury Willyard,reminded us that the committee needs the active support of everymember. He reminded us, also, that thirty members can get togetherand nominate someone by signatures, or an individual can suggestsomeone to the committee chairman. (See report for committee mem-bers.)

For the year 2000 election, we will need a Vice President andSecretary. The requirements for holding office are in the directory.

G. Each officer is directed to write up a detailed job descriptionof what they do, what is expected of them, etc., for future officeholders.

John Motto-Ros presented a slide show about the annual meet-ing to be held in Sacramento next year. It looks like it will be anoth-er good meeting, with lots to do. The hotel is right in the central partof town, next to Old Town, where there is shopping, eating, and theTrain Museum where the organ rally will be held. This is really aninteresting area, and you won’t want to miss it.

The AMICA banner was passed from Dorothy Bromage, chair-man of this year’s Convention, to John Motto-Ros, chairman of nextyear’s Convention.

Ron Connor made a motion to adjourn the 1999 Annual Meet-ing of AMICA. Larry Norman seconded. This motion passed unani-mously.

The meeting was adjourned by President Linda Bird at 11:13a.m.

287

BOSTON AREA CHAPTER (C-1)

During the past year we had four meetings in three of our NewEngland states (see the reports in the Bulletin for descriptions ofthese meetings.)

At one of these meetings we had elections. Our new slate ofofficers is: President-Ken Volk, Vice President-Dorothy Bromage,Secretary-Ginger Christiansen, Treasurer-Allan Jayne, Reporter-DonBrown, Board Rep-Sanford Libman.

At another one of these meetings we decided that it would befun to have a party for two hundred of our closest friends. So far,170 have RSVP’d that they are coming. We then formed a Conven-tion Committee and began having meetings to plan the event, month-ly at first, and weekly during the past month.

LADY LIBERTY CHAPTER (C-2)

Marvin and Dianne Polan

Our last meeting took place at Bob and Catherine Martin’s, Lit-tle Falls, New Jersey. Bob told us the story of how he acquired theMoller Theatre Organ. He played this magnificent organ for us andhad to build a room around this organ. At the next meeting, we visit-ed the Edison Museum in West Orange, New Jersey. Our next meet-ing will take place in Pennsylvania on October 24th, 1999.

PACIFIC CAN-AM CHAPTER (C-3)

Frances Willyard

The Pacific Can-Am Chapter is alive and well. We currentlycollect dues of $5 per year, per one or two person household, andmeet 4 or 5 times per year. We have 45 paid households containing76 individual members. This is an increase from our 1996 member-ship of 30 households with 49 members. We had 49 members inattendance at our last meeting. Average attendance at meetings is 41people. We have $2,619.17 in our treasury.

We meet in members homes on Saturdays about 2:00 p.m. Thebusiness meeting is about 4:00 p.m. followed by “Show and Tell”and a buffet potluck dinner. We also try to have a brief “workshop”concerning current or historical information relating to our collec-tions before we grab our plates and line up for the delicious food ourmembers bring. Our meeting notices designate by first letter of lastname what type of food to bring so that we have a balanced meal.

Our membership includes members of AMICA, Music BoxSociety, American Theater Organ Society, etc. who have playerpianos, reproducing pianos, pipe organs, street organs, etc. all playedby punched paper rolls. Some of our members are also involved inmany phases of the new electronic ideas for preserving and/or play-ing piano rolls or playing rolls on one instrument and having it simul-taneously transfer to and play another instrument.

We have been searching for a chapter project, but so far ourideas have not worked out. In the meantime, several members takeinstruments and give presentations at nursing homes or give tours oftheir collections to groups from retirement homes or Girl Scouttroops. These presentations are very well received and inspire manyquestions.

SIERRA NEVADA CHAPTER (C-4)

The Sierra Nevada Chapter is alive and well with 20 members.Our May meeting with the Founding Chapter signed up two newfamily memberships.

Significant Activities:

We donated $350 to the organ maintenance fund at the Sacra-mento Memorial Auditorium. The Estey Organ arrived in January1927 and has 3,555 pipes in forty-eight ranks. The Auditorium wascompleted in 1927 and recently rehabilitated. It has served as thecenter of the city’s cultural life from annual Christmas performancesof the Nutcracker to piano and high school music festivals.

Restored (primarily Bob and Sonja Lemon) a Gem roller organand presented it to the Roseville Museum.

Dale Bardon, stained glass artist from Sacramento, attended oneof our meetings and gave a presentation on how to repair and fabri-cate stained glass for nickelodeons.

We are planning a future meeting at a public location with vari-ous instruments on display so we can expose them to the generalpublic.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER (C-5)

Frank Nix

Our chapter has had a busy year, with meetings at the GettyMuseum, the home of Dave and Dixie Boehm, the Christmas meet-ing at the home of Rikki Marvin, the Old Town Music Hall, thehome of Herb and Rochelle Mercer, and the Dutch Mill TradingCompany in Winchester.

We had two organ rallies, one in Temecula and one in SierraMadre, and a monkey organ rally in Arrowhead. After the SierraMadre rally in July, we were fortunate to have open houses at thehomes of Jerry and Virginia Doring and John Daniel.

Our Treasury is solvent, and we seem to be adding membersslowly. The organ rallies have helped in this. Public exposure seemsto be the answer, at least for us.

We lost long-time member Jon Lawson and previous memberLes Cordell in the last year.

TEXAS CHAPTER (C-6)

Dick Merchant

The chapter has gained back vitality this year, and is having agood year. Listed are what we’ve done and set up this year:

1) 4 meetings per year is what we’ve done this year and will bewhat we’ll shoot for next year.

2) We have picked up a record number of family memberships(63) this year.

3) A vice-presidential committee of 4 has been set up to planmeetings. (The Texas chapter has set up to have 4 vice presidents.)

4) We now have a newsletter that is published on AMICA website - thanks to Terry Smythe and Bryan Cather.

5) Our main objective has been to bring in new members and toencourage member attendance and participation.

6) We have a balance of $1,020.22 in our treasury.

CONVENTION CHAPTER REPORTS

288

HEART OF AMERICA CHAPTER (C-7)

Ron Connor

I am happy to report that the best chapter in AMICA is stillgoing strong. We are well spread out which often means a drive ofover 200 miles to attend meetings. In spite of this we have managedto have four meetings since the last Convention. In September wehad a successful band organ rally at the Kansas State Fair. Thencame a Christmas party at the Hellstein’s in Kansas City, Missouri.In June we held a band organ rally at a park in Topeka, Kansas.Down the road we will return to the Kansas State Fair in September,followed by a Christmas party at Robbie Tubbs’ in Kansas City, Mis-souri.

As you can see, we are heavy in band organ rallies. With amembership list of about 60, many of which are couples, it is diffi-cult to find places to hold the gathered around the piano type ofmeeting. Band organ rallies get the people out, put them in a happymood, and everyone has a good time. They also give us a chance tointroduce AMICA to the public which has resulted in some newmembers.

Our big project now is the 2002 Convention. You have to admitthat it takes guts to follow Australia. We have already booked theHoliday Inn Convention Center in Springdale, Arkansas. Where?!!Arkansas, the state that nobody had heard of until recent politics putthe spotlight on it. I think you will be surprised. We are not just abunch of hillbillies running around with 19th century rifles. About15 minutes from the Convention Center there is a new regional air-

port that opened last December. The center is also about a blockfrom Highway I540. I have driven through every state except NorthDakota and can assure you 540 from Fort Smith to Springdale is oneof the most scenic drives in the country. We are planning lots ofthings to do and we guarantee your trip to Arkansas will not be bor-ing.

Our meetings are open to any AMICA members, so stop in anvisit with the chapter that in the last decade furnished two Interna-tional presidents, a strong assist to Gateway on the ‘96 St. LouisConvention, and will bring you a great 2002 Convention.

MIDWEST CHAPTER (C-8)

Liz Barnhart

We have three meetings each year. Our approximate member-ship is 90 households, but about 25-40 attend meetings. All meetingsare two-day because our driving distances can be up to six hours.

Our next meeting is September 25 and 26 in Cincinnati.

Very active members, Stan and Alberta Favret passed away thisyear, and money was donated in their name to the Memorial Fund.

CONVENTION PHOTOS

Sunday night at the Waltham Westin Hotel - Dan Brown, BerniceCarnes, ???, Lee Rosencrans, Jerrilynn Boehland, Clark Cressman,Shawn Fox, Bob Rosencrans, Ruby Ahneman, Fay Cressman

Dorothy Bromage’s Home

Bill and Beverly Koenigsberg

THANKS !Convention Photo Credits:

Clark & Faye CressmanMichael Stephens

Don BrownDorothy Bromage

289

Don Rand getting ready to take us for a cruise in his 1927 Franklin. Representative of the nine “Brits” at the Convention are Margaretand Peter David. With Tony and Paddy Austin, Peter and Janet Tal-lent, John and Lyn Mercy, and Julian Dyer, they were major contrib-utors to the success of AMICA London 1995.

The AMICA International Annual Meeting is conducted by PresidentLinda Bird. To her left are Vice President Dan Brown and SecretaryShirley Nix.

Walt Miller has a cornet solo.

John Motto-Ros receives the AMICA banner from Dorothy Bromagefor display at the year 2000 Convention in Sacramento, California.

After the Convention, Master roll maker Don Rand, left, and JohnMotto-Ros in front of the link playing “Tiger Eyes.”

Don Rand tending to the machine, notice the roll in the foreground.Yes, Don will repair it and recut it! Kind of ruff.

Ken Volk, designer and producer of the souvenir table favor, distrib-utes them as guests leave the Banquet.

290

Period costumes gave a party air to the Banquet.

The souvenir teapot can be used like any other teapot to brew andserve tea. Chris Christiansen demonstrates this as Ginger Chris-tiansen introduces the traditional table favor.

John and Lyn Mercy; Fay Cressman; Paddy and Tony Austin

Ross Petot, foreground, plays traditional jazz with the band and isalso a professional stride pianist.

Fay CressmanDorothy Bromage

Liz BarnhartGinger Christiansen

Sharyn and George Cunningham Anne and Dave SaulPeter and Janet Tallent from England

Period costumes gave a party air to the Banquet. Fay Cressman, Gary and Cynthia Craig

291

John Ford and Leslie Webb

Mel Septon Cecil Grace Larry Norman

Greg Volk and Dorothy Bromage

It is a family affair at this table with Ken Volk, Helen Volk, DenisePichette-Volk, Torin Volk, and Greg Volk. They dine with longtimefriends, Joe and Pat Lavacchia.

In preparation for use by the Dixieland band at the Banquet, KirkRussell ensures proper tuning for the 7’ Steinway loaned by theAvery Piano Company of Providence, Rhode Island.

In Concord, it is the Old North Bridge over the ConcordRiver that suggests the struggle for independence in the 18thCentury.

292

The double Mills Violano and other unique items are featured in thiscorner of the upstairs living room.

Joe Lavacchiain action at theAmericanFotoplayer.

Hi Babitat Lavacchia’sFotoplayer

Joe Lavacchia andHi Babit

One Corner of the upstairs living room at the Lavacchia residence.

Richard Reutlinger and Joseph Lavacchia

Joe Lavacchia tells us about the Fotoplayer - what nice people!

293

Some of the exhibits containvery small pieces.The working paper bag making machine.

At the Charles River Museum of Industry, some of the exhibits are large.

Lyn and John Mercy made the trip from Whitehurst, England - firstConvention - they liked it! Yes, that’s Linda and Galen Bird in thenext row - start the bus!

An operating 100 loom spindle loading machine.

Well, it does make rolls - Textile Museum.

A small section of the spinning wheels collection at the AmericanTextile History Museum in Lowell.

Dancing to music by the Klavinova (loaded by Ed Bordeleau) aboardthe catamaran ship, “Freedom.”

294

The clown, “Hap” Holmes, rests thebelly organ on its stand.

Gary Craig grinds the organ for Dick Merchant. Cynthia Craig and Peter Davis

Ken and Greg Volk Ed Everett

Peter and Margaret Davis - Boston Harbor Cruise.

Organ grinder Ken Volk with son Greg and grandsonTorin.

Lanternist Terry Borton with magic lantern slides.

Singer-accompanist Jackie Alvarez leads theaudience in singing.

295

Sharyn and George Cunningham Hosts Chris Christiansen, Greg Volk with his fatherKen Volk at the Tela Elect.

Richard Vance inspecting Ken Volk’s CrownPiano with the Tela Elect., Torin Volk and ChrisChristiansen looking at the roll player for the Crown.

Aline and John Kadlec Bill Baab, Richard Reutlinger and Bill Dean

The British Connection at the Blackrose Pub, downtown Boston.Left: Alice Scheelar, Janet Tallent (Surrey, England), Right: EarlScheelar, Peter Tallent (England), Nadine Motto-Ros Don Brown getting pointers so he can assist as lanterist for Terry

Borton of the American Magic-Lantern Theater.

Janet and Richard Tonnesen - the roll will be ready when???Julian Dyer will monitor the Ampico roll when sopranoMargaret Davis sings.

296

Super hosts, the Christiansen’s - the very best!Thank you.

Don Johnson and Bob Anderson having a good time. Julian Dyer from Berkshire,England - Past Mr. Foot Pumper

Steve Rattle encouraging attendance at the2001 Convention in Melbourne, Australia.

What a pair to draw! Dan Brown and Mike Barnhart, Liz’s husband Bev Koenigsberg shows Liz Barnhart the literature on local attractions.

Nelson Barden, Curator of the John R. SilberSymphonic Organ at Boston University.

Shirley and John Gartrell going to a home tour -Nadine Motto-Ros in background.

Liz Barnhart, cross-stitch enthusiast, lends a hand with needlework ofthe Convention logo.

Roy Beltz, Tony Austin, Paddy Austin get acquainted during theFriday morning breakfast.

297

Pat Friend at the registration table.

L-R: Judy Chisnell, Hi Babit, Rollie Chisnell- “So long, see you in Sacramento!” Waltham Westin Hotel

Pre-convention activity in Dorothy Bromage’s garage. Packagingthe table favors are Chris Christiansen, Ginger Christiansen, KenVolk, and Sandy Libman.

Maury and Fran Willyard Margaret and Peter Davis; Lyn and John Mercy from England Ken Volk viewing an electric roll player.

Don Johnson and Bob Andersen Clark, Donna and Christy Counterman Bernice Carnes and Robert Rosencrans

298

Dick and Mary Merchant George and Sharyn Cunningham, Fay and Clark Cressman Mike and Holly Walter

Ruby Ahneman and Jerrilynn Boehland Dick Merchant Dee and Bill Kavouras

Sanford Libman and Richard Tonnesen Ron and Mary Ellen Connor Richard and Janet Tonnesen

Members of “Tour C,” led by Bus Captain Chris Christiansen (behind the camera), pose in the Massachusetts countryside on our way to the Museumat Waltham. Great place!

299

A portrait of Stan McDonald’s Blue Horizon Jazz Band. Left to right: PhilMonat, drums; Dan Walker, trombone; Gerry Gagnon, tuba; Cal Owen, banjo;Ross Petot, piano; Walt Miller, cornet; Stan McDonald, reeds

300

301

Contest judges - Margaret Davis, Peter Tallent, Julian Dyer

The PUMPER CONTEST

Tim Baxter

Jere DeBacker Selmer Nielsen Joyce Brite

Larry Norman Earl Scheelar Karl Ellison

Mike Walter Karl Theil Julian Dyer presents Golden FootsieAward to Karl Ellison, winner of thePumper Contest

Shawn Fox

302

Dancing to the Music of “The Blue Horizon Jazz Band

303

Frank and Shirley Nix receive the President’s Award fromPresident Linda Bird.

A popular person atthe Convention,Ramsey Tick

Richard Reutlinger, winner,AMICA International Award

A plaque is presented to Dorothy Bromageby Liz Barnhart for chairmanship

of the 1999 convention.

AWARDS

304

Probably not a single one ofthe Titanic's passengers or crewwould ever have guessed that thesinking of their ill-fated ship on amoonlit night in 1912 would gen-erate such "titanic" profits nearly acentury after the event. But inter-est in the event continues at a highlevel and, if anything, seems to beincreasing.

The Oceanic Steam Naviga-tion Company (the British WhiteStar Line) undertook the construc-tion and launching of the world'sbiggest passenger ship. The"Titanic" (named after the familyof giants in Greek mythology) wasa ship of 46,328 register tons.Throughout its short lifetime it was billed as "unsinkable," dueto a system of watertight doors which could be closed auto-matically to form compartments within the ship's huge ironhull.

The well-known disaster during which the Titanic collid-ed with an iceberg while traveling at high speed needs littlediscussion here. On her maiden voyage, the iceberg tore agash in her hull which sealed the doom of the magnificentnew luxury liner. At 41 degrees 46' north latitude and 50degrees 14' west longitude, the icy waters soon claimed thelives of almost anyone who attempted to swim to a lifeboat.Also, the number of lifeboats proved woefully inadequate forthe crew and passengers. Three hours after the collision, theTitanic headed for the bottom of the North Atlantic, carryingwith her more than 1500 souls. Such was the fate of the"unsinkable" ship.

In the widely known museum of mechanical musicalinstruments collected by Jan Brauers (known as SchlossBruchsal, or Bruchsal Castle), there is a Welte pipe organwhich is reputed to have escaped destruction on the Titanicbecause it wasn't delivered to the ship in time to make themaiden voyage.

This organ (illustrated) has no keyboard, and plays onlyfrom paper music rolls which have 100 tracker bar channels.There are 260 pipes with seven registers, and the organ is 232cm. wide, 125 cm. deep, and 302 cm. tall. The mechanism iselectropneumatic, and it seems to have come from a sourcenear Aalen-Wurtemburg. In his book "Von der Aeolsharfezum Digitalspieler," Jan Brauers writes (pp. 218-19) that anorgan of this type had been ordered for the Titanic, and thatthe Welte organ in his museum is the very instrument in question.

To prove his story, Brauers shows an undated letter writ-ten by Ilse Bockisch. She was the only daughter of BertholdWelte (1843-1928), who also had a son named Edwin KarlBockisch (1876-1952). Ilse was the wife of Karl Bockisch,who was active in the Welte family's businesses in North

America. Karl was a technically gifted man who becameintensely involved with Welte's development of the reproduc-ing piano mechanism (the Welte-Mignon) about 1900, togeth-er with his brother-in-law Edwin Welte.

In her undated letter, Ilse writes "This organ was savedfrom sinking with the Titanic. What was the reason for this?The firm of M. Welte & Söhne, of Freiberg im Breisgau, builtthis organ in 1911-1912 for the Titanic by order of the WhiteStar Line. Due to a variety of delays, the organ was not deliv-ered to England in time for placement on board the ship. KarlBockisch, who was already in Southampton and scheduled tosail on the Titanic's maiden voyage, also escaped the disasterby a coincidence. A cable reached him from his home, advis-ing him that a close family member was seriously ill, and hispresence at home was urgently needed. Thus, both the Welteorgan and one of its builders lived on after the ship's sinking.There was talk of placing the organ on one of White Star'sother liners, but the first World War prevented these plansfrom materializing."

Is Ilse Bockisch's story true? In an effort to find out, theDutch journalist Edward P. de Groot investigated it. During1980 and 1981, he wrote many times to Jan Brauers asking forinformation which would prove (or disprove) the story.Brauers replied to each and every letter -- without includingeven the slightest evidence that the organ in Schloss Bruchsalhad ever been destined for the Titanic. In fact, quite the opposite . . .

De Groot's report on his investigation includes the following statement: "The letter of Ilse Bockisch tells usmore about how Jan Brauers was tricked by Ilse Bockisch anda slick salesman, for a large amount of money. The organ isindeed a great one, but it was never meant to be on the Titanic.Neither in White Star's building plans for the ship, nor in thespecifications at the builder's yards in Belfast, is there anymention of an organ. If such an organ had been planned, itwould have had to be placed in third class, because in the firstor second class an organ would have been impossible [NOTE:I disagree with de Groot here -- H. Strengers].

The Organ That Missed the BoatBy Hendrik H. Strengers — From the Pianola Journal (Published by the Pianola Institute, Great Britain),

June 1998. Translated from the original Dutch.

On the Titanic's sister ship the Olympic, there was neverany sign of an organ until the ship was taken out of service in1935. Rather than being stuck with an organ of considerablecost, White Star Line would surely have installed it on theOlympic or some other ship in its fleet.

~.. j/Use's letter also claims that her husband (Karl Bockisch)

was in Southampton, the port from which the Titanic sailed.Why? If the Welte organ could not be delivered to the ship ontime, what reason did Bockisch have for being there? Ilsealso writes that the organ was built in 1911-1912, then claimsthat the World War was part of the cause for the delay of theorgan. The World War didn't begin until 1914 -- yet anotherreason that White Star Line would have had time to install theorgan on one of its other ships.

The story makes no mention of the source from which JanBrauers obtained the organ (in Aalen-Wurtemberg). Also,nowhere in the papers of the White Star Line is there anymention of an organ of any type ever having been placed on aWhite Star passenger liner.

One fact is clear: there is a beautiful Welte organcurrently located in Schloss Bruchsal. But no one knowswhere it came from! The story told by Jan Brauers to theeffect that this organ was originally built for the Titanic has tobe considered little more than a fairy-tale. No proof seems toexist to indicate that that was its original destiny.

~ TECH TIPS

slot cut in endof micrometerto drop stem in

MICROMETER VALVE ADJUSTER - By Harold Hodgkins

The modified micrometer makes a good companion for the dial indicator, as it is necessary to get a reading with the valve inplace first, and then use the micrometer to adjust the top collar for the desired travel.

Although this doesn't work for all valves, it's great for even one set.

To use it, drop the valve stem into the slot with the top toward the moveable cylinder. By turning the micrometer adjusting knob,you can move the collar as desired. If necessary, you can either increase or decrease your travel by switching the valve end for end,you position the top collar either up or down.

be movedlIar tovalve co

\

ot /

~/ lve stem '_I~iva ~I~r_ ~/~~ster

\ l' brations

ca, rrl~

----- ~nd of micrometer made thin enough to go between upper and lower

collars

~305

TECH TIPSTech Tip by Jeffrey Morgan

Correction due to a computer scanner errorFrom July/August 1999 page 233

Model A Ampico static set-up (types 4 through 8; refer to:Evolution of the Ampico, AMICA Bulletin NovlDec 1991)

Note: All measurements made with main regulator/expression andre-regulator valves held firmly against their respective seats!

From Pneumatic Stack

Main Disc TypeRegulator Valve(To be held firmlyagainst seat while

making adjustments.)

Pump Suction

Spring Pneumatic(Pneumatic Spring)

-::;;~1~~~""'-To Crescendo Driver

f-7/s"t- .-4--...c:::Iko-""1

#6 Square Intensity/Reguator Pneumatic

• (numbers 2 & 4 directly behind)

1_1'- Parallel front to back,....---.......,..-HMr-... underside of lever board to base.

•I Endview

I,I•

Re-regulator Valve .....j..~.

9/16" from guide to top nut which contacts spring.

1 & 9/16" from guide to top of metal finger.

Note: These measurements are basic rule-of-thumb; some deviationwill occur on individual installations.

Note: Upon release, re-regulator valve should open at least three­sixteenths of an inch to ip.sure adequate flow when not engaged!

306

307

Recently, there has been additional discussion about therelative merits (or shortcomings) of Aeolian cross-type valveplates (seats) versus their round-hole-type replacements.Arguments are made for a newer-style “improved” round-holereplacement with a 7/16” diameter hole (orifice) for use on thevacuum side (underside) of the valve as opposed to the older-style round-hole replacement plate with an approximately 1/2”hole.

Proponents claim that the valve area exposed to vacuumby this smaller hole more closely approximates that exposedby the opening (orifice) in a cross-type valve plate. No men-tion is made whether the area approximated is that of the earli-er (smaller orifice) or later (larger orifice) cross-type plate.Supposedly, the reduced valve area exposed to vacuum in the“off” position as provided by its smaller hole gives this round-hole replacement seat improved resistance to pluck (pluck isresistance to activation caused by vacuum) thereby allowing itto mimic the improved performance of a cross-type plate.

This argument ignores the fact that such an improvementin pluck characteristics is made at the expense of flow! It is,in effect, a trade-off. As long as valves employing seats withsuch a small hole (on the vacuum side) are used to operate apneumatic stack equipped with pneumatics of limited size,e.g., 4” x 1-3/8” as encountered in economy 80-note Duo-Artgrand stacks and virtually all post-1924 Ampico stacks, noproblems will arise. But, when used in conjunction with larg-er-sized pneumatics, e.g., those encountered in virtually allDuo-Art grand 88-note, 80-note standard-performance, and80-note high-performance stacks as well as pre-1924 Ampicogrand stacks, problems with insufficient flow will result.

At the reduced valve gaps utilized by player stack valves,flow becomes primarily dependent on orifice perimeter.Under these conditions, an orifice with a multifaceted perime-ter (such as a star or cross) will have greater flow than a circu-lar orifice. At such small valve travel (gap), orifice area is lessimportant to flow than orifice perimeter.

However, in player stack valves, the total area of an orificeis a major factor in pluck because it determines the area of thevalve’s surface exposed to vacuum. In the same application,the total area of an orifice becomes a limiting factor in flowonly when its area is exceeded by that created by the dimen-sions of the valve gap and perimeter multiplied.

When utilized in player stack valves, a circular orificeyields MINIMUM perimeter (i.e., flow) and MAXIMUM area(i.e., vacuum resistance). It is the worst possible choice ofshapes.

In the same application, a cross-shaped orifice providesMORE perimeter and LESS area. It has a much better perime-ter-to-area ratio.

Player stack valves employing seats with circular orificesare perfectly acceptable, as is, in most non-critical applica-tions. Yet, the demanding repetition requirements of reproduc-ing pianos dictate that such valves be used in conjunction withprimary valves or variable bleeds (e.g., Ampico’s Model Bball-check-type bleed) if optimum performance is to beattained. And, indeed, several manufacturers of reproducingactions chose those routes.

Aeolian’s method of optimizing the performance of a pre-mium single-valve system for its Duo-Art mechanism was toequip it with the cross-type valve plate which MAXIMIZESflow and MINIMIZES pluck. The only possible downsides ofthis design might have been the critical tooling requirementsof the plate and the need for a highly skilled and patient workforce in assembly.

Problems with flexing or bent corners in aluminum cross-type valve plates have also been reported in recent discus-sions. My personal experience is that such problems arealmost always due to lack of skill or patience (or both) on thepart of the restorer.

Editor’s note: Bulletin readers should also refer to theserelevant articles by Mr. Morgan which appear in the 1998AMICA Bulletin: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross in theMay/June issue; Wondrous Cross Postscript in theJuly/August issue; and Wondrous Cross Postscript Correctionin the September/October issue.

Wondrous Cross Revisitedby Jeffrey Morgan

CD REVIEW

David SaLoutos, Circus World Museum's performancedirector, plays five of the antique instruments on the newrecording. A Baraboo native, SaLoutos has served as singingringmaster of the Museum's big top circus perfonnances since1990. He is also one of the musicians featured in the Muse­um's on- and off-site Circus Music Demonstrations.

Circus World Museum

Produces

New Circus Music Recording

Baraboo, Wisconsin - They were shaken.They were struck. They were even played byrolls. And now they've been recorded.

Seven musical instruments once used bytraveling circuses and other outdoor shows havebeen recorded onto a new, 60-minute compactdisk and audiocassette by The State HistoricalSociety of Wisconsin's Circus World Museumin Baraboo. The new recording, titled "CircusDay Music," considered the only one of its kindin the world, has just been released.

"Circus Day Music" was made possible through the gen­erosity of John and Paulette Lloyd, Dan Storey Foundation,Inc., and Victor and Helen Geisel Foundation, Inc.

426 Water Streel E.!RABee.WISC0NS1~S3913-2597

608 356·8341FAX 608·356·1800

The new recording features some of the same instrumentsenjoyed during Circus World Museum's daily summer seasonCircus Music Demonstrations, which are sponsored on-sitethis year by Ho-Chunk Casino and Bingo. The Baraboo his­toric site preserves some of the world's most unusual circusmusical instruments. These instruments were once heard instreet parades, the menagerie, on the show grounds, during thecircus performance, and in the sideshow where novelty musi­cal acts were often performed.

Circus World Museum's Director of Collections andResearch Fred Dahlinger, Jr., a circus music authority, servedas the coordinator of the project. "Unusual musical instru­ments associated with the American circus taxed the skills ofprofessional musicians that were hired to play them,"Dahlinger said. "This recording documents the extraordinaryrange of musical sounds that were heard from 1889 to L920during the heyday of the American circus. One shOUld placethem in a setting that included growling lions, trumpeting ele­phants, neighing horses and the call of the sideshow talker. Itwas a full range of audio excitement, a suitable complement tothe visual rainbow of colors in the circus atmosphere."

The new Circus World Museum audio recording featuresthe 1892 Ringling Bros. Bell Wagon and its nine mammoth,church-style bells; the 19 I 4 Bamun & Bailey Pneumatic AirCalliope, a 49-whisLie instrument that was heralded as the, .largest of its kind built at the time; the J.e. Deagan MusicalElectric Bells and Sleigh Bells; a Billhorn Bros. Reed Organ;and two Gavioli mechanical band organs, one of which, theRoyal American Shows Grand Gavioli Band Organ. weighs inat I 1/2 tons and replicates the sound of an 80-piece orchestra.

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"Circus Day Music" was produced by the Wisconsin­based CUCA/AMC. which has been instrumental in docu­menting important aspects of the state's cultural heritage.Over a period of several decades, CUCA has created a largebody of works, including Circus World Museum's 1995recording of The Royal American Shows Grand Gavioli BandOrgan.

The new recording is available from Circus WorldMuseum's gift shops as a compact disk for $18.95 and anaudiocassette for $12.95. Long-distance shoppers mayphone the Museum's gift shop at (608) 356-8341 or shopon-line via Circus World Museum's new e-commerce website located at www.circusworldmuseum.com.

Circus World Museum is located at the original, tum-of­the-century winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. Circus. TheMuseum is owned by the State Historical Society of Wiscon­sin and operated by the not-for-profit Circus World MuseumFoundation. Open since July 1, 1959, the Museum is dedicat­ed to its mission to collect, preserve and present circus history.Circus World Museum's exhibit facilities and library are openyear-round. During the summer, the Museum expands to 50acres of live performances, interactive programs and otherattractions.

Contact person: Keri Olson, Public Relations Director, _(608) 356-8342, ext. 3231.

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CD REVIEW by Robin Pratt

CIRCUS DAY MUSICUnique Sounds of the American Circus

Featured Soloist: David SaLoutos

Featured Artist/Soloist David SaLoutos is the strikinglyhandsome and proficient Ring Master at the Circus WorldMuseum in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Not only does he do a firstclass job as Ring Master, but he is also a musician. His multi-faceted talents are more than obvious in Circus World’s CDentitled “Circus Day Music”. Don’t expect your basic Wurl-itzer 125 music blaring away here! No Sir, contained in thetracks of this recording are some of the rarest circus instru-ments you will ever (or never) hear in your life, all expertlyand musically played by Mr. SaLoutos.

An amazing sampler of instruments used by AmericanCircus’. Some automatic (not on this recording) and othershand-played. You will find here: the Barnum and BaileyPneumatic Air Calliope, the J. C. Deagan Sleigh Bells, a Bil-horn Brothers Folding Organ, the Ringling Brothers BellWagon, a Gavioli Band Organ, the Royal American ShowsGavioli Band Organ and (most outrageous of all) the J. C.Deagan Musical Electric Bells! This last one is a keyboard-operated instrument using all electric doorbells! Each of theseinstruments is so different from the other that it takes somereal talent to handle them on a single recording.

If you would like to experience the true sounds of theAmerican circus and not the ones you think you know fromwatching MGM movies, then order this CD from the CircusWorld Museum.

CIRCUS WORLD PRESENTS:THE ROYAL AMERICAN SHOWS GRAND GAVIOLI BAND ORGAN

The Gavioli 89 keyless band organ used in this recordinghas to be the best and finest tuned organ recording I think Ihave heard to date. It is listenable and musical.

The single most compelling reason to hear this instrumentrecording for me (other than proper tuning) is the fact thatCircus World engaged Tom Meijer of Goes, Holland toarrange the selections for the organ. And not just some oldAndrews Sisters type inappropriate selections, but he arranged

selections that would have been used on a circus band organ atthe turn of the century!

Selections on the tune list are dated 1889-1927. Whyshould this be interesting or important? Because you willactually get to hear music that would have been written andplayed at the time that the organs were being built. WOW!What a difference! I have heard lots of organs and recordings,but this one takes first prize!

You can order these CD’s from: Circus World Museum426 Water Street, Baraboo, Wisconsin 53913-2597608-356-8341

ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIMEPianist — Dick Kroekel

AMICA member Dick Kroekel sent me a copy of his latestCD entitled ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME and asked me tolet him “know what I really think of it.” Well, I listened to itand then thought about it and then listened to it again. I final-ly decided after the second or third listening that this record-

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ing is piano-playing the way that we would all like to play.(You know, kind of like the Duo-Art ads).

Recorded on a responsive 9 foot Steinway, the recordinghas warmth, snappy accenting and interpretations that areright out of the eras in which the selections were composed.No J.Lawrence Cook “Smoothe Modern Arrangement(s)”here! This is show-stopping piano playing.

The 27 selections listed include titles from “Boogie Woo-gie” and “Tishomingo Blues” to “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” and“Under The Double Eagle March” not to mention superarrangements of old standards and favorites like “Yes Sir!That’s My Baby” and “Oh You Beautiful Doll”.

Know someone who likes music? Great gift...but you’llprobably keep it and have to order a second copy for your giftrecipient!

Order for $17.00 pp. directly from:Richard KroekelP.O. Box 31Central City, CO 80427

From Euphony ReviewCD Review by Barry Morgan

Jelly RollMorton Gunnar Larson piano

Vernel Bagneris vocals

BCD-400Mamie Desdoume’s Blues, *Pep, ... The Family, Le Mis-

ere, ... How I created jazz, Mr. Jelly Lord, Aaron Harris, JellyRoll Blues, *Wolverine Blues, ... Red-Light District, ... PapaSona’s Ritual, Winin’ Boy Blues, ... Temporary financial prob-lem, *The Crave, If You Knew How I Love You, ... Suit manfrom suit land, Don’t You Leave Me Here, *The Fingerbreaker,Animule Dance, ... They steal one, you write another, Milen-berg Joys, Ballin’ The Jack, Tiger Rag, Medley: SomedaySweetheart/My Home Is In A Southern Town, ... Believe it ornot, ... End of a perfect death, Sweet Substitute

Vocals, *piano solo, ... spokenA few years ago, I heard of a show from New York called

“Jelly Roll” starring Morton Larson and Vernel Bagneriswhich had gotten rave reviews as being “truer” to the memoryand history of Jelly Roll Morton as opposed to “Jelly’s LastJam” starring Gregory Hines. I resigned myself to the factthat this was one show I would never get the opportunity tosee but thanks to George Buck, Bagneris and Larson went intohis audiophile Studios on New Orleans and recorded the showin its entirety. These guys have done their research, especiallyBagneris! His vocals inflections mimic Jelly Roll’s to a “T”!from Jelly’s Library of Congress recordings in singing andrecitations! Morton Larson is one of the top Jelly Roll playersin the country if not the world and they complement eachother perfectly. I couldn’t see the show, but close your eyes,you can see Jelly Roll playing and dancing. You are there!

Highly recommended!Available locally

CD ReviewBy Rich Egan

WILDFLOWER RAGTrebor Tichenor, piano

PianoMania CD-135Wildflower Rag, Huron Glide, Kalmity Kid, The Candy,

Poor Jim, Hoot Owl Blues, Cactus Rag, Buddy Carter’s Rag,Gallery Gods Delight, Tain’t No Use, Night On The Levee,The Turtle, Money Blues, Silent Sam, Glad Rag, WyomingPrance, Blue Grass Blues, Cradle Rock, Alabama Hoedown,Camel Walk Blues, Wine Room Rag

You would think that, by now, all the high quality ragtimecompositions would have been discovered and recorded. Notso!, as exhibited by Trebor Tichenor in his latest CD, “Wild-flower Rag.” This reviewer considers himself to be fairlyknowledgeable in the field of ragtime but concedes to havepreviously heard only 6 of the 21 pieces recorded here, whichmeans 15 new pieces for me and perhaps more for you! Andjust because these are unknown doesn’t mean they are sub-standard either. Each track is a gem, and the CD demonstratesthe variety of the craft of this melodic-intensive music as itspanned the decades of the ragtime era. The performancetends to be laid-back and leans toward bringing forth the gen-teel quality of the music. This, the fifth solo Tichenor record-ing in the past 33 years, proves that, like fine wine, Trebor ismellowing with age. There is no shortage of creativity in theinnovative arrangements, however.

The only drawback for me is the near absence of Tichenororiginals, with “Wine Room Rag” (his second recording of thework) seeming to be tacked on as an afterthought. It doesbring the CD to a rousing finale, though.

This recommended CD is available from PianoManiaMusic Publishing, 8300 Sierra College Blvd. Suite D,Roseville, CA 95661, or from the man himself. Wish weheard more of these rags at Dressel’s!

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Dear Robin,

Enclosed you will find a copy of a recent addition to my collection, a piano tuners expense report dated October 19,1929, along with a Wurlitzer business card undated. I copied the back of the card as well, since I though it would be ofinterest to other AMICAns. It reads: Mrs. C. Delucia, Pd., 3219 Peralter St. (?), 6517 J (?), Oakland, Apollo (incorrectlyspelled!) player, tuned and 1 key fixed. This must have been used as a receipt for a repair on an Apollo!

Notice on the expense report, it was only $1.50 to tune a piano in 1929!! Looks like 10 days before the Stock Marketcrash, so maybe this never made it back to Wurlitzer, and the gentleman never was paid for the week!

Anyway, I acquired these two items from the E-Bay Internet Auction, and are now framed, and on a wall of my home.

Sincerely,

Nick Rosica

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IN ALL OF UPSTATE New York noother individual by single handed innova-tion so changed a community as didAlfred Dolge. One hundred years ago in1874 this young German first steppeddown from a buggy and looked at thedrowsy little village of 300 called Brock-etts Bridge. It lay quiet in post Civil Wardoldrums, the tannery empty since 1871,spruce bark piles moldering, the waterpower in the falls of the Auskerada pour-ing unheeded into the Mohawk.

Unheeded except by Dolge. This 25year old immigrant grasped immediatelythe potential of the empty buildings, theirfortunate juxtaposition to abundant waterpower, the purity of the clear brownwater. Here was what he had come so farto find.

He was at the moment exploring forspruce wood with which to make pianosounding boards and a possible site toexpand his felt making business. Thewater here was so pure, they told him,that the housewives hung their wool rugsfrom the covered bridge to recover theirlost colors. He lost no time in contract-ing for the old tannery. Ten days later itwas his, at a price of $7,000. By April of1875 Dolge had moved heavy machineryfrom Brooklyn to the tannery andinduced twelve feltmakers to follow him.In the next few years, attracted by ads,agents, or word of mouth, 2,200 Germansimmigrated to Dolgeville, as it becameknown. It grew to be the hub of so manymusic-connected industries that it wassaid: “The only things he couldn’t con-quer were the elephants of Africa for thekeys.”

Dolge also made a lasting contribu-tion to the national form of Social Securi-ty and to innovative pension plans andimproved working conditions in industryat a time when profit was the main driveof most industrialists. He believed sin-cerely in education, conservation, and increating a Utopian community. His

memory is widely revered, although hispersonal story was tragic and confused.

But who was this man who madesuch a lasting impact on a region tradi-tionally conservative in memory and out-look?

Born December 22, 1848 in Chem-nitz, Saxony, Alfred Dolge was the thirdson of an unusual father. Christian Dolgewas a piano maker and a revolutionistwho narrowly escaped execution for hisrebellion against the monarch and whospent five years in prison. Alfred wasraised by his mother on the small incomeshe had from a little store. He was laterapprenticed in his father’s piano businessuntil he turned sixteen and decided toemigrate to New York. He landed at EllisIsland with 25 cents in his pockets andwith German upon his lips. The trip overhad been an unbelievable nightmare. Hewrote, “We left Hamburg with 336 pas-sengers on board and arrived in NewYork numbering only 132.”

He worked on a Wisconsin farm andin a New York City piano factory. Froma few savings he invested in importingscarce piano materials available only inEurope. This developed into a piano feltbusiness in a loft in Brooklyn. Whenfinancial backers deserted him, he suc-ceeded by himself and began to lookabout for a place to expand.

Once in Brocketts Bridge, or Dol-geville as it was renamed in 1887, the feltDolge made was awarded more and morehonors. There was no lack of demand forhis product; however, the difficulty ofcompeting with the lower labor costs ofEurope led him to diversify his industriesand to carry the felt as a convenience tohis piano manufacturers.

In time wire factories, piano parts,piano frames, pianos, auto-harps, awoolen mill, saw mills, and lumber millsall played a part in his expanding busi-ness. He was driven by his tremendousvision and also by his frantic need for

capital to continually experiment.

At this time there were thirteenhotels in the village, and eager buyersfrom Steinway, Knabe, Sohmer and otherpiano companies filled them. In 1882Englehardt, a shoemaker who worked inthe felt factory tried making some slip-pers from scraps of felt. These were thefirst commercial felt slippers in the coun-try and were shortly marketed by Danieland William R. Green. The businessgrew so much that in 1894 a new build-ing was erected for the Daniel Greenslippers, and later this business becameentirely separate. From the Alfred DolgeFelt Shoe Company the business becameknown as the Daniel Green Company,which it remains.

Busy as Dolge was with the weeklytrips to New York, the many ramifica-tions of business, and the active sociallife which he led in his mansion, histremendous vitality found outlets in thecommunity he was establishing. Hebought Edison’s second dynamo, the firstto be run by water power, and installed itin his factory in 1879. He changed theface of the town by adding a reservoir,new streets, a sewage system, fire com-panies, and an elementary and secondaryschool. He sponsored the first freekindergarten in upstate New York and thefirst free academy for workingmen’s chil-dren. His village was lighted by electric-ity, and he built a power plant. All of thishe publicized in a newspaper whichemployed 20 and was distributed nation-ally. He had tremendous interest inrecreational facilities including a largeauditorium, a turnhall, and a park system,and he bought the Canada Lakes to usefor lumbering and cottage sites.

In 1876 when the factory was wellestablished Dolge began to set up hispension plan, which remained almostexactly the same throughout his tenure.After 25 years, wage earners received100% for disability. Later he added a

THE TOWN THAT DOLGE BUILTBy Eleanor Franz

With photos courtesy of the Author

From Adirondack Life, Fall 1974

Sent in by Edith Pettitt

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system of life insurance paid for by thefirm and a program of earning-sharingwhereby an employee received a portionof the earning according to his contribu-tion. The pension was completely fundedby the employer. An eight hour day andretirement at 60 also figured in his plans.The German and French governmentsstudied and adapted his plan, and itbecame a model for economics texts in

the U.S.

Industrialists of the 90’s were notgenerally known for their social reforms,and the fact that a man like Dolge wasamong them was profoundly disturbing.Those who were already prosperouslooked upon him with distrust, and thosewho would like to be, began to scheme touse his abilities to their advantage. His

personal tragedy was that while he evalu-ated a social conscience in the nationwhich would sweep it into social securityand universal education, he was out ofstep with the times. He could not rideout the lack of capital at war time in 1898or overcome poor financial advice. Inaddition, his vision had led him into ven-tures far beyond solid financial backing.

Dolgeville grew to be the hub of so manymusic connected industries that it wassaid: “The only thing he couldn’t conquerwere the elephants of Africa for the keys.”

The main building of Alfred Dolge & Son’s Felt & Sounding Board Company isbuilt of hand-cut limestone quarried near Ingham’s Mills and drawn by team. Itis four stories high, 300 by 70 feet, and surrounded by a moat-like ditch andstone wall.

The German cultural impact upon thecommunity was tremendous. A physical fit-ness instructor was brought from Germany toinstruct the Dolge children in the fine are ofgymnastics.

Dolge changed the face of the town by adding a reservoir, streets, a sewage system, fire companies, and an elementary andsecondary school. In 1887 the fire company, dressed in its finest regalia, turned out for a group portrait.

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What happened at the end? “Afool or a knave!” - “Fraud is charged”- “Caught in his own trap” were theheadlines of papers across the state asDolge went into bankruptcy. To savehimself it was whispered he hadshipped out a carload of wool nolonger his. It was said he was drink-ing. He was afraid to cross from hismansion into Herkimer County with-out being seized for a criminal trial.

The truth is hard to sort out.From 1894 on the business had beenin jeopardy, and Dolge had borrowedwildly to keep it afloat: $300,000 foran escalating railroad; $40,000 forstreet grading, $45,000 for a clubhouse - liabilities of 3 million. Out ofkindness he had endorsed too manynotes for piano manufacturers. Final-ly pressure was brought to bear on hispartner, his young son, Rudolf, to callfor an accounting. The accountingshowed the firm insolvent. Dolgewent through a trial for fraud, andfinally declared bankruptcy.

Dolge left his town with two car-loads of wine and a few friends andheaded to California. The winehelped him make a new start in shoemaking, and it is said he did fairlywell, certainly well enough to financea world tour in 1922 on which he diedat the age of 73. He never returned inlife to Dolgeville, but he is buried in agrove of evergreens on the tallest hillin the Dolgeville cemetery.

THE TOWNTHAT DOLGEBUILT . . .

Top: An engraving of AlfredDolge.

Above: A birdseye view ofDolgeville looking west in 1911.

Right: At one time Dolge owned18,000 acres of the Adirondacks wherehe established sawmills and planned toproduce electric power.

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The German cultural impact uponthe community was tremendous andstill is much in evidence. Dolge wasthe catalyst who attracted other cleverstrong men about him as designers,workmen, accountants, builders, andmachinists. They were men who hadan eye for beauty which still remainsin the iron work left about the villageand in magnificent wooden homes. Ittook 18 months to build the first floorof Dolge’s mansion, and he employedGerman cabinet makers, Swisscarvers, and Italians who plastered theintricate ceilings.

The plentiful trees of the villagereflect Dolge’s interest in conserva-tion. “Forestry has always been withme a very delightful study,” he wrote.“Even before I became interested inthe lumber business, the wholesaledestruction of the forests by the lum-bermen and tanners caused me greatregret. This indiscriminate and wan-ton cutting of timber is no more norless than a public calamity.” He hireda trained “Ober Forester” and directedthat only mature trees be cut. He wasgreatly interested in the Adirondackregion as a source of water supply andat one time owned 18,000 acres of theAdirondacks where he establishedsawmills and planned to produce elec-tric power.

Above: a four story building under construction.

Below: his piano factory in 1892.

Ed Note:It appears that a 3rd and/or 4th floor are beingadded to the existing buildingR.P.

Dolge’s insatiable appetite for expansion eventually led tohis destruction. In time wire factories, piano parts, pianoframes, pianos, autoharps, a woolen mill, sawmills, andlumber mills all played a part in his expanding business.

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The evidences of German life left in Dolgeville are delightful: the imposing Victorianarchitecture built lavishly of native wood andstone; the huge limestone factory, cathedral-likein its dignity; the predilection for kuchen andwurst, sauerkraut and pigs knuckles; and the stories of the old beer wagon, band concert, washbears and carp pond.

The wealthy had lived with great taste andcosmopolitan interests, with banquets, concerts,operas, and athletic contests. For Dolge theexperiment ended in defeat and disillusionment,but his progressive ideas of education, profit sharing, and good living succeeded for others.The breed of high-minded, athletic, intelligentmen and women he attracted to this little corner ofthe Adirondacks added to the heritage of northernNew York. Because of this early German entrepreneur, industry had arrived in the southernAdirondacks, and a new world was opened to its people.

THE TOWNTHAT DOLGEBUILT . . .

A dam being built across the East Canada Creek at High Falls for the Dolgeville ElectricLight & Power Company, 1897. In 1879 Dolge bought Edison’s second dynamo, the first to be runby water power, and installed it in his factory.

It took 18 months to build the first floor of Dolge’s mansion, and heemployed German cabinet makers, Swiss carvers, and Italians who plastered theintricate ceilings.

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Jack Conway brought a bubble machine this year, and wehad ours, so there were bubbles floating everywhere. I think thewhole town must have had bubbles floating over the homes andbusinesses. For anyone who lived nearby and didn’t know whatwas happening, I’m sure they must have thought some little kidswere really blowing their little hearts out. No, it was the bigkids!

News From The Chapters

July Organ RallyWell, Southern California saw weather that had us all feel-

ing par-boiled out here the end of June and the first of July, andas the organizers of the July 3rd Organ Rally, Frank and I weresweating it out in more ways than one. It was HOT and humidas the big day approached, and one had to worry how the organswould stand weather like this (notice we worried about theorgans, not the people). Not that the organizers have anythingto do with the weather, but we all need someone to blame,right???

We needn’t have worried, however, because with our usualSouthern California flair the weather changed, and July 3rd sawovercast skies and cool weather. In fact, several of us ran intolight rain while traveling enroute to Sierra Madre.

There was a good turnout, with all the usual attendees plus afew nice extras. Bill Blair brought his Wurlitzer 105, whichhad just come back from being completely restored by AlanErb, including a new façade. The organ looked super, andsounded the same.

Paul Freiling was a new entry with his home-built calliope.He made it of wood, even the pipes, and it sounded great. Wehope he will continue to come to our rallies.

Jerry’s 62-key Bruder - a great organ!

“Spirit of San Diego” owned by Charlie and Jackie Porter.

“Trudy” - Dave and Darlene Wasson’s organ - if you look closeyou can spot Dave looking for another roll.John Daniels’ 101-key Mortier - Leora Sear looks on.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTERReporter: Shirley Nix

President: Herb Mercer

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John Daniels’ Hooghuys organ, with a family of elephants infront.

Roy Beltz and Darlene Wasson enjoy the music while St.George fights the dragon.

Ervin and Betty Canada’s Wurlitzer looking very 4th of July!

Lloyd and Brooke Osmundson with their Caliola. They alwaysset up a nice display.

Every instrument was playing great, and there was a goodrange, from monkey organs, calliopes and caliolas, Wurlitzers,Limonaire, and of course, the large organs of Charlie and Jackie Porter and Dave and Darlene Wasson and Mike Ames’De Cap Dutch Street Organ.

As can be expected, everyone came dressed for hot weather,and instead of sitting around fanning ourselves as we had antici-pated doing, we were all scrounging around for sweaters, shirts,blankets, anything, since it was quite cool in the morning. It didwarm up some in the afternoon, and depending on where youwere situated in the park, was either a little too warm or a littletoo cool. Can’t satisfy all the people all the time I guess!

As we got ready to play, Roy Beltz gave everyone who wasregistered a little American flag to get in the spirit of the Fourth.It made a nice addition, and everyone got a kick out of it. Someof these nicely made flags went by the organs and some went onhats. All tastefully done, of course.

As usual, the people of Sierra Madre turned out to see andhear our organs, and several people made it a point to tell us thatthey really enjoyed the event, and hoped we would continue tobe there every year.

It was so much fun that I understand Jack Conway cameback on Monday to drive in the parade with his calliope. I hearda lady from one of the choral groups who were in the paradetalking to Jack about where he was going to be placed in theparade . . . I think she wanted her group to be far, far away . . .She enjoyed the calliope, but figured they couldn’t out-sing it . . .I think she was probably right!!!

Ron Wolf and his Verbeeck organ - note the hairdo.

We played all day, and in the evening those of us who wereat the hotel or who wanted to join us walked over to the OliveGarden Restaurant for dinner. It was a festive meal, and theconversation somehow centered on . . . organs.

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Frank and Shirley Nix by their Limonaire.

Mike Ames De Cap Dutch street organ.

Jack Conway’s Cal-liope on the back ofhis Model A pickup.

Bill Blair’s 105 Wurlitzer.

Jerry Doring’s Wurlitzer 153.

The next morning we were privileged to visit John Danieland his collection. John had obviously been working for at leasta week getting ready for us, and it showed. He had a new toy toshow us - a 101-key Mortier, newly restored by JohnnyVerbeek. This instrument has a gorgeous façade, and the soundis just marvelous. We stayed until I’m sure John thought wewere going to stay for the night, and he must have been wonder-ing what to charge for room service.

His super North Tonawanda organ (82 key, playing NorthTonawanda, BAB and some Wurlitzer music) sounded wonder-ful, as did the Hooghuys. His instruments are all in great shape,and we all just sat and begged him to “play it again” over andover. No one wanted to leave, but we had another place to go, sowe finally thanked John and left.

From there we went to visit Jerry and Virginia Doring.Jerry had everything playing super, as he always does, and hehad a couple of new entries this year with two Bruders, one 61-key and one 66-key, both playing great. Of course, Jerry hassuch a large, super collection it is always a treat to see and hear.Everyone always enjoys going to the Doring home, and they aresuch gracious hosts. Again, no one wanted to leave, but sinceneither Jerry nor John before him had seemed to want to adopt anew family, we finally had to head for home.

We will have our next scheduled rally in October at theFullerton Arboretum, and it should be a good one. This is inconjunction with the Arborfest, and we have done it before.They called and asked us to come again this year. It’s a funevent, and a great one to bring the family to, since they have allkinds of activities, many of them aimed at the young ones.

Jack Conway’s Caliola.

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Becky isrecording theold-fash-ioned way -acoustically!Fred at rightis the record-ing engineer.

Fred and hisrare auto-matic instru-ment: theScottish FoldPurringMachine!

The Capehartdoes theamazing auto-matic 78 RPMfliperoo!

John Motto-Ros has big plans for Sacramento 2000! Richard Riley and Gloria enjoy the music.

Mike Amesand LeeRoan enjoy-ing Mike’sDe Cap.

SIERRA NEVADA CHAPTERReporter: Lori and Fred Deal

President: John Motto-Ros

We hosted the July meeting at our house in Sacramento,California. Our house is full of old phonographs, radios, andtelevisions which Fred collects and repairs for a living. We havea 1910 Cremona Nickelodeon Style 2 with a mandolin rail.Besides enjoying great company and food, Fred presented a pro-gram. The program was to demonstrate recordings madeacoustically on a cylinder record. Fred used three differenthorns on an Edison Standard Model D. He used a 10”, 14” anda morning glory horn to see the difference in sound quality.Becky Kane sang part of three different tunes on a blank BrownWax Cylinder. The morning glory horn produced the best fre-quency response. At our meeting we discussed the 2000 Con-vention in Sacramento as well as other club business. Hope tosee you here next year.

Beside the music, they usually have people from variousorganizations with animals for the kids to see and sometimespet. They range from tarantulas to possums to hawks, and thekids love it.

Thanks to Bob McCord and Herb Mercer for furnishingme with photos, since I didn’t get a chance to take any picturesat all this time. Without them, there wouldn’t be a single picture.

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JULY MEETINGThe July meeting was held at Jack Gustafson’s and

Richard Quigley’s house in San Jose. The meeting was verywell attended. Jack gave a great organ concert which lasted 30minutes. Songs included Shifting Sands, A Foggy Day in Lon-don, Tea For Two, My Vision, Ricksaw Man, and String of MyHeart. I, Tom McWay, made a Digital Video recording of thisconcert and meeting on the new Sony Digital Video TRV-310with the widescreen format. This came out great. I would liketo encourage members to start video taping meetings from nowon, especially when pianists like David Thomas Roberts showup to play. Such great memories to look back on and have arecord of. From now on when I go to Chapter meetings I willtake pictures and also do Digital Video recordings.

After Jack’s concert, everyone had lots of great food anddrinks to enjoy. This lasted for a good hour. Then Bing Gibbshad the business meeting where we re-elected the current set ofofficers with the exception of Vice President. At the moment wehave no Vice President. We also discussed a proposal to includearticles on MIDI instruments in the Bulletin in an attempt toattract new members. Richard Reutlinger will be reporting tothe International that the chapter’s consensus was in favor. Wealso voted to provide up to $500 to support displaying an instru-ment in a public place for a couple of days to see if we coulddrum up some interest in automated instruments and AMICA.

The Cremona with authentically restored art glass.

FOUNDING CHAPTERReporter: Tom McWay

President: Bing Gibbs - (408) 253-1866

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AUGUST CONCERTThe August concert of David Thomas Roberts at Mark

Pope’s home was a wonderful experience for everyone wholoves Ragtime music. Close to 100 members and friendsshowed up for this concert. The concert started at 7:20 p.m.with members on both sides of the 1927 Steinway Duo-Art XRGrand which was in the middle of an extended living room area.

David Thomas Roberts Concert lasted for two hours. Partone has nine songs with three Scott Joplin Rags: Non Pareil,Magnetic Rag, and Gladiolus Rag, and four songs that DavidThomas Roberts wrote himself. These were Waterloo Girls,Through the Bottomlands, Burgundy Street, and For Sam. Afterthis Part One which lasted one hour, there was about an hourbreak. During this time refreshments were served which seemedlike a full course dinner. During this time members talked toDavid Thomas Roberts about his music and life. Also therewere many music CD’s and sheet music by David ThomasRobert to buy.

About 9:15 p.m. David Thomas Roberts started Part Two ofhis concert. This consisted of eight songs, one by “Jelly Roll”Morton called Stratford Hunch, and six songs by David ThomasRoberts. These included Magazine Street, Kreole, Hal Isbitz,Babe of the Mountains, Roberto Clemente, Maria AntonietaPons. After these songs, David Thomas Roberts came back todo one more Ragtime which I do not know the name of. Afterthis a great round of applause was given to David ThomasRoberts for an outstanding Ragtime Piano Concert show. ThisPart Two was over about 10:25 p.m. After this concert severalmembers stayed and talked to David Thomas Roberts for at leastan hour. Again, an outstanding concert on Ragtime Music.

The New Orleans historian Al Rose has called DavidThomas Roberts “the most important composer of this half ofthe 20th century in America.” David Thomas Roberts is current-ly writing a critical history of New Ragtime. The term “NewRagtime” first appeared in 1980 in (The Rag Times, Nov. 1980)George Willick’s article, “Brun’s Boys.” A new era in the devel-opment of ragtime and ragtime-based composition is here.

Thanks again to David Thomas Roberts for an outstandingconcert.

Phonographs, music boxes, phonographs, player piano rolls,phonographs and more phonographs greeted members of theChicago Chapter of AMICA as we attended the 24th AnnualPhonograph & Music Box Show and Sale held June 12th atDonley’s Wild West Town in Union, Illinois, an hour northwestof Chicago. This annual 3-day event which started in tentsbehind the Donley’s museum 24 years ago has blossomed intoone of the largest shows of its type in the country. Over theyears, several additional permanent buildings have been erectedwhich has lessened the impact of weather on the event. Atten-dees of the show in its early years can fondly remember remov-ing their socks and shoes and wading through small rivers cas-cading across the tent floors caused by the thunderstorms thatseemed to coincide with the show each year. The mud betweenyour toes did feel good though.

After the show closed we adjourned to the western themerestaurant adjacent to the museum to partake in the sumptuousbuffet that the restaurant is so well known for and to discuss thepurchases that we had made. Following our business meetingand dinner, we were invited to an open house at the home ofJasper and Marian Sanfilippo co-hosted by the Donleys. TheSanfilippo collection, one of the largest and most comprehen-sive in the world was a delight for all who attended.

CHICAGO CHAPTERReporter: Kathy and Mel Septon

President: Richard VanMetre

Chapter reporter Kathy Septon poses in front of the facade ofthe Sanfilippo’s carousel.

Who says you can’t have a business meeting in the parking lotwhile waiting for the restaurant to open.

324

PACIFIC CAN-AM CHAPTERReporter: Dan Brown

President: Mark Smithberg (206) 763-9468

Carl and Peg Kehret welcomed 47 members and guests tothe chapter’s summer meeting at their new home in Carbonado,Washington on July 17th. Haven’t heard of Carbonado? It’s atthe foot of Mt. Rainier, near the entrance to Mr. Rainier StatePark and was established before the turn of the century as a min-ing community. The buildings in the area maintain their pioneerflavor and Kehret’s designed their new log home to fit the char-acter of the area. They have spectacular views of Mt. Rainierand the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound. Decorations inthe house include their collection of Borden’s dairy memorabiliaand an impressive display of the covers of the many books Peghas written. Instruments include a Regent (Jacob Doll) playerpiano, Aeolian Orchestrelle Style V, and Seeburg coin piano.

The chapter now includes 73 individual members and 43households. The theme for this meeting was piano roll artistPete Wendling. This continues the chapter theme tradition begunwith a Max Kortlander Day some time ago, at which we wel-comed Max’s nephew Walt Jones. Walt became a member ofthe chapter and we were saddened by his death this April. DanBrown presented details of Pete Wendling’s life and work, muchof which was taken from an article by Bob Pye originally pub-lished in the AMICA Bulletin in 1971 and reprinted in 1974.Samples of Pete’s piano rolls on Ampico, Rhythmodik, QRS,and QRS Recordo were presented and Ron Babb and DeanRandall shared an interesting book published by Mills whichpresented the work of Pete Wendling and Max Kortlander.

Chapter Board Representative Fran Willyard presentedissues to be discussed at the Board Meeting in Boston. Membersrecognized her for well representing the chapter and keeping usinformed of activities. Dan Brown reminded members thatAMICA chapter events of which he is informed are posted onboth the MMD and AMICA websites.

Contented members relax after the huge buffet dinner.

Chapter members Victor Dawg and his son listen to a discmusic box.

Phonographs, music boxes and more fill one of several buildings housing the show.

Donley’s Wild West Town.

Hosts Peg and Carl Kehret at the front of their new “cabin.”

325

Dave Zeffert andJim Heyworth at theentrance to the forestbehind Kehret’s. Carl demonstrating the works

of a Herophon organette in hisnew workshop.

Carl showing the interest-ing items he’s discoveredinside pianos. Jack Becvar, MauryWillyard, Lorna and BillUllstrom.

Fran Willyard showing Jean Freeburg’s recycled piano rollnotecards - Jean and Jim Freeburg, Jim Ullstrom.

Feeding frenzy for rolls at the mart: Carmen Marshall, RonBabb, Kurt Morrison, Ray Parkinson, Wes and Bev Spore. Socializing with player piano accompaniment: Bev Spore,

Halie Dodrill, Jackie Slosson, Jim Freeburg, with Mark Smith-berg and Larry Slosson assisting Wes Spore at the piano.

The mart was held in Carl’s impeccably clean new

workshop and many treasures were to be found. Members also

had a chance to critique his latest projects. Many members

shared at show and tell, including Carl’s presentation of a box of

items he’s rescued from inside pianos. Coins, noisemakers,

holiday cards, buttons, and unidentified parts were featured.

Fran Willyard shared some artistic creations by member Jean Freeburg. Of particular interest were notecards constructed

of unrepairable piano word rolls which expressed various

sentiments. We were assured that no salvageable rolls had been

sacrificed. Jack Becvar mentioned that the greater Kent

Museum had recently received the donation of a restored Bush &

Lane Welte Licensee grand piano and invited members to come

hear the instrument. He also mentioned that Hokum Hall in West

Seattle, long a venue for vaudeville type shows, was in the

process of installing a Wurlitzer pipe organ. One of the theme

shows presented is called “Pianorama” and would have appeal to

many AMICA members. Ray Parkinson shared an article from

a Vancouver, B.C. newspaper which pictured an Encore Banjo

and other coin machines in a turn of the century amusement

gallery. It mentioned that in 1910, Vancouver officials were

greatly concerned about the negative influence of such machines

on the morals of the community.

The next chapter meeting will be on Saturday, October 9th,

hosted by Carl and Halie Dodrill in Mercer Island, Washington.

Watch the AMICA website for details.

326

Dan Brown presenting the work of Pete Wendling.

Pacific Can-Am Chapter continued —

Mark Smithberg demonstratinga Pete Wendling roll.

AMICA BOSTON 1999presents the

ConventionSouvenirTeapot

You can put it on a shelf.

You can brew tea in it.

Y ou can do both !For sale while supplies last:

Teapot on musical stand, 7” high $28.00, S&H included(Wooden stand plays “Tea for Two” when teapot is lifted.)

Teapot alone, 5.5” high $18.00, S&H included

Convention Souvenir Roll $15.00, S&H included

Make check payable to: AMICA Boston 1999,and mail to:

Dorothy Bromage, 8 Skyline Drive, Billerica, MA 01821

327

ADVERTISING GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT

ALL ADVERTISING IN THE AMICA BULLETINAll advertising should be directed to:

Robin Pratt630 East Monroe StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3708Phone (419) 626-1903 e-mail: pianola@aol.com

Ad copy must contain text directly related to the product/servicebeing offered. Extraneous text will be deleted at the Publisher’sdiscretion. All advertising must be accompanied by payment inU.S. funds. No telephone ads or written ads without payment willbe accepted. This policy was established by a unanimous vote ofthe AMICA Board at the 1991 Board Meeting and reaffirmed atthe 1992 meeting. AMICA reserves the right to edit or toreject any ad deemed inappropriate or not in keeping withAMICA’s objectives.

The BULLETIN accepts advertising without endorsement,implied or otherwise, of the products or services being offered.Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMICA’sendorsement of any commercial operation.

AMICA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT, REJECT,OR EDIT ANY AND ALL SUBMITTED ARTICLES ANDADVERTISING.

All items for publication must be submitted directly to thePublisher for consideration.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: $.20 per word, $5.00 minimumfor AMICA members. Non-members may advertise double themember rates ($10.00 minimum). Because of the low cost ofadvertising, we are unable to provide proof copies or “tear sheets”.

DISPLAY ADVERTISINGFull Page — 71/2 " x 10" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150.00Half Page — 71/2 " x 43/4" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 80.00Quarter Page —35/8 " x 43/4" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 45.00Business Card — 31/2 " x 2" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 30.00

Non-member rates are double for all advertising. Special 6 for 5 Ad Offer - Place any ad, with no changes, for afull year (6 issues), and pay for only 5 issues. Payable in advance.Photographs or halftones $15.00 eachLoose Sheet or Insert Advertising: InquireWe recommend that display advertisers supply camera-readycopy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed tocorrect size at your cost. We can prepare advertisements fromyour suggested layout at cost.PAYMENT: U.S. funds must accompany ad order. Make checkpayable to AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Typesetting and layout size alterations charges will be billed.DEADLINES: Submissions must be received no later than thefirst of the odd months (January, March, May, July, September,November). The Bulletin will be mailed the first week of theeven months.

(Rev. 6-98)

FFOORR SSAALLEE1925 STEINWAY DUO-ART “AR” Reproducing Grand Piano. Handrubbed lacquer finish, mahogany case, excellent restored mechanical,acoustic, and cosmetic condition. Many Duo-Art rolls, including 30long-play popular and classical rolls. Price $26,000. Call Bowen orJoy Broock at 248-681-7133, evenings or Fax at 248-681-7466 or e-mail: bbroock@aol.com. (5-99)AutoPiano standard upright w/bench, S/N 149577, good playing con-dition, outside refinished (black). Includes approx. 170 rolls, manyoriginal. Asking $1995. Call Anncharlene, Needham, MA 781-444-8308. (5-99)STEINWAY “O” #194,461 - 88/65 (c.6’6”). Meticulously restored,complete, original foot blown, with original provisions for use withpipe organ. Hook into nickelodeon to pedal along or be “A” or “O”roll signal source. Minor trackerbar alterations and also track Duo-Art.Original installation: O #150,242. Ivory keyboard, beautiful varnishfinish, new hammers, action, strings (10 years ago). Soundboard decal -“Her Majesty Maud”, $14,000. Partial trade of Nickelodeon parts?Also, sell stack, various parts 4’ Schultz Marionette, $350; Fan Accor-dian Duo-Art box, $550. Kaiser 215-234-8424. (5-99)Orange Coast Piano since 1981. Current Inventory: 1890’s Bruder 5rank Barrel Monkey Organ, case in original excellent condition playsnicely, $7,900; 1898 Empress 15 1/2” with Mandolin/Disc ParlorGrand Table model and original cabinet and 12 excellent conditiondisc’s also original red mahogany finish, top condition under priced forquick sale, $8,200; 1902 Tiger Oak Stella 17” Disc player table modelwith original cabinet and 23 discs - This beauty has been 100%restored, $9,500; 1910 Autopiano all original condition Vertical “SolidRosewood” 3 dimensional ornately carved roses and vines built at thetime of The New York Worlds Fair, “Truly one of a kind” with theoriginal fallboard bronze plaque $35,000; Single Bird Automaton withall parts, needs small amount of work, $250; 1929 Rollmonica with 1roll, needs a new seal on the edge but does play, $175; 7-Tanzabarrolls, make offer. 2-small Cylinder Music Boxes, 1-Mermod Freres 8Airs, plays and looks good, has all 32 teeth and tune card, $750 obo; 1Saint Croix 43 teeth (10 tips missing), needs some repair to the gover-nor and winding arm, the 6” cylinder is in excellent condition, the lidhas original inlay, however is detached for the box and the glass lidneeds to be replaced, $375; 7-11” Regina/Polyphone Disc’s very goodcondition, $25 each or $150 for all 7 discs; 1950’s Pianolodeon Mini-player includes 4 rolls, plays great, ivory case, weight 10 lbs, $350;1914 Wurlitzer “BX” and 45 app rolls, also original beautiful artglassfront 100% restored includes Manodlin rail, bass and snare drums, tri-angle and 1 rank of dopple flutes, call us for a great price on this verycollectible Orchestrion. This unit can be seen and heard on our web-site: http://www.findpianos.com - - We always have a great selectionof Orchestrions, Players and Nickelodeons, Music Boxes and Parts,also one of the largest collections of used player rolls. Call for moreinformation at (714) 432-7426 ask for Kim. Our address is: 2658South Grand Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92705. We can ship anywhere in theUSA. (6-99)5’4” BRAMBACH RECORDO, bench and 50 rolls, $4000 O.B.O.J.F. Sporer, 908-479-4378 NJ. (5-99-G)1964 HARDMAN DUO 88-NOTE player piano, serial #123647.Religious piano rolls, $3000 negotiable. Charles Davis, 220 Dry MillRd. SW Apt F, Leesburg, VA 20175; 703-771-8674. (5-99-G)NICKELODEON conversion with pipes, drums, etc. and 20 “O” rolls,$900; 58/65 note Aeolian push-up player (rosewood) $500; MarqueAmpico upright, foot-pumped reproducing piano, $900. Tom Todd,P.O. Box 772, Saline, MI 48176-0772; 734-429-4417. (5-99-G)DEBENCE RECORDINGS! Includes Berrywood A.O.W., Caliola,Nelson-Wiggin, Military Band Organ and North Tonawanda. Cassettes$10; CD’s $18 + $2 shipping. DeBence Antique Music World, 1261Liberty Street, Franklin, PA 16323; (814) 432-8350. (5-99-G)EIGHT VOCALSTYLE MINSTREL ROLLS - 2 need leaders, 2need tabs, boxes fair, music portion of rolls vg. Plus some joke books.Best offer over $120 plus shipping. Don Breen, 124 Locust St.,Holyoke, MA 01040; 413-532-9061. email: marthab@mediaone.net(5-99-G)Gorgeous and rare: elaborately carved LOUIS XV STYLE WAL-NUT HAINES BROS. AMPICO “A” GRAND circa 1927 w/match-ing bench. Both the piano and Ampico system are carefully restoredand play beautifully. The cabinet is finely refinished. Asking $28,000.Contact Rick Cooley, 404-371-9131. (5-99)

“If you see a bandwagon,it’s too late.”

Sir James Goldsmith

328

STEINWAY 1923 XR with Duo-Art player; complete with rolls, allin original condition. Everything for $9,000 or best offer. Phone 330-657-2211 Canton, Ohio. (5-99)ROLMONICA in excellent condition with two rolls AND the originalbox and instruction sheet, $275. Also another rolmonica in excellentcondition with one roll $125. Sorry no original box on this one but Icould make you a really good looking repro one. Rosemary West 818-595-2872 (days) or email at rosemary.west@applause.com (5-99)1928 SEEBURG Audiophone jukebox - Seeburg’s first audio model(transition from coin-operated pianos) and utilizes apneumatic/mechanical record selector. Walnut cabinet in good condi-tion. Unrestored and complete except title holder; includes electro-pneumatic stepper, original setup instructions, tubing/wiring schemat-ic, $1600. Baxter, 1133 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620;716-473-5322. (5-99)MASON AND HAMLIN Red Welte upright. Excellent original con-dition, untouched and still playing; matching bench; library of approx-imately 100 rolls, $8500. Weber Duo-Art upright, older restoration,playing, $1000. Steinway XR, late, unrestored, complete, $5900.Paul Ciancia, 437 Sicomac Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07481; 201-569-8255days; 201-891-6842 eves. (6-99)KIMBALL grand piano, 6’, with Welte reproducing player action;professionally rebuilt; original ivories, includes 46 rolls, 319-394-3687. (5-99)TWO PLAYER 88-note upright pianos; cases in great condition,players play poorly, need restoration, $390. Fischer Ampico GrandPiano, case in excellent condition, player is in original condition,$2750; also an Aeolian player console, 64 notes, $790, in great work-ing condition. Many 88-note piano rolls, $2.50 each. Send for list.Phone 212-690-9999. (4-00)Two rare CHICKERING Ampico Duo-Art Reproducers - one withoriginal 10-31-21 documents, oak cabinet for storage of large disks.Amberola 30 Edison Cylinder Box; large morning glory horn; 1920’sAmerican 5-6 Aeolian Duo-Art Reproducer in Tiger cherry case;Ampico, Duo-Art, and Cylinder rolls. All items in excellent condi-tion, 304-645-6579 or FAX 304-645-5872 WV. (5-99)FISCHER 5’8” Ampico, 3 leg art case, player mechanism neverrestored, $6,500. Call 215-788-1287. (5-99)HUPFELD HELIOS I Orchestrion, keyboard style, contains piano,mandolin, violin pipes, cello pipes, orchestra bells, bass drum, snaredrum, cymbal and expression effects. Older restoration, looks andplays good. Only $39,500. Kavouras 352-527-9390, e-mail:deekav@aol.com (5-99)REED ORGANS, WILCOX & WHITE, ESTEY, and SMITHAMERICAN. Also a small portable Estey; conditions vary, for further information, please call 203-272-6116. (5-99)Style R.R. AEOLIAN Duo-Art Grand #5111 mfg. 1917. Restorationof player system in late 1960s. Piano is white. $5,000. Call 201-567-8371. (5-99)PIANO ROLL AUCTIONS, reproducing, 88-Note, and literature bymail auction. Serving collectors since 1970. Bennet Leedy Rolls -The Piano Roll Center, 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma, MI 49038;phone 616-468-5986, Fax 616-468-0019, E-mail: leedyrolls@ameritech.net; Web page:http://www.ameritech.net/users/leedyrolls/player.html. (1-00)REPRODUCO, Operators Piano Co., two complete units in good condition with many rolls. Jerry Cuda, 417-753-2063, E-mail:jcuda@axs.net (2-00)PIANO ROLL AUCTIONS - Periodic mail auctions of mostly 88-note rolls and some reproducing and expression rolls from the collection of the late Si Riman. For the latest auction, call or write: Dan Inglima, P.O. Box 769, Hayesville, NC 28904; phone : 828 -389 -3744 , Fax : 828 -389 -4023 o r e -ma i l : <dan@pumachemical.com (2-00)500 FINE GRANDS - Antiques and New Disc, Cassette, Duo-Art,Ampico, Vorsetzer. Victor’s, 300 N.W. 54th St., Miami, Florida33127; 305-751-7502; www.victorpianos.com (5-99)AMPICO ROLLS, newest technology punch-for-punch replicas fromdigital masters. Write for list featuring hard-to-find popular selectionsfrom the 1930s in B format, perforated exactly like the originals, or E-mail: saul.d@ix.netcom.com Precision Music Rolls, 1043 EastsideRoad, El Cajon, CA 92020. (6-99)

New QRS ROLLS: 20% off catalogue price for orders over $100, or5% off all orders less than $100. Refurbished Player Rolls (with newtabs, leaders, and labels) starting at $4.00 each. Good to excellentused rolls starting at $4.50. California Player Roll Co., Hesperia, CAwww.calroll.com Phone 760-244-Roll. (6-99)AMPICHRON clock for the Ampico “B” grand player piano or the Ampico “A” with the B drawer. Includes chime roll and installationinstruction. Phone (360) 653-1799 or Fax (360) 653-8811. F. Adams.(5-99)2 AMPICO “A” drawers $100 & $150; Chickering Ampico “A”flange finger stack $150; Ampico “B” drawer $2500; Mason & Hamlin Ampico “B” stack $1500. Mel Septon, 9045 Karlov, Skokie,IL 60076; 847-679-3455. (4-99-G)

WWAANNTTEEDDGrasshopper (alligator?) pump for the AMPICO spinet piano (1936-1938), original, unrestored condition. Also - Jumbo Duo-Art rolls(originals, please) - the boxes are 4” x 4” at the end panels. Identifyingnumbers are of the form P-3XX (like P-301). Please contact BillKoenigsberg, 77 High Pine Circle, Concord, MA 01742; phone 978-369-8523 or E-mail him at kberg@fiam.net (6-99)Etude Magazine, May-June 1957. Emmett M. Ford, 649 N. Pinecrest,Wichita, KS 67208-3354; 316-683-2508.I am looking for the following assorted Duo-Art parts: the male plugassembly that screws on the outside of an upright; the button and rod toturn on the motor on an upright; an 88/65 Themodist tracker bar. Geoffrey Kaiser, Box 222, Sumneytown, PA 18084. (5-99)Pianolodeon rolls: by Chein (toy player piano); also buying Play-A-Sax, Clarola, and Rolmonica rolls. Buying Pianolodeons, Play-A-Saxes, Clarolas, and Rolmonicas. Jon Tench, 203-790-6239 (CT)before 11 p.m. E.S.T. (4-00)Wurlitzer violin-flute pianino. Jon Tench, 203-790-6239 (CT) before11 p.m. E.S.T. (4-00)I need Duo-Art parts for a 1925 Steinway grand Model OR. I havethe stack, pump, expression box, expression valve box, and pedal pneu-matic. I need everything else including rods and levers and junctionblocks under the keys. I would be willing to buy a complete set to getthe parts I need. Floyd Chamberlain, 4225 NE Laddington Court, Portland, OR 97213; phone 503-235-6535; e-mail:fschamberlain@juno.com (5-99-G)

A pneumatic restoration service for reproducingpianos, nickelodeons and player pianos. Factory

new restoration techniques will insure many yearsof trouble free operation. UPS shipping cartons

furnished for any style action.

464 Dugan Rd. • Richfield Springs, NY 13439

315-858-2164 (2-00)

Visit the AMICA Web page at:

http://www.amica.org

329

AMICA TECHNICALITIESSince 1969, AMICA has been publishing into bound vol-umes, collections of technical articles written and con-tributed by its members for publication in The AMICABulletin. They may be purchased as follows:Vol 1 - 1969 to 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10.00Vol 2 - 1972 to 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.00Vol 3 - 1975 to 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.00Vol 4 - 1978 to 1980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.00Vol 5 - 1981 to 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20.00Vol 6 - 1989 to 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20.00Please note:

Supplies of the earlier volumes may be unavailablefrom time to time.

Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery inUSA/Canada, and 6-8 weeks for overseas orders.

AMICASTATIONERY

andENVELOPES

This is a reducedsample of

the small letterheads

AMICA ITEMS FOR SALE

BOUND ISSUESOF THEAMICA

BULLETIN1971 to 1998

$24.00 (U.S. Dollars) per year

Postage Paid in U.S.

Make checks payable to: AMICA International

Order from:Stuart Grigg

Grigg Graphic Services, Inc.20982 Bridge Street

Southfield, MI 48034(248) 356-5636

AngieW@grigg.com

TECHNICALITIES or AMICA STATIONERY & ENVELOPESPrices shown above are in U.S. dollars, postage is included, and payment must be in U.S. dollars.Payment for orders from beyond U.S.A. must be accompanied by prepaid U.S. dollar money order, or bank draft, etc.Please make payments payable to: “AMICA International”ORDER FROM: Shawn Fox, 1319 Pearl Street, Sandusky, OH 44870 - (419) 621-9758

For Sale

Ampico Piano Rolls4 Outstanding Roll Libraries

1 group of 230 “A” Popular

3 groups of 248 “A” Classical - 744 total.

The rolls were part of the outstanding collection ofthe late Joseph Tushinsky, and include many desir-able rare rolls.

For information and list of rolls, send $1.00 to:

Ralph SchackP.O. Box 4257

Palos Verdes, CA 90274

Tel. 310-377-7739; Fax 310-377-5240

rschack@home.com

(Roll lists will be mailed after Oct. 25, 1999)

330

Dave Bower’sEncyclopedia of

Automatic MusicalInstruments

1000+ page hardbound oversized“bible” covering most forms of antique mechanical music.

Limited print run.

$80 postpaid in the U.S., Two for $150, Five for $300.

Send check, no credit cards.

Martin Roenigk75 Prospect Avenue

Eureka Springs, AR 72632(800) 671-633 • (501) 253-0404

www.mechantiques.com • mroenigk@aol.com(6-99)

WWrraassssee’’ss CCuussttoomm PPiiaannoo MMoovviinngg

Specializing in:Player Grands, Nickelodeons, and Orchestri-

onsAnywhere in Continental US and Canada

• • • • •25 years experience

Knowledgeable Rebuilder and CollectorWell-known • References Available

• • • • •Your instrument is wrapped, padded andsecured for transport in an insulated and

clean custom-built heavy-duty trailer.Professional and personal service.

JJoohhnn PP.. WWrraassssee660088--886622--11226688

ppiiaannoo..mmaann@@ttddss..nneett(3-00)

Put this in your piano and play it!Converts your piano instantlyto play hundreds of music rollsfrom a single disc!

The PowerRoll™ fits instantly onto the tracker bar of your piano and may be connected

to your laptop or desktop computer or to a disc player, enabling you to play hundreds of

songs from CDs. For example, you may purchase a single CD that will perform 446600

AAmmppiiccoo RRoollllss.. Your piano can play continuously for hours, with selections grouped by

title, pianist, composer, roll number, or just by favorites! Music programs for the Duo-Art,

Welte-Mignon or 88-note system (foot-pumped or electric) are also available.

Broadmoore Research Corporation1709 First Street, Unit “C”San Fernando, CA 91340

To order, or for more information, call 800/49-PIANOe-mail: larrybr3@loop.com, or visit our Website at www.powerroll.com

(5-99)

331

WANTED TO BUYMUSIC BOXES

MUSICAL CLOCKSMECHANICAL ORGANS

Always in the market for better quality disc and cylindermusic boxes, musical clocks, singing birds, band organs,player organs, monkey organs, Wurlitzer 78 rpm jukeboxes,slot machines. Any condition.

MARTIN ROENIGK75 Prospect Avenue

Eureka Springs, AR 72632

(800) 671-6333 • (501) 253-0405

www.mechantiques.com • mroenigk@aol.com(6-99)

MELIORAMUSIC ROLLSOriginal, Hand-Played Music Rollsand High Quality Recuts for Your

Player Piano or Duo-ArtOur original offerings include the music of

Scott Joplin, L.M. Gottschalk, Chopin, Robin Frost, James P. Johnson and others -

each roll is superbly musical and painstakingly edited to maximize

performance on your Pianola or Duo-Art.

Call or write for our list of titles:Meliora Music Rolls939 Briarcliff Road, NEAtlanta, GA 30306-4664

(404) 377-1220e-mail: meliorarol@aol.com

Please visit our web page at:http://members.aol.com/meliorarol

(1-00)

Video-taped Interview of AMICA Honorary and QRS Roll Artist

Hi BabitInterview and piano playing of Hi Babit

videotaped at the

1998 Niagara Falls AMICA ConventionLong Playing Video Cassette $15.00 pp

Hal Malakinian2345 Forest Trail Drive • Troy, MI 48098

(248) 528-3111(5-99)

Help!!! Information Needed!!!Wiring diagram/schematic for an

Automatic Music Company player unit from Prairieview, IL 60069

Model X, serial number 1087, installed in a small late1960’s-’70’s Kimball Minuet grand piano. Pneumati-cally reads roll, but plays piano with electromagnets.

Please contact Bennet Leedy, 616-468-5986.

332

REPLACEMENT LEADERSThese 11 1/4” x 17” reprints, not trimmed and without tabs, are excellent replicas of the more popular types ofreproducing piano roll leaders. While intended for roll repairs, they may also be used for decorative purposes.To splice, overlay new leader on old roll, lay a straightedge on an angle, cut through both papers with a sharpknife, discard scrap, and butt-join with magic mending tape on top surface.

A. Brown on buff (For early red label boxes)

B. Black on ivory (Area for reusable artist photo)

C. Black on ivory (Most common)

D. Black on ivory (Very late rolls by combined Aeolian/American)

E. Green on ivory (Most common)

F. Green on ivory (Favorite Fifty & Selected Roll Service)

G. Welte Brown on buff (Most common)

Note: Early Welte’swith blue leaders maybe repaired with thisbrown leader. Many ofthese when reissuedhad brown leaders.

Please make checks payable toAMICA INTERNATIONAL, And send to:

BRIAN K. MEEDER904A West Victoria StreetSanta Barbara, CA 93101-4745

e-mail address for orders:BKMEEDER@aol.com

Checks or moneyorders from for-eign countriesmust be drawnon U.S. bank.

Style QuantityA ______________

B ______________

C ______________

D ______________

E ______________

F ______________

G ______________

Total Quantity ______________

Price: $ 1.00 eachMinimum Order: $10.00

Postage and Handling $ 5.50

Roll Order $ ________

Total Amount (U.S. $) $ ________

333

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