The Terrible Catsafterme

After returning from the 1986 Valley Forge Sons of the Desert convention, I was highly motivated to get started on my own tent newsletter. Rick Greene had delivered a great seminar at the convention, showcasing how to go about creating fun and entertaining newsletters – bringing along examples of his own work. At the time he was the editor of the Intra-Tent Journal, and never after him did it achieve the level of greatness that he attained. My Dad was right there by my side to assist in the creation of our premiere issue. Carl Ahlm was the Grand Sheik of our Towed in a Hole Tent in Springfield, and he was delighted to have someone pitch in and take the newsletter off of his shoulders.

My Dad and I agreed that the newsletter would work best in booklet form. In those days, personal computers were not yet commonplace, so this was going to be completely pasted up from scratch. Any lettering outside the normal text was created by press-on letters. The border on the cover and any thick underline was also a sticker. Photos were cut out my spare Laurel and Hardy book and pasted on. It was amazing that there was such effort exerted in what now seems simple in publishing programs.

I hand-wrote the text and sent it off with my Mom, who would type it up at work, sized to the constraints of the newsletter pages. These would then be cut out and pasted up as well. I used large press-on numbers for the page folios, which Dad didn’t like. I thought that it gave it a whimsical look. But I was 14 years old…what did I know?

Once everything was pasted up, we’d go to my Mom’s office and simply run enough copies to satisfy the tent members. Next, we’d fold the newsletters and take them to CompuColor where Dad was working and staple them together with a saddle-stitcher. I left the back page blank, save my address and a Sons logo, so this was where the address would be filled out and postage added.

And voila! We had our first issue of the Told in the Whole newsletter completed in the latter part of August, and distributed to all those in attendance at the Summer picnic at the apartment of Jim Harwood and his mother. The name of the newsletter was my Dad’s idea, an obvious play on words and the name of our tent. The articles themselves were relatively brief for the first edition and included a note of introduction, a very short recap of the convention, the tent meeting schedule that Carl had arranged, and a somewhat interesting piece on rare Laurel and Hardy films that had been recently discovered and screened at the convention.

I’m a little confused about the September 27th date of the first listed meeting. As this was the same date listed on the program of the Vincent Price lecture that George and I attended, one or the other must have been postponed, as I’m positive that I attended both. Most likely it was the Price seminar, which makes more sense in that George and I probably really began speaking with each other at this tent meeting.

As mentioned in the newsletter, Bill and Virginia Karns Patterson did in fact attend this meeting, bringing along the same batch of memorabilia that they had brought to the Valley Forge convention that summer. Virginia had played the role of Mother Goose in the Laurel and Hardy film Babes in Toyland. The memories are a bit fuzzy, but I recall at least one occasion when my parents took me to visit Virginia and Bill at their home in Dayton, the September meeting that be took Bill and Virginia to, and the October meeting that only Virginia came to with us. I recall sitting in the back seat of my parents’ car with her, chatting about her career and specifically the director of Babes in Toyland Gus Meins, who had committed suicide after being accused of child molestation. I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to get to know Virginia around this time and stayed in touch with her, always receiving birthday cards every year, up until her passing on June 21, 1990.

Virginia at the September meeting with George Willeman, Larry Smith, Jim Harwood, Ron Weber, and Carla Deger. I took the picture but never got in one.

Virginia and my sister Denise. I wish I had gotten a great shot like this of Virginia and the candle-holder that she carried in Babes in Toyland.

I sent copies of the newsletter to several luminaries and family members in hopes of reaction and praise. And I got a nice dosage of accolades to boost my ego, along with a mention in the regional column of the Intra-Tent Journal.

The ITJ editor Rick Greene said:

Your first issue of “Told in the Whole” has been received and examined, and Teacher gives you an A+!!! What a terrific first issue!

First off, Brad, I just love the name. I’m so glad you attended the newsletter editor’s meeting and that it seems to have helped you. Sure makes me feel good. “Told in the Whole” is well-written, attractively layed out, nice use of photos and headlines, and over all, an impressive debut.

I really like the way you have layed out three meetings in a row at the back. This really generates excitement for all of your well-planned programs through the end of the year.

Best of luck, Brad, and I look forward to “Told in the Whole” number 2!

Sons of the Desert Corresponding Secretary Dwain Smith said:

I read your “Told in the Whole” from cover to cover and will be brutally honest with you. I receive newsletters from just about every tent that has one, and my collection includes many that have gone out of existence. There are very few that are as well written as yours, I especially enjoyed your Convention highlights, which presented a broad view of our get-together without getting long-winded. Nice job!

I also sent a copy to my Dad’s uncle Ira (Grandma Range’s brother) and this was the letter that I got back from him.

I was thrilled to finally be worming my way onto the Sons of the Desert scene. Obviously, I wasn’t living the life of the ordinary 14-year old boy.

1986 will continue in school…

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