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We know this blog reaches hundreds of people on a daily basis, and normally we don't ask much of our readers. But this is an exception. We need your help. Or more accurately, another Sherlockian needs your help.

It seems that one of our own is suffering in a pretty bad way and could use some snail mail to cheer him up. Joseph Coppola, BSI ("Victor Hatherly") writes that a fellow member of the Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse needs some good old community effort to help lift his spirits. Joe writes:


Some years ago, this group saved the life of Mycroftian Alice Daye by sending her letters and cards when she was in the burn unit here in Syracuse. I write today to ask for your generosity again to assist in the recovery of Win Martin.

Win is a longtime member of the Mycroft Holmes Society of Syracuse, he is our resident musician having been a classically trained pianist and organist as well as an active contributor to our meetings. You haven't heard 'We Never mention Aunt Clara' until you have heard it played on a full pipe organ by a classically trained organist. His wife, also a Mycroftian, passed away a few years ago. Win has no family and has been fighting severe depression ever since, he is also fighting the usual infirmities of advance age and is not very mobile.

His Doctor has recently ordered him to move to an adult residence home so that he will have more social contact. He feels alone in the world, I have told him that he is a Sherlockian and that he has a Sherlockian family that cares about him.

I'm asking you to reinforce that statement by sending him a postcard, greeting card, or letter. He needs to know that he is not forgotten. If you will, his address is:

'Win' Martin
Manlius Home for Adults
215 E Pleasant St.
Manlius, NY 13104
U.S.A.
Here's a suggestion, to really liven the correspondence up: why not describe your first encounter with Sherlock Holmes? This will help Win reminisce and to get to know you a little better as a Sherlockian. I know I'll be sending my own greetings out shortly. Won't you join me?

If we can get even 1/4 of the blog readership to send something to Win, he'll have enough reading material to last him quite a while.

5 comments:

Bill Donahue said... April 17, 2007 at 8:56 PM

A letter to Win Martin will go out tomorrow (4/18) Do you know I was suddenly reminded of Holmes' comment to Watson in His Last Bow. In the last paragraph Holmes comments that an east wind is coming, meaning war. Watson missing the symbolism, comments that it is very warm and Holmes rather delightfully says "Good old Watson. You are the one fixed point in a changing age." Well, for many, the Holmes and Watson stories are the one fixed point in our changing world. It seems right to turn to them along with others we may never meet face to face with and share that "quiet talk" like Holmes and Watson did in that world where (thanks to Vincent Starret we can say) "it is always 1895."

Scott said... April 17, 2007 at 10:10 PM

Thank you, Bill. Well said.

Julia Huggins said... April 18, 2007 at 8:03 PM

I saw this on "Welcome Holmes" and will have something in the post tomorrow or the day after...I hope Mr Martin likes a sense of humor with his Holmes..

Mary said... May 10, 2007 at 8:31 PM

I just found this blog through a Nick Rowe message board on IMDB. Your April fool's joke, BTW, has gottten a lot of comments there.
Would Mr. Martin welcome a postcard from Tennessee, by chance?

Scott said... May 11, 2007 at 8:15 AM

Mary,
Thank you for the comment. I'm sure Win would love to have a postcard from Tennessee - a little Southern hospitality never hurt anyone!

 
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