THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, November 17, 2017
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ASKS | from page 3
Q: So what is the deadline for you? A: We want to have it in the shop by Dec. 1. Q: Dec. 1? A: Right. We want to have it in the shop by Dec. 1, and we want
to have the calendars available and ready to go before Christmas. Q: So the calendars will be out before Christmas this year, which would be a lot earlier than the 2017 calendars. And how many photos or postcards do you have so far?
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A: I have a series of photos of the Flying Tigers. Q: So the Flying Tigers are definitely going to be featured in next year’s calendar? A: Yes, for Veterans Day in November. Q: Do you have the photo picked out? A: Yes, we do. Q: And that’s the guy you mentioned who is going to be featured? Walter Daniels? A: Yes. Q: With his plane? A: His plane was shot up quite a bit. Q: So he’s standing near the actual plane that was shot up? That’s great. A: Yep. I know of one other
guy in Saugus who was part of the Tigers, and his son will help me out. Q: How many other months do you have set in the calendar? A: Right now, none. Q: Just the one for November? A: Right. We’ll go through a stack of maybe 20 photos. Q: And these are ones that have not been used in past calendars? A: Hopefully. We normally have photos with snow in the cold months. Q: Now, there were a couple of celebrations this year involving Round Hill and Vinegar Hill. Are those possibilities for photos? A: I believe we have a postcard of Round Hill. Q: You don’t have one with the organ on? There are stories about an organ that was brought up there for a sunrise service. A: I never heard that. Q: When I interviewed Stephen Carson [Historical Commission chair], he told me about that story that was circulating. A: I never heard that before. Q: What’s the most interesting photo that you’ve had over the years that’s been used in a calendar? A: I don’t know. It’s difficult to tell. Q: Well, the photos you include get people talking. The one you used for the Masonic Lodge got me to look at doing a feature story on the lodge’s 150th anniversary. A: Well, I did the research on that. A lot of people don’t realize how much that involves. You go online to try to get information on it. You might hit a dead end, so you go on again and try asking the question a different way. Then you get an answer, and it leads you to something else, something else and something else. And you know, that takes a lot of time – trying to find out the history behind a photo. Q: Do you get much help when you need to go to Town Hall for some information for your research? A: I never have to go there. I’ve never gone there for information. Q: So it’s just the historical archives that you focus on? A: Right. Q: Here’s your chance to make your pitch to the public. What kind of pictures do you want to see to put into next year’s calendar? What are you looking for? A: Anyone who has any photographs of the Flying Tigers or anything of early Saugus. Something of interest to the general population. I’m thinking that nobody who is here now ever saw many of these things, and maybe they can relate to what was there and what used to be there. What I’m looking for is original photos that would be of interest to everyone, preferably before the 50’s. I have an extensive postcard collection of Sau-
gus, but I am always looking for something that hasn’t been used. Q: So, logistically, what’s the best way to get the photo or photos to you? A: People can call me at Park Press or take the photos down there. At Park Press, they scan them in five minutes. And people can be in and out, and we won’t damage anything at all. You know, people are conscious about losing something. Q: Or they can email you at your home? A: Yes. People can email me at geowbrown17@gmail.com or they can call me at 508-8788684; leave a message and I’ll call you right back. Everything has to be done by December 2. Q: So you’ve got a short window here. A: Yes. There’s a lot involved. And for every new ad, there’s more work for my son Eric to do. And he goes through the calendar to make sure every holiday is done. Q: And the ads support the production costs? A: And so do sales. They sell them down at Town Hall offices. Q: How many copies are you going to have printed? A: Usually about 2,500. Q: And anything else that you would like to share or say about the calendar? About the calendar or the man behind the calendar? A: I’m doing this because the people in the society really don’t have the time to donate. Not that I have that much time either, but I do get to find the time. Last year when the calendar was late, or any year when the calendar is late, I start getting phone calls at home. Really. People look my landline up and call me up. “Where’s the calendar,” they want to know. “Where’s the calendar?” I had nothing to do with it when it finally came out this year, a couple of months late, but I’ve got it back again. Q: So you said you started doing it in 2002, and there were a couple of years that you didn’t do it. So, all total, you put in about 13 years of volunteer work on the calendars, I guess. A: Yeah, 13 or 14 years. The original calendar was started by our town manager at the time, Ed Collins, and he used all of my postcards. And that was 1995, and it was mailed out to every household in Saugus. Q: Anything else that you would like to share? A: The interesting thing is, we’ve seen this on eBay. Can you imagine that? Q: People trying to hawk them on eBay? A: Yeah! The year 1995 – the first year one – it’s hard to get one. Nobody has it. Q: So for how much? A: I believe we’ve seen one sell for $10 to $12 – not much – but that’s just an oddball thing. Who the heck would think that it would be selling on eBay!