I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Remembering Tom Stetak, BSI

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"dated from Cleveland" [STUD]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVlyfdRZClOR30-cp8gnarTDVhyphenhyphenlMN20X_mUyQdvT8pJSAIiYuOJ7SLVki_wgumiWUD3erm7edn5KI7klA67ENW_B-XDLlyoCw6PKFHgcUosXnmGCnftFB9eIaoH9RoYZqroo_xZ-l0Ul/s1600/tom+Stetak.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVlyfdRZClOR30-cp8gnarTDVhyphenhyphenlMN20X_mUyQdvT8pJSAIiYuOJ7SLVki_wgumiWUD3erm7edn5KI7klA67ENW_B-XDLlyoCw6PKFHgcUosXnmGCnftFB9eIaoH9RoYZqroo_xZ-l0Ul/s320/tom+Stetak.jpg" /></a></div>
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Tom Stetak, BSI ("The Head of the Police at Cleveland") was one of a kind. While we didn't know him all that well, he left a distinct impression upon all who knew him. Tom passed away last week at the relatively young age of 60 after a brief illness.<br />
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Tom's look was the first thing that caught our attention at Baker Street Irregular functions - his bearded countenance made him look Amish in nature, and his restoration business seemed to be in line with that appearance as well.<br />
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But it was his sense of humor that really set him apart. At the BSI Dinner in 1997, he was one of the many who stood up to roast Tom Stix, Jr., the outgoing "Wiggins" of the organization. Stix was known for his frank personality - which, depending on his mood, could sometimes be barbed. But he could also be a very warm and caring individual as well. And Tom Stetak sensed  that. One of the lines from his roast went something like:<br />
<blockquote><i>     "Many people say that Tom Stix isn't emotional, but it just isn't true. Why, Tom has more emotion in his middle finger than I have in my whole body!"</i></blockquote><br />
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And then the whole room erupted in laughter, with the heartiest laugh coming from Tom Stix himself.<br />
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Tom Stetak was also part of the Florin Society - Irregulars with spouses who were also members of the BSI -  and he left his wife Ruthann. You can read <a href="https://archive.is/USflq">Tom's obituary here</a>.<br />
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If you have a memory of Tom, please consider leaving it in the comments section below.<br />
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Remembering Tom Stetak, BSI

"dated from Cleveland" [STUD] Tom Stetak, BSI ("The Head of the Police at Cleveland") was one of a kind. While we d...

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by Scott Monty

Baker Street Essays Newsletter Concerns Solar Pons

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"burn this letter' [HOUN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopg4yBfY-ZJ9uc6UBA6piSOr6zMQPLD0-M8p8a7FxpcYHsQGHHrPryPmTDOtiAEYU5tWfdg8Qsk45R_Nr4YQh1Ybd0VqxjEiNy2nLY1X4IRb7yvDhq8Gcjp0uzcvfC7MjZ_gchelCUbr6/s1600/WIST-04+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopg4yBfY-ZJ9uc6UBA6piSOr6zMQPLD0-M8p8a7FxpcYHsQGHHrPryPmTDOtiAEYU5tWfdg8Qsk45R_Nr4YQh1Ybd0VqxjEiNy2nLY1X4IRb7yvDhq8Gcjp0uzcvfC7MjZ_gchelCUbr6/s1600/WIST-04+large.jpg" /></a></div>
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Over at <a href="http://solarpons.com/">SolarPons.com</a>, Bob Byrne has dedicated the site to introducing people to the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street. Created by August Derleth in the 1920s, it was a kind of natural extension of Conan Doyle's works. After Derleth's death, the pen was ably taken up by Basil Copper with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dossier-Solar-Pons-Academy-Mystery/dp/0897332520?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Dossier of Solar Pons</a>.<br />
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The reason we mention Mr. Byrne here is because he has produced a series of newsletters for Solar Pons enthusiasts as well as a more general Sherlockian newsletter called <b><i>Baker Street Essays</i></b>. We've provided the latest version embedded here for your consideration. You can flip through it, download it, share it, print it, etc.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/29691469/Baker-Street-Essays-3" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Baker Street Essays 3 on Scribd">Baker Street Essays 3</a> <object data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" height="600" id="doc_348163711097835" name="doc_348163711097835" style="outline: none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%">  <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf"><param name="wmode" value="opaque"><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=29691469&access_key=key-o6ck91t5vgjirj7q2dy&page=1&viewMode=book"><embed id="doc_348163711097835" name="doc_348163711097835" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=29691469&access_key=key-o6ck91t5vgjirj7q2dy&page=1&viewMode=book" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="600" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed>  </object><br />
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And if you're interested in learning more <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dsolar%2520pons%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dstripbooks&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">about Solar Pons</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, you can click on this link for additional reading material.<br />
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Baker Street Essays Newsletter Concerns Solar Pons

"burn this letter' [HOUN] Over at SolarPons.com , Bob Byrne has dedicated the site to introducing people to the Sherlock Hol...

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by Scott Monty

The Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars

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<span style="text-align: start;">"a curious constitution" [SIGN]</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWOlNfmLcaWFvD05MXCsHSkM_7PHouqnsvKB7vTBDkV3NVjOIFr5fK3rzSv5E_GKzc-GKtNxyDWvh_2Q-wnRlt7wZTxKtB5kKGaq9rdDfgDdkak2ocd1YhV0udvqW-0ORiKa8Vprhf5lH/s1600/BSI+Constitution+and+Buy+Laws.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BSI Constitution and Buy Laws - inscribed to Christopher Morley from Vincent Starrett" border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWOlNfmLcaWFvD05MXCsHSkM_7PHouqnsvKB7vTBDkV3NVjOIFr5fK3rzSv5E_GKzc-GKtNxyDWvh_2Q-wnRlt7wZTxKtB5kKGaq9rdDfgDdkak2ocd1YhV0udvqW-0ORiKa8Vprhf5lH/s1600/BSI+Constitution+and+Buy+Laws.jpg" title="Cover - BSI Constitution and Buy Laws - to Chris Morley from Vincent Starrett" width="640" /></a></div>
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We've had the pleasure of sharing many of the goings-on of the annual <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a> previously. If you'd like to read up on past goings-on, please take a look at the Topics section at the bottom of our home page and select the year you're interested in (BSI2011, BSI2010, etc.).<br />
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But one of the things we haven't had the opportunity to cover here is the origin and text of the BSI's Constitution and Buy-Laws (yes, that's the correct spelling - as far as the BSI is concerned). The document is referenced throughout the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%5Fsb%5Fnoss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3DBAker%2520Street%2520Irregulars%2520history%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Daps&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BSI Archival Series</a><img border="0" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" /> and was first presented to the public in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Profile-Gaslight-Irregular-private-Sherlock/dp/B000BB7JPC?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Profile By Gaslight: An Irregular reader about the private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i></a> by Edgar W. Smith, longtime leader of the BSI and editor of the <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/"><i>Baker Street Journal</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Davis" target="_blank">Elmer Davis, BSI</a> ("A Case of Identity") wrote the BSI Constitution and Buy-Laws around the time of the founding of the Baker Street Irregulars in 1934, to document the tongue-in-cheek attitude that pervaded the BSI (and still pervades it to this day). Each year at the BSI Dinner, a member reads the document to the assembled crowd and in unison, we all chant the fifth buy-law together.<br />
Here we present the Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars in its entirety:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmB_ff2A2e6tVVtLqVxTZyFlYkr1Sd54ZcP3o63K2sAwZSx4pEvzmmQsjlcUbuYUxE15coI6swBgCoUAlEfoi8L4sXPjV4hp84UMnBhAWvO8bCGPP1sFvHG93KOYHvy72sD-2nTY1Ykqj/s1600/BSI+Constitution+and+Buy-Laws.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmB_ff2A2e6tVVtLqVxTZyFlYkr1Sd54ZcP3o63K2sAwZSx4pEvzmmQsjlcUbuYUxE15coI6swBgCoUAlEfoi8L4sXPjV4hp84UMnBhAWvO8bCGPP1sFvHG93KOYHvy72sD-2nTY1Ykqj/s1600/BSI+Constitution+and+Buy-Laws.jpg" width="402" /></a></div>
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The Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars</h3>
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Article I </h4>
The name of the society shall be the Baker Street Irregulars.<br />
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Article II </h4>
Its purpose shall be the study of the Sacred Writings.<br />
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Article III </h4>
All persons shall be eligible for membership who pass an examination in the Sacred Writings set by officers of the society, and who are considered otherwise suitable.<br />
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Article IV </h4>
The officers shall be: a Gasogene, a Tantalus, and a Commissionaire. <br />
   The duties of the Gasogene shall be those commonly performed by a President. <br />
   The duties of the Tantalus shall be those commonly performed by a Secretary. <br />
   The duties of the Commissionaire shall be to telephone down for ice, White Rock, and whatever else may be required and available; to conduct all negotiations with waiters; and to assess the members pro rata for the cost of same.<br />
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The BSI Buy-laws</h4>
<ol>
<li>An annual meeting shall be held on January 6th, at which the canonical toasts shall be drunk; after which the members shall drink at will.</li>
<li>The current round shall be bought by any member who fails to identify, by title of story and context, and quotation from the Sacred Writings submitted by any other member.</li>
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<li>Qualification A. If two or more members fail so to identify, a round shall be bought by each of those so failing.</li>
<li>Qualification B. If the submitter of the quotation, upon challenge, fails to identify it correctly, he shall buy the round</li>
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<li>Special meetings may be called at any time or any place by any one of three members, two of whom shall constitute a quorum.</li>
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<li>Qualification A. If said two people are of opposite sexes, they shall use care in selecting the place of meeting, to avoid misinterpretation (or interpretation either, for that matter).</li>
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<li>All other business shall be left for the monthly meetings.</li>
<li>There shall be no monthly meetings.</li>
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Canonical Toasts</h4>
The obligatory canonical toasts are typically as follows: to the Woman, Irene Adler; the Master, the Doctor and, of course, long suffering Mrs. Hudson. These are always followed by toasts of varying propriety to the more colorful characters of the Canon and often the less fortunate fellow Irregulars.<br />
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<i>Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43021516@N06/4193747314/in/set-72157623020493356/" target="_blank">Toronto Public Library Special Collections</a> (Flickr)</i><br />
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The Constitution and Buy-Laws of the Baker Street Irregulars

"a curious constitution" [SIGN] We've had the pleasure of sharing many of the goings-on of the annual Baker Street Irregu...

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by Scott Monty

Does Jeremy Brett Deserve a Posthumous BAFTA?

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"baffled by so slight an obstacle" [FINA]</h4>
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While many of us got our start with the Sherlock Holmes stories via the written page, there are others who find their way to the Canon via the silver screen or small screen. No matter how we each discovered Holmes, we all find our way to a visual representation - and particularly one that resonates with us.<br />
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One of the most iconic influences since the early 1940s was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Out-Character-PB-Softcover-Limelight/dp/0879101199?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b>Basil Rathbone</b></a><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0879101199" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>. And despite a number of film and television adaptations over the intervening 40 years, it wasn't until the arrival of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sherlock-Holmes-Boxed-Collection/dp/B000060MVK?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b>Jeremy Brett</b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000060MVK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> that an entire generation pictured another face in their minds when they read the stories (in addition to Pagets and Dorr Steeles). The purists who were raised on Rathbone would never hear of such a usurpation. To this day, one tends to find a sharp split between Brettians and Rathbonians (or is that Rathboneheads?).<br />
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What we can't deny is the incredible influence Brett had on the Sherlockian movement, thanks to his complete dedication to the character. But his career spanned decades and included film, television and theatre alike, from Hollywood to the Old Vic. Which makes it all the more strange that he never received a <a href="http://www.bafta.org/"><b>BAFTA</b></a> award. For those of you who don't know, BAFTA is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Think  Oscars and Emmys rolled into one, for our American readers.<br />
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Currently, there is a site angling for a posthumous BAFTA for Jeremy Brett: <a href="http://www.bafta4jb.com/">http://www.bafta4jb.com</a>. There you'll find information about Brett and his career, as well as information about the site and its creators. They opine that if Heath Ledger could receive a posthumous BAFTA for his role as the Joker in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Knight-Widescreen-Single-Disc/dp/B001GZ6QC4?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Dark Knight</i></a>, then Jeremy Brett should be eligible for one based on his life's work.<br />
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<b>What you can do to help</b><br />
The site's creators are encouraging all interested parties to <b><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/JBBAFTA2/petition.html">sign a petition supporting this effort</a></b>. You can find it by clicking on the link. Please also consider sharing this post with others.<br />
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