President’s Message

Lawrence Haber

As stamp collectors – philatelists – many of us manage several collections, all seemingly simultaneously. I have always been in awe of those able to keep multiple things straight. My mind is much too clutt ered to permit this particular form of mental gymnastics. It is easier for me to keep things simple and focus on just one collection at a time. Although I have several collections, I focus best on one at a time. Consequently, I frequently forget what I have lurking in the albums lining the wall in my stamp room.

The other day, I pulled out a couple of albums that hadn’t seen the light of day for a few years. I wanted to show some of my “stuff ” to friends. As I turned the pages, I experienced a sense of wonder. As it was turned, each page showed new surprises and delights. Is wonderment the word? It was fun recovering my memory and enjoying this wonderful hobby.

We had the same experience of rediscovery as we packed up the Clubhouse for the movers. It is one thing to be aware of our material and books. It is an altogether diff erent experience to handle the material personally – to hold the books in your hands. Sure, we knew we had the items in the library at the Clubhouse, but encountering them anew is a special feeling.

There are wondrous items in our Clubhouse. Old albums and catalogs from before the turn of the 20th century; photographs of club dinners from the 1910s; a Confederate adversity lett er writt en on repurposed wallpaper; a treasure trove of John Luff ’s philatelic medals; the gold medallion signifying Alfred Lichtenstein's selection as the leading philatelist of the fi rst half of the 20th century. Wow! Plus, we had a lot of philatelic material, (i.e. stamps) stored in the Clubhouse vault— some exceptional collections donated by members years ago.

Amongst all this, we came across something extraordinary. We found a portfolio containing a group of hand-drawn images of architectural details, mostly lighting fi xtures. The fi rm that produced them, “Cassidy Company, 101 Park Avenue, New York City,” was stamped in the upper left-hand corner of each page. One of the images we found was a lighting fi xture in the form of a globe (shown on the facing page. This may have been an early drawing of the lighting fi xture that hung in the center of the second fl oor of 22 East 35th, between the front lounge and the presentation room. This globe forms the basis of our club's current logo. The drawing is exquisite and has multiple colors and fanciful images drawn into it. Not having been around at the time, we surmise that this was an early sketch that eventually led to the fi nal design. This sketch is to be treasured and preserved. We hope to display this in our new clubhouse and not have it just squirreled away in a vault.

Why do I bring all of this up? What does it have to do with anything?

We recognize the mixed emotions you may have regarding this move. Many of our members have great aff ection for the stairs, the columns and the very fabric of the building. There are memories of conversations with many greats of

Collectors Club Philatelist Volume 101, Number 5 259