To watch the entire ceremony (about 45 minutes long), visit
Doings of Doyle.
Susan Rice Mentorship Award
On Friday at the Gillette Luncheon, the assembled diners bore witness to the latest recipient of the Susan Rice Mentorship Award.
The
Susan Rice Mentorship Award was established in 2022 to recognize the activities of a member of the Sherlock Holmes community who has been a mentor to others, in the spirit of Susan Rice.
This year's honoree, announced at the William Gillette Luncheon, was Francine Kitts, BSI ("Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope").
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Ray Betzner presents Francine Kitts the award (photo credit: Will Walsh) |
The inaugural award went to Peter Blau, BSI ("Black Peter") and the second annual award went to Evy Herzog, BSI ("The Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet").
Plaudits From the BSI Dinner
As ever, the swirling curiosity and interest are centered on the Baker Street Irregulars annual investitures of new members. But before that, we were greeted with other substantial news.
The Woman
The Woman, an honorific given to the spouse of a Baker Street Irregular was announced at the pre-dinner reception. This year's honoree was Pamela Wampler, wife of Steven Doyle, BSI ("The Western Morning News"). She was toasted and introduced by Mark Gagen, BSI ("Sir James Damery"), after which Pam gave her own good-spirited remarks.
The Morley-Montgomery Award
This year, the award was given to Eric Scace for his article “Five Quarter Centuries of Confusion Over the Missing Three-Quarter,” concerning the nuances of Victorian telegraphy that appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of the BSJ.
Eric's partner Jessica Schilling won the 2020 Morley-Montgomery Award for her article “Just His Type: An Analysis of the Découpé Warning in The Hound of the Baskervilles.” This makes them the first Sherlockian couple to individually hold the award.
The Honours List (Investitures)
And then we arrived at the announcement of the latest investitures into the Baker Street Irregulars. Membership is granted by Michael Kean, BSI ("General Gordon"), who serves at the BSI's "Wiggins." Each member receives an investiture — a phrase from the Sherlock Holmes canon that is significant or in other ways meaningful to that person.
The BSI's Class of 2024 is:
Otto Penzler, BSI ("The King of Bohemia") received the Two Shilling Award, for service above and beyond.
We're pleased to note that five of the recipients above have appeared as interview guests on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. This doesn't mean that IHOSE confers shilling-worthiness on guests, but it does indicate our producers' good taste.
It is difficult to capture all of the activities of the BSI Weekend, due to so many small groups branching out to honor their own traditions, including named events such as ASH Wednesday, Lost in New York with a Bunch of Sherlockians, and the ASH Brunch. Not to mention other events like the Vendors Room, the BSI Reception.
A comprehensive report of the events will be in the Spring issue of the
Baker Street Journal. Check your subscription to make sure you're on the list!
As ever, the game's afoot!