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Date: May 31, 2005 at 07:30:21
From: Keith Norrington, [66.83.131.6.nw.nuvox.net]
Subject: Re: 2005 MRB Spring Meeting in Paducah - "Memories" |
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From the glowing reports I've heard through "The Sternline Telegraph", a good time was had by ALL. The Midwest Riverboat Buffs originated in 1972, with the late William L. Talbot, longtime postmaster and river buff extraordinaire of Keokuk, Iowa as president. Bill was also instrumental in bringing the retired steam towboat GEO. M. VERITY to Keokuk as a museum in 1961. As a charter member and former officer, it's really sad for me to look over the membership roster from those early years and realize just how many of the "oldtimers" (of which I'm now one!) have departed from us. I well recall some of the early meetings with people like Jim Swift from The Waterways Journal, "Steamboat Bill" Peterson, Mabel Bartenhagen (former DQ hostess from Muscatine) Doris Foley (Retired and kindly librarian from Keokuk who made tasty cookies and very STRONG drinks!) and a host of others who loved the river and riverboats. Because the meetings are mostly held at Upper Mississippi River locations, distance and time constraints have prevented me from attending as many meetings as I would like, but of the meetings I have attended, the "biggie" for me came in April, 1977, when the Midwest Buffs, Golden Eagle Club and Middle Ohio River Chapter of S&D all combined for a "Gala River Weekend" in St. Louis. The headquarters was the then Bel Air Hilton Hotel near the Gateway Arch. A SAturday morning "field trip" to Alton, included the river museum, tour of Lock and Dam #26, etc., with Capt. Bill Carroll (master of the ADMIRAL) as the tour guide. A visit to the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT and a tour of Eagle Marine Industries, successor to the Eagle Boat Store, with Fred Leyhe (son of Capt. Buck Leyhe) as host, preceded a luncheon on the LT. ROBT. E. LEE, then owned by Fred Leyhe, who provided a complimentary carafe of red wine at each table. The evening banquet/program at the hotel was fancy and formal featuring none other than the incomparable and beloved river historian/steamboat museum curator Miss Ruth Ferris (then in her 80th year) as speaker. Ruth held the audience spellbound with her talk entitled "Leafing Through Letters and Logs" which provided many interesting and humorous details of her trips on the GOLDEN EAGLE, GORDON C. GREENE, etc., as well as remembrances of the St. Louis levee, Eagle Boat Store and interesting river people she had known. Her talk could have lasted all night and nobody would have cared! She received a long and thunderous standing ovation when the talk ended, with Ruth "blowing" the Eagle Packet landing whistle! The weekend concluded with a beautiful Sunday morning visit to Bee Tree Park and tour of the Golden Eagle River Museum, with a picnic lunch. The weekend was grand and glorious from start to finish and never to be forgotten by those who were "on deck" to enjoy it. But, so many of those dear people from that time have passed from the scene and now the "Buffs" carry on with many new faces and capable leadership like Judy, who devotedly put in long hours to plan and make arrangements for fun weekends like Paducah. As Judy said, ALL are welcome, so do join the group when you can for fun and fellowship!
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