~-"~'11 \~, The AMICA News Bulletin \1 I Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' ~ I •• i' ASSOCIatIon September / October 1987 Volume 24 • Number 5 The AMICA News Bulletin Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association EDWIN WARD, Publisher 191 Riverview Drive (419) 849-2616 Woodville, Ohio 43469-9745 PUBLICATION DEADLINES FOR 1987 Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, a non-profit club devoted to the restoration, distribution and enj<¥J1el1t of musical For JanuarylFebruary issue ................ .. December 15 instruments using perforated paper music rolls, AMICA was founded in San For March/April issue February 15 Francisco in 1963. For May/June issue .......................... .. April 15 For July/August issue. ........................ .. June 15 For September/October issue. ................ .. August 15 For NovemberlDecember issue. .............. .. October 15 CHAPTER OFFICERS FOUNDING CHAPTER IOWA Pres: Gene McGraw Pres: Rex Fritts Vice Pres: Bill Wherry Vice Pres: Leland Zimmerline Treas: Elmer Klein Secrrreas: Ed Pousch Rep: Dick Reutlinger Reporter: AI Johnson Sec: Jack & Dianne Edwards ADVERTISING 1O¢ per word, $3.00 minimum for members. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOSTON AREA Classified: Pres: Jerry Pell Pres: Judy Welsh Non-members may advertise at twice the above rate. Vice Pres: Frank & Shirley Nix Vice Pres: Michael Potash (Publisher's note: It is no longer possible to process an ad for Sec/Rep: Susan Pell Sec: Bill Koenigsberg $1.50, hence the increase, and new rate for Non-members.) Treas: Pat Hodge Treas: Philip Konop Reporter: Donald Brown • See Bulletin Deadlines on this page. Payment must accompany order. Make checks payable to: TEXAS NORTHERN LIGHTS AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Pres: Richard Tonnesen Pres: Jerrilyn Boehland Vice Pres: Becky Newton Vice Pres: Tom Wurdeman • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign coun­ SeclTreas: Janet Tonnesen Sec: Dennis Dahlman tries must be drawn on a U.S. Bank. Rep: Wade Newton Treas: Robert & Katheryn Dumas Reporter: Ruby Ahneman Display Advertising Full Page 7lf2"xlO" $100.00 MIDWEST SIERRA·NEVADA Half Page 7lf2"x4%" 50.00 Pres: Liz Barnhart Pres: Bob Patton 5 Vice Pres: Barry Leedy Vice Pres: Richard Riley Quarter Page 3 / S"x4%" 25.00 Sec: Russell & Jeanne Bloss Sec/Treas: Gail Shinn • Each photograph or half-tone $7.00. Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Reporter: Julie Riley & Bob Patton Reporter: Margaret Frazer • See Bulletin deadlines on this page. PHILADELPHIA AREA CHICAGO AREA • We recommend display advertisers supply camera-ready Pres: Paul Dietz Pres: Rob Deland copy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed Vice Pres: Dave Charrier Vice Pres: Barry Schultz to correct size at your cost. We can prepare your adver­ Sec: Bob Rosencrans Sec: Fred Plank tisement from your suggested layout at cost. Treas: Bob Taylor Treas: Joe Pekarek Rep: Reporter: Mel Septon • Payment must accompany order. Typesetting, layout or size alteration charges will be billed separately. SOWNY (Southern Ontario, HEART OF AMERICA Make checks Western NY) Pres: Charles Tyler payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Pres: Gary Lemon Vice Pres: Gerold Koehler • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign coun­ Vice Pres: Jim Barley SeclTreas: Kay Bode Sec: Janie McCleary Reporter: Willa Daniels tries must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Treas: Mike Walter • All ads will appear on the last pages of the Bulletin at the Rep: Stan Aldridge discretion of the publisher. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SOUTHEAST AREA: Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMIC~s Pres: Larry Kerecman Pres: Wayne Edmonston endorsement of any commercial operation. However, AMICA Vice Pres: Owanah Wick Vice Pres: Gordon Belcher Rep: Art Reblitz Sec{freas: David Burke reserves the right to refuse any ad that is not in keeping with Sec: Don Wick Reporter: David Burke AMIC~s general standards or if complaints are received in­ Treas: Jere DeBacker dicating that said business does not serve the best interests of the members of AMICA according to its goals and bylaws. LADY LIBERTY GATEWAY Pres: Lenny Finkel Pres: Roger Wiegand Vice Pres: Oliver Vitakis Vice Pres: Deanne Wiley Sec: Michelle Pollitt Sec:rreas: Mary Wilson Single back issues of the Bulletin Treas: John Ellems Reporter: Marilyn McGartland are available from the Publisher Rep: Dennis Valente for $2.00 each. AMICA International INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS PRESIDENT Ron Connor AMICA - 1988 - AMICA (501) 636-1749 Route 4, Rogers, AR 72756 SIL VER ANNIVERSARY PAST PRESIDENT Terry Smythe (204) 832-3982 CONVENTION 55 Rowland Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3J 2N6 VICE PRESIDENT Robert W. Taylor June 22-26 2508 Cimarron Dr., Columbia, MO 65203 SECRETARY Mel Septon San Francisco, California (312) 679-3455 Hosted by Founding Chapter 9045 North Karlov, Skokie, IL 60076 TREASURER Larry Norman (213) 538-9461 • Do you wish to become a member of AMICA? 17700 Avalon Blvd. #295, Carson, CA 90746 Write to Membership Secretary. PUBLISHER Edwin Ward Annual fee for U.S. members $22 (419) 849-2616 Canada and Mexico (air) $28 191 Riverview Drive, Woodville, OH 43469-9745 Other non-U.S. countries (surface) $28 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Valerie Anderson New and lapsed members add processing fee. .. $ 5 New memberships Home (803) 791-1487 • Has your address changed? P.O. Box 172, Columbia, SC 29202 Write to Membership Secretary. BOARD REPRESENTATIVES • Do you have a contribution for the Bulletin? Founding Chapter: Phil McCoy All subjects of interest to readers of the Bulletin are en­ Southern California: Mary Lilien Texas: couraged and invited by the Publisher. Every attempt will Midwest: Vincent Ricca be made to publish aU articles of general interest to AMICA Phildelphia Area: Bob Rosencrans members at the earliest possible time and at the discretion SOWNY: Jan Drewniak of the publisher. See Bulletin deadlines on previous page. Rocky Mountain: Larry Kerecman Lady Liberty: John DeParis Iowa: Alvin Johnson AMICA International News Bulletin Boston Area: Sanford Libman Northern Lights: Tom Olds Volume 24 Number 5 September/October 1987 Sierra-Nevada: Ray Bauer Chic~go Area: CONTENTS Heart of America: Ron Bopp Features Southeast Area: Wayne Edmonston Famed Piano Roll Facility Moves East " 110 Gateway: Roger Wiegand 1987 Annual Convention " 111 Portraits of Musical Celebrities " 118 COMMITTEES The Bam is Alive With the Sound of Music " 119 TECHNICAL, Harold Malakinian Pianofortes in the White House " 120 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 Tchaikovsky in America " 121 Ruth Bingaman Smith Gives a Private Recital " 121 ARCHIVES, Bob Rosencrans Ode to My Fingers " 121 109 Cumberland Place, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 A Eulogy to Molly Yeckley " 122 PUBUCATIONS, Edwin Ward Abram Chasins 124 191 Riverview Dr., Woodville, OH 43469-9745 Herman Kortlander 124 AUDIO-VISUAL, Harold Malakinian Literature Exchange 128 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 Seen and Heard at the Convention in St. Paul 129 CONVENTION COORDINATOR, Liz Barnhart Bosendorfer Imperial Grand With Computer-Based 919 Lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431 Reproduction System. ..................... .. 130 Departments AFFILIATED SOCIETIES- AMICA International 109 See May/June 1987 Issue for addresses President's Comer 110 The Player Piano Group (England) People 121 The North West Player Piano Association (England) That Special Roll 128 Netherlands Mechanical Organ Society - KDV News From the Chapters ...................... .. 125 Australian Collectors of Mechanical Musical Instruments Technicalities ............................... .. 130 Dutch Pianola Association Society of Friends of Mechanical Musical Instruments (Germany) Classified Ads 132 DISCLAIMER: Acceptance of articles for publication in the AMICA News Cover: The Musical "Hom of Plenty". From a tum-of-the century Bulletin does not imply a guarantee of the accuracy of the facts contained engraving. Back Cover contributed by Alan Pier. Unusual, because in any article, nor an endorsement of an author's recommendation. of the location of the spool box behind the music desk. -109- The President's Corner ... This has been a busy two months for AMICA. As you to name here, but I want to thank them all for their continu­ all probably know now, Molly Yeckley passed away in June, ing efforts on behalf of AMICA. r­ leaving a big hole in our organization, and in our hearts. I will I, as President, can do little. We, as AMICAns, can do. not try to eulogize Molly here as Terry Smythe has done that anything we set out to do. better than I could elsewhere in this issue. Suffice it to say I will miss her. We had a very successful convention with over 20% of our members attending. That figure is very important as it is When I first realized that the Presidency of AMICA was the number required to vote on Bylaw changes. The propos­ to be mine I felt awfully lonely. I thought back to the first ed new Bylaws made it through, and that is the most impor­ AMICA event Mary Ellen and I attended, the 1980 Conven­ tant bit of business in sometime. The old Bylaws had the right tion in Pasadena. We were standing in the lobby, not know­ spirit, but there were a number of loopholes and areas that ing anyone, when a lady came up and said she was sure she needed clarification. I think we kept the spirit (the statement knew us from somewhere, which turned out not to be true. of purpose is exactly the same) while freeing the organization We introduced ourselves, and that is how Mary Lilien came to expand its horizons. For instance we now have provision into our lives. We soon found ourselves part of the friendliest, for accepting donations of property, or money, which could fun lovingest group of people we have ever known. It has been later lead to a museum. The enacting of the Bylaws, on which that way ever since and as soon as word got out that Molly Molly worked so hard, is probably the finest tribute we could had resigned, my phone began ringing with offers of help and give her. It is now up to the Board to work out operating pro­ support.