“a brief review of what had passed” [THOR]
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Photo credit: Will Walsh |
For the purposes of this update, we're focused on the accolades from the weekend, which happened over a series of events.
On Thursday, January 16, the ACD Society held its annual meeting at the Mysterious Bookshop, which once again included the running of the Wessex Cup, with 16 entered horses, all designed by Peggy McFarlane, BSI ("Violet Westbury").
Doylean Honors
The ACD Society also had a more august role, which was the conferring of its annual Doylean Honors.
For Lifetime Service:
- Catherine Cooke, a leading figure in the world of Arthur Conan Doyle scholarship and cultural activity, including management of the Sherlock Holmes Collection at the Westminster Libraries.
- Margie Deck for the story collection The Genius of the Place (Belanger Books 2023).
- Daniel Friedman and Eugene Friedman for the poem, At the Crossroads of Fate (Belanger Books 2024).
- Nicholas Meyer for the novel, Sherlock Holmes and the Telegraph from Hell (Mysterious Press 2024)
- Mark Gatiss for the film, Lot 249 (Adorable Media/BBC Arts 2023).
- Hal Glatzer for the radio play, Flatfinders 1881 (2024).
For excellence in the "Visual Arts" category:
- Megan Oldhues for the painting, The End of Devil Hawker (Sherlock Holmes Walk Mural Art 2024).
- Molly Knox Ostertag for the drawing, Watson’s Sketchbook: Volume 1 (MKO Books 2024).
For excellence in the "Scholarly Writing" category:
- Anne Chapman for the article, "Authority and medical expertise: Arthur Conan Doyle in The Idler," in Medical Humanities (a journal of the Institute of Medical Ethics, 2023).
- Ollie Randall for the article, "Cricket, Literary Culture and In-Groups in Early Twentieth-Century Britain," in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2024).
To watch the entire ceremony (about 30 minutes long), see the video on the Doings of Doyle YouTube channel.
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 Julie McKuras, BSI ("The Dutchess of Devonshire").
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Photo credit: Will Walsh |
Previous honorees of the Susan Rice Mentorship Award:
- Peter Blau, BSI ("Black Peter")
- Evy Herzog, BSI ("The Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet")
- Francine Kitts, BSI ("Lady Trelawney Hope")
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 Ellen Pfeifer, wife of Dan Polvere, BSI ("Holloway and Steele"). She was toasted and introduced by Richard Olken, BSI ("Bob Carruthers"), after which Elen gave her own remarks.
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Photo credit: Will Walsh |
The Morley-Montgomery Award
Each year, one article in the Baker Street Journal (as determined by a panel of judges) is chosen for the Morley-Montgomery Award.
This year, the award was given to Michael Meer, BSI ("The Englischer Hof") for his article “The Methods of Sherlock Holmes: The "Examination Paper" of 1893's Author Revealed,” appearing in the Winter 2024 issue of the BSJ.
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 2025 is:
- Shana Carter — "Carter"
- Jim Cox — "Coxon"
- Judi Ellis — "The Carlton Club"
- Ron Fish — "The Hon. Ronald Adair"
- Beth Gallego — "Lighthouses"
- Bruce Harris — "Harris"
- Louise Haskett — "Aurora"
- Rosemary Herbert — "A Slim Youth in an Ulster"
- Christian Monggaard — "Neville St. Clair"
- Gary Thaden — "Augusto Barelli"
Andrew Solberg, BSI ("Professor Coram") received the Two Shilling Award, for service above and beyond.
We're pleased to note that one of the newest Irregulars, Rosemary Herbert, previously made an appearance on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere (Episode 173), discussing her adventure in donning male costume to crash a 1970s-era dinner of the then all-male Speckled Band of Boston:
The Emerald Tie Pin Society
In a bit of an ad hoc assembly, the Emerald Tie Pin Society was formed. This group consists of Sherlockians who were fortunate enough to receive an emerald tie pin from the late Maggie Schpak, BSI ("The Soup Plate Medal"). Maggie was a designer and metallurgist, providing countless props to Hollywood productions over the years. She passed away in 2024.
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Photo credit: Will Walsh |
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!
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