Newsletters
THE TORIST TIMES
Published for the Torists International, SS (Sherlockian Society)
Founded in 1987
A scion of the Baker Street Irregulars
The Torists Motto: “For The Sake of The Game”
Founded by: Donald B. Izban, BSI, Anthony J. Citera,, and Alfred A. Levin, BSI
September 27, 2023 Meeting
Torists International SS held its annual Dr. Watson’s Birthday meeting on September 27, 2023. The meeting was held at the Great Escape in Schiller Park and attended by 30 Sherlockians and watched by numerous Sherlockians on zoom.
Toasts in honor of Dr. Watson’s birthday were given by Patricia Izban, Beau Meskan, Bob Sharfman and yours truly. A birthday cake was served in addition to desert
Steven Doyle gave a presentation on Whiskey and Sodality. He explained his journey into the world of Sherlockiana. And then he delved into the history of a multitude of scions, mostly focusing on the midwest. He strongly suggested that the Sherlock Holmes Societies could continue to survive and thrive by supporting one another. He has graciously given us a copy of his presentation. You can find it at https://utu.be/x2hE23x9Y-E
Please watch it an enjoy it as much as we all did. You can also find the text at our new website (under construction) at sites.google.com/view/toristintss
The Chief Steward then asked the audience to talk about their particular scion. Max Magee talked about The Notorious Canary Trainers in Madison, Wisconsin. Cindy Brown told us about the Crew of the Barque Lone Star in Dallas, Texas. Janice Weiner described the Scotland Yarders meeting in the Chicago Suburbs. Dan Andriacco told us about The Tankerville Club in Cincinnati Ohio. Dino Argyopoulos told us about the annual Hounds of the Baskerville (sic) dinner coming up on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Steven Doyle spoke of the Illustrious Clients in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the perfect way to follow up on his presentation.
The Chief Steward inadvertently forgot to mention future Torists meeting and he failed to ask Phil Cunningham about the Watsonians, with the Silver Blaze race. Watch this newsletter or future announcements for both.
Watson’s Birth Date
There is much discussion about the date of Dr. Watson’s birthday, with most thinking it is either July 7, 1852 or August 7, 1852. However, we at Torists International celebrate on September 27 based upon substantial research.
Many years ago, the Torists ran a contest for its members to determine the exact date of John H. Watson’s birthday. Only a few participated; and of those, there was only one acceptable- though barely reasonable conclusion. That one entrant based his findings on the writings of Plutarch (circa 50 A. D.), the science of astronomy, the pseudo-science of astrology, and some Canonical and not-so-Canonical authoritative conjecture. . . All of which was not very convincing.
Then, out of the blue, came an anonymous fan of the “Sacred Writings” who seemed to be a serious collector of Sherlockiana and who somehow and someway - - - found out about the contest. He or she (whoever, whatever) dispatched a letter, postmarked Waco, Texas, which briefly stated the date in question is September 27th. Further to corroborate these findings, enclosed with the letter, was a photocopied segment torn from Dr. Watson’s diary (he did keep one- - see HOUN) from the from the literary collection of a retired British naval officer, Admiral Bertram Ramsay Jr. The above is taken from a program of the Torists meeting on September 27, 2014.) Research used in determining this date can be found at ToristInternational.org
BTW - The next meeting of the Torists will be December 27, 2023. This is our Blue Carbuncle dinner and will feature Al Shaw, BSI as a thaumaturge. Information regarding this event will be forthcoming.
Linda Crohn
Chief Steward’s Wife
For more information about Torists International SS contact Jon Shimberg, Chief Steward, at toristsintss@gmail.com
THE TORIST TIMES
Published for the Torists International, SS (Sherlockian Society)
Founded in 1987
A scion of the Baker Street Irregulars
The Torists Motto: “For The Sake of The Game”
Founded by: Donald B. Izban, BSI, Anthony J. Citera,, and Alfred A. Levin, BSI
September 27, 2023 Meeting
Torists International SS held its annual Dr. Watson’s Birthday meeting on September 27, 2023. The meeting was held at the Great Escape in Schiller Park and attended by 30 Sherlockians and watched by numerous Sherlockians on zoom.
Toasts in honor of Dr. Watson’s birthday were given by Patricia Izban, Beau Meskan, Bob Sharfman and yours truly. A birthday cake was served in addition to desert
Steven Doyle gave a presentation on Whiskey and Sodality. He explained his journey into the world of Sherlockiana. And then he delved into the history of a multitude of scions, mostly focusing on the midwest. He strongly suggested that the Sherlock Holmes Societies could continue to survive and thrive by supporting one another. He has graciously given us a copy of his presentation. You can find it at https://utu.be/x2hE23x9Y-E
Please watch it an enjoy it as much as we all did. You can also find the text at our new website (under construction) at sites.google.com/view/toristintss
The Chief Steward then asked the audience to talk about their particular scion. Max Magee talked about The Notorious Canary Trainers in Madison, Wisconsin. Cindy Brown told us about the Crew of the Barque Lone Star in Dallas, Texas. Janice Weiner described the Scotland Yarders meeting in the Chicago Suburbs. Dan Andriacco told us about The Tankerville Club in Cincinnati Ohio. Dino Argyopoulos told us about the annual Hounds of the Baskerville (sic) dinner coming up on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Steven Doyle spoke of the Illustrious Clients in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the perfect way to follow up on his presentation.
The Chief Steward inadvertently forgot to mention future Torists meeting and he failed to ask Phil Cunningham about the Watsonians, with the Silver Blaze race. Watch this newsletter or future announcements for both.
Watson’s Birth Date
There is much discussion about the date of Dr. Watson’s birthday, with most thinking it is either July 7, 1852 or August 7, 1852. However, we at Torists International celebrate on September 27 based upon substantial research.
Many years ago, the Torists ran a contest for its members to determine the exact date of John H. Watson’s birthday. Only a few participated; and of those, there was only one acceptable- though barely reasonable conclusion. That one entrant based his findings on the writings of Plutarch (circa 50 A. D.), the science of astronomy, the pseudo-science of astrology, and some Canonical and not-so-Canonical authoritative conjecture. . . All of which was not very convincing.
Then, out of the blue, came an anonymous fan of the “Sacred Writings” who seemed to be a serious collector of Sherlockiana and who somehow and someway - - - found out about the contest. He or she (whoever, whatever) dispatched a letter, postmarked Waco, Texas, which briefly stated the date in question is September 27th. Further to corroborate these findings, enclosed with the letter, was a photocopied segment torn from Dr. Watson’s diary (he did keep one- - see HOUN) from the from the literary collection of a retired British naval officer, Admiral Bertram Ramsay Jr. The above is taken from a program of the Torists meeting on September 27, 2014.) Research used in determining this date can be found at ToristInternational.org
BTW - The next meeting of the Torists will be December 27, 2023. This is our Blue Carbuncle dinner and will feature Al Shaw, BSI as a thaumaturge. Information regarding this event will be forthcoming.
Linda Crohn
Chief Steward’s Wife
For more information about Torists International SS contact Jon Shimberg, Chief Steward, at toristsintss@gmail.com
THE TORIST TIMES
Published for the Torists International, SS (Sherlockian Society)
Founded in 1987
A scion of the Baker Street Irregulars
The Torists Motto: “For The Sake of The Game”
Founded by: Donald B. Izban, BSI, Anthony J. Citera,, and Alfred A. Levin, BSI
September 27, 2023 Meeting
Torists International SS held its annual Dr. Watson’s Birthday meeting on September 27, 2023. The meeting was held at the Great Escape in Schiller Park and attended by 30 Sherlockians and watched by numerous Sherlockians on zoom.
Toasts in honor of Dr. Watson’s birthday were given by Patricia Izban, Beau Meskan, Bob Sharfman and yours truly. A birthday cake was served in addition to desert
Steven Doyle gave a presentation on Whiskey and Sodality. He explained his journey into the world of Sherlockiana. And then he delved into the history of a multitude of scions, mostly focusing on the midwest. He strongly suggested that the Sherlock Holmes Societies could continue to survive and thrive by supporting one another. He has graciously given us a copy of his presentation. You can find it at https://utu.be/x2hE23x9Y-E
Please watch it an enjoy it as much as we all did. You can also find the text at our new website (under construction) at sites.google.com/view/toristintss
The Chief Steward then asked the audience to talk about their particular scion. Max Magee talked about The Notorious Canary Trainers in Madison, Wisconsin. Cindy Brown told us about the Crew of the Barque Lone Star in Dallas, Texas. Janice Weiner described the Scotland Yarders meeting in the Chicago Suburbs. Dan Andriacco told us about The Tankerville Club in Cincinnati Ohio. Dino Argyopoulos told us about the annual Hounds of the Baskerville (sic) dinner coming up on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Steven Doyle spoke of the Illustrious Clients in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the perfect way to follow up on his presentation.
The Chief Steward inadvertently forgot to mention future Torists meeting and he failed to ask Phil Cunningham about the Watsonians, with the Silver Blaze race. Watch this newsletter or future announcements for both.
Watson’s Birth Date
There is much discussion about the date of Dr. Watson’s birthday, with most thinking it is either July 7, 1852 or August 7, 1852. However, we at Torists International celebrate on September 27 based upon substantial research.
Many years ago, the Torists ran a contest for its members to determine the exact date of John H. Watson’s birthday. Only a few participated; and of those, there was only one acceptable- though barely reasonable conclusion. That one entrant based his findings on the writings of Plutarch (circa 50 A. D.), the science of astronomy, the pseudo-science of astrology, and some Canonical and not-so-Canonical authoritative conjecture. . . All of which was not very convincing.
Then, out of the blue, came an anonymous fan of the “Sacred Writings” who seemed to be a serious collector of Sherlockiana and who somehow and someway - - - found out about the contest. He or she (whoever, whatever) dispatched a letter, postmarked Waco, Texas, which briefly stated the date in question is September 27th. Further to corroborate these findings, enclosed with the letter, was a photocopied segment torn from Dr. Watson’s diary (he did keep one- - see HOUN) from the from the literary collection of a retired British naval officer, Admiral Bertram Ramsay Jr. The above is taken from a program of the Torists meeting on September 27, 2014.) Research used in determining this date can be found at ToristInternational.org
BTW - The next meeting of the Torists will be December 27, 2023. This is our Blue Carbuncle dinner and will feature Al Shaw, BSI as a thaumaturge. Information regarding this event will be forthcoming.
Linda Crohn
Chief Steward’s Wife
For more information about Torists International SS contact Jon Shimberg, Chief Steward, at toristsintss@gmail.com
The Torists Times
Published for the Torists International, SS (Sherlockian Society)
Founded in 1987
A scion of the Baker Street Irregulars
The Torists Motto: “For The Sake of The Game”
Founded by: Donald B. Izban, BSI, Anthony J. Citera, and Alfred A. Levin, BSI
December 27, 2023 Meeting
Torists International SS held its annual Blue Carbuncle meeting on December 27, 2023. The meeting was held at the Great Escape in Schiller Park and attended by some 40 Sherlockians and their families as well as watched by numerous Sherlockians on zoom.
A toast in honor of the Blue Carbuncle and the Christmas goose was given by Adriana Zulkey. Beau Meskan gave a toast to all near and far in honor of the season.
Beau graciously gave everyone a copy of his monograph “Some Observations on the Traditions of Christmas in the Holmes-Queen Victoria Era with my ancient Family Recipe for Proper English Christmas Pudding.”
Rudy Altergott read Monologue in Baker Street by Vincent Starrett.
Janice Weiner, B. S. I., spoke of the Blue Carbuncle and the magic of the season.
The main event of the evening was conducted by Al Shaw B. S. I. (Sir Hugo Baskerville) . He performed
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numerous tricks that amazed and delighted the audience.
He also emceed a pack of Sherlockian magicians, including
Carlina de la Cova, B.S. I., Ridgely Hunt and Max Magee
IF ANYONE HAS MORE PICTURES OF AL’S MAGIC TRICKS, HE WOULD APPRECIATE A COPY. Please send to toristintss@gmail.com
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
The Torists International SS celebrate this story every year on December 27th, the actual date of the story. It is a favorite of Sherlockians for its holiday message
We know that Peterson’s wife found a stone in the crop of a goose. Peterson tells Holmes that “it cuts glass as though it were putty.” Holmes then states that the stone is the famous Blue Carbuncle. As Janice Weiner stated n her presentation, there is no such thing as a Blue Carbuncle. And from my research, I have found that to be true. A carbuncle was original used to denote a gemstone that comes in many colors but not bright blue. It is often used for red stones such as garnets or rubies, not diamonds.
There are numerous references to carbuncles in literature, but none are blue.
A carbuncle plays a mystic role in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “ The Great Carbuncle.”
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet there is a reference to carbuncles “With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus.....”
In John Milton’s Paradise Lost , Satan’s eyes are like carbuncles.
In Anne Rice’s novel The Witching Hour, Llewellyn shows Lightner of the Talamasca a “beautiful carbuncle ring.”
Carbuncles are listed among the gemstones collected by Dorian Gray (The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde)
“Precious as carbuncles” are used several times in the Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis
There are also references to carbuncles in the bible.
In Exodus carbuncles are used as the fourth stone in the breastplate of the Hoshen.
Isaiah uses carbuncle to convey the value of the Lord’s blessing to His barren woman servant.
From Wikipedia
So no matter the stone or the color, Sherlockians will always remember and love The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.
TORISTS ON THE MOVE
Many Torists have taken the message of Steve Doyle’s presentation given in September, seriously. We have traveled around the Midwest going to various meetings of other scions.
In the beginning of December, Bob Sharfman went to Minneapolis for a meeting of the Norwegian Explorers. There our founder, Don Izban. was recognized with the much coveted Sigerson award for his article in the Christmas Annual “Twas Another Night Before Christmas” a tribute to the scion’s 75th year. Bob Sharfman also received an award for his article “Learning From Sherlock Holmes”. Torist member Max Magee also attended this meeting.
Bob then went to meet Chief Steward and yours truly. We went the Cincinnati for The Tankerville Club’s Christmas meeting. We heard a discussion of the Greek Interpreter
The three of us then drove to Indianapolis for the Illustrious Clients holiday meeting. There Ira Matetsky spoke of Nero Wolfe and the Canon. Great presentation!
If that wasn’t enough, on December 17th, the three of us drove to Madison for The Notorious Canary Trainers meeting. Again, we were present for a discussion of the Greek Interpreter.
Traveling in reverse, we had members Max Magee, from The Notorious Canary Trainers in Madison, and Ed Weiss, from the Parallel Case of St. Louis come to Chicago for our Blue Carbuncle dinner.
Rudy Altergott went to the Ribston-Pippins meeting in the north suburbs of Detroit. Rudy was the speaker in their spring meeting on secret societies in the Canon.
While at the most recent meeting celebrating their 35th anniversary, he heard Ray Betzner speak. He sat with his good buddies, Rich Krisciunas, Madeline Quinones, Louise Haskett , Ann Margaret Lewis and Shelly Gage. Steve Doyle also gave a brief reprise of the Whiskey and Sodality talk, previously given to the Torists International in September.
Bob Sharfman and Max Magee visited Don and Patricia Izban. The two have not been able to attend our meetings recently.
If any other Torists are out and about and visiting our neighboring scion meetings, please let me know so I can include it in future newsletters.
CALENDAR
Chicago Scion Meetings 2024
Jan. 24 The South Downers meeting at Scrementis in Steger. The annual Holmes birthday
meeting. Quiz and program covering the entire Canon given by Phil Angelo. For more information contact Phil at philangelo@comcast.net
Jan. 11-13 BSI weekend in New York city. Wait and see how many Torists attend.
Jan. 24 Scotland Yarders meeting. 6:30pm at the Winnetka Public Library, 768 Oak St.
Winnetka in the Lloyd Room. The program will be a story discussion of BOSC and a viewing of the Jeremy Brett version of the story. For information contact Janice Weiner at jlweiner@sbcglobal.net.
Jan. 27 Criterion Bar Association meeting on Zoom. 6:30pm social time, 7pm program. Donny
Zalden will give a talk “A Study in Sources of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Short Story ‘The Adventure of the Dancing Men’”. The Zoom link will be sent to attendees a few days prior to the meeting. For information contact Franklin Saksena at
Franklin.saksena@gmail.com
March 9, 2024 The Torists’ next meeting. We are excited to have Rob Nunn, B.S.I. from St. Louis, presenting. He will discuss, among other things, all the people he has interviewed in his blogs. The place for dinner to be announced.
We are also excited for our June 28, 2024 meeting. Monica Schmidt, B. S. I. will be our featured speaker. This will be followed on June 29, 2024 by The Watsonians, 65th annual running of the Silver Blaze race at Hawthorne race track. More information about these events will be forthcoming.
Linda Crohn
Chief Steward’s Wife
For more information about Torists International SS contact Jonathan Shimberg, Chief Steward, at toristsintss@gmail.com
or check out our website at
sites.google.com/view/torist
For future issues, please feel free to contribute articles, reviews of other meetings, books, movies or any other things of interest to Sherlockians
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