The Chronology of My (Famous?) Deerstalker

Lately my little corner of the Sherlockian chronology universe has been extra busy. I was honored to be mentioned in a couple of talks at the recent Holmes in the Heartland gathering in St. Louis. I got to be in the largest grouping of chronologists in one spot ever at said gathering, and also got to meet a long-time budding timeliner for the first time in person. Also at that fantastic amassing of the faithful, I found several photocopied items in the bottom of a box from a collection that had been donated for others to pick from and give new homes. Two of the pieces are very interesting, and I'm certain will be subjects of future blog posts. Plus, several more timelines have been found by those of this ilk, and the database keeps growing. It's been fun, and after a decade of doing this I love that I'm just as busy as ever.

For this entry, however, I'm not going to talk chronology. I can hear the collective groans, and I'm sorry, but I wanted to relate something to you that also happened at the St. Louis conference that took me down memory lane.

Between talks I was perusing the dealer's tables. I bought a number of items, but one in particular meant more than the others. It was a magazine - one that was originally a dollar, but had a small green sticker with '10' written on it. I recognized it immediately, and snatched it up as fast as I could. Then, I flipped to page 23. (That number - 23 - has also had some cool appearances in my life. Ask me about it sometime.) Page 23 has two photographs on it. One is large and one is small. The smaller one has the number '2' beside it, and that's an error according the notation that represents it. It should say '1' but no never mind. That smaller picture is of Luther Norris. He was a member of the BSI and was the founder of The Praed Street Irregulars and The Solar Pons Society.

On its own, the photo doesn't mean much. The reason it's important to me is because of something that happened twenty-five years ago. As a young Sherlockian I bought up everything. The vaccuum effect. We've all done it. I found a man many will recognize - Vinnie Brosnan. He had a catalog series called Sherlock in L.A. I spoke to him a few times. We referred to each other as Vinnie in L.A. and Vinnie in Indy. (That nickname privelege is one that is extended to very, very few, by the way.) One of the catalogs I owned had a page that featured three deerstalkers - Items #254, 255, and 256. I sent Vinnie a check for the amount of the asking price - $55 - and let him pick which one he'd send me. I received #255 in the mail soon after, but it was years before I realized how special it was. I was flipping through the same catalog some time later and was looking at a photo section on the middle pages of an auction many decades ago that featured some of the clothing Basil Rathbone wore in the Holmes movies. Luther Norris officiated, but I knew nothing about him. The photo of him that was in the catalog is the same one (above) from the magazine.

The caption that accompanied the photo said 'Luther Norris wearing Item #255', or something like that. (I lost the catalog to water damage many years ago, and haven't found one since, but what I wrote is close.) Years later I was at a meeting of The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis and saw the above (unfamiliar to me) magazine on a table. I started thumbing through it and came across the photo. I talked to some of the senior members, and it was only then that I learned who Norris was and what he had done. I also pointed out that I was wearing the exact same deerstalker, and told the story to everyone that would listen. That's when I got my picture taken. (Yes, I was sporting earrings, too. That season has passed.) This photo is from the article I wrote for the newsletter for the club.

Now, I do not know if the hat actually belonged to Luther Norris, or if he was just wearing it that day. I have absolutely no way to know if he borrowed or owned it. That doesn't stop people from saying that I have the deerstalker that belonged to Luther Norris, however, and that makes some of the Solar Pons folk crazy. Either way, I am happy to still have it, but wear it less these days. It sits on a shelf in my living room - not because of its suspected provenance, but because it is my deerstalker and is still a wearable item of clothing. I do like having this little mystery attached to it, and hope I never find out the answer. It's more fun that way. (I would also like to say that it will go to someone when I pass. They don't know they're in my will, but I know they'll be thrilled to have the piece in the event of my demise.)

Adding to the line at the end of the previous paragraph, I would like to mention Pat Ward. A lot of us knew Pat. She was a wonderful person, and a great Sherlockian. I will only say that her passing was quick and she was surrounded by friends. I will always miss her, and know others will, too. Still, there is no way she would want any of us to not enjoy this hobby to the fullest. She knew the therapy in it, and the rest of us should follow suit. So, once again I express my appreciation of you and your loyalty. I'll see you next month, and as always...thanks for reading.