Hi, I have a small 2 1/4 by 3 1/4 inch card with a 1 1/2 by 1 photo of Gladys Rice (I believe) that says:
kindly present bearer with the large sepia picture from which this miniature was made Thomas A Edison., Inc Until this time I did not know Edison gave out promotional photos, does anyone know how this was earned or given? For another promotion Edison had the current December Maps magazine tells about the orange box amberols and why they are so rare, an excellent article by Charles Gregory. The hobby is fun for two reasons, there is always more to learn, and those who are kind enough to teach. Steve From taediso...@aol.com Sun Dec 19 09:48:18 2004 From: taediso...@aol.com (taediso...@aol.com) Date: Sun Dec 24 13:09:58 2006 Subject: [Phono-L] Dave Heitz Message-ID: <7d.5f04026e.2ef71...@aol.com> I hardly know where to begin... Dave's death has hit me hard. He has been a very dear friend for over 10 years, and I've spent many happy hours visiting with him. His legendary October parties were such a treat that I made it a point to fly from CA to PA every year to participate. A few of us would come in on Saturday morning and spend the day helping him to set up -- a massive job considering the number of guests and the lavishness of the feast he presented. But we'd have a grand time working through the day, then go out for a celebratory dinner. My happiest memories were of the post-party evenings, after most people had left and only a few hard-core collectors would hang around, eating leftovers, drinking to excess, and sharing stories. The fellowship and good cheer was much more intoxicating than Dave's open bar! Dave was unbelievably generous with his time and knowledge. Not to mention generous with objects. On one visit I was joined by a friend who was a rabidly fanatic cylinder collector. The topic of North American brown wax came up, and Dave pulled out a channel-rim NA cylinder and handed it to my friend, saying "here you go." It was not in the best of condition, but it was playable, and my friend nearly melted into a puddle of gratitude at this astonishing gesture. Dave was simply happy to see it go to someone who truly appreciated it. On another occasion a visitor was carrying on about his favorite singer, Ada Jones. Dave went off for a bit and rummaged through a file drawer, then presented his guest with an autographed postcard sent by Ada to her nephew in the early part of the century. Just one more random act of kindness, for which Dave was so famous. I also treasure the memories of cruising through the back roads behind New Hope, PA, in his Model T touring car, with Dave activating the 'wolf whistle' and laughing like a teenager as we tore up the roads at 30mph. Last year, after a pit stop at a local colonial-era tavern, Dave handed the keys to the T to our friend Bill Ptacek and said "here, you drive." How many people do you know who would simply give the keys to his cherished antique auto to someone else like that? Then again, that's how he presented his collection. At his annual party when he opened the doors to his "barn," which was in reality a spectacularly arranged private museum, everything was fair game. Guests were free to play with any of the machines they wanted to. The coin-ops all had trays of coins handy, the Victors all had fresh needles. If someone needed to inspect a motor, they were free to open any machine. Fortunately, as far as I know, no one ever betrayed his trust. I have stories upon stories like that. Dave was simply the best, a true gentleman yet someone who didn't hesitate to speak his mind openly. He was a character, in the best sense of the word. A loveable curmudgeon, a cantankerous teddy bear. The hobby will not be the same without him. Best regards, Rene Rondeau
