Collecting Old Paper, VIntage Photos and How About Credit To Wayne Rutledge, Los Angeles Kings

Norman and Harriet Stripp 1940's Photograph (courtesy of Kathy Wiens)

1916 letter to God

Monck Township, Bracebridge, Methodist Sunday School Record Book 1873

BEFORE YOU THROW OUT THAT CLUTTER OF OLD PAPER - IS THERE IMPORTANT HISTORY BURIED DEEP WITHIN

JUST ONE ITEM OF SIGNIFICANCE CAN BE WORTH THE EFFORT OF SORTING

     DEATH NOTICES FROM VICTORIAN TIMES. MEMORIAL CARDS. FUNERARY EPHEMERA. LEGAL DOCUMENTS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED ON PUBLIC SIGN BOARDS OR TELEPHONE POSTS. POST OFFICE NOTICES, PUBLISHED AND POSTED IN PUBLIC PLACES. NOTICES OF QUARANTINE THAT HAD TO BE PLACED ON THE DOORS OF HOUSES, WHEN THERE WAS A SERIOUS ILLNESS IN THE COMMUNITY. THERE IS A VAST AREA TO COVER IF YOU ARE A GENERALIST EPHEMERA DEALER. THERE'S LOTS OF ROOM AND CHOICES TO SPECIALIZE, OR REMAIN OPEN TO THE NEXT INTERESTING DOCUMENT, OR PAPER HERITAGE THAT YOU CROSS PATHS WITH. IT'S AN EXCITING COLLECTING PURSUIT, THAT I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT UNTIL THE EARLY 1990'S, WHEN SEVERAL DEALER-FRIENDS BROUGHT ME UP TO SPEED, ON THE INHERENT VALUES OF CERTAIN TYPES OF EPHEMERA, THAT BECAUSE OF MARKET DEMAND, WERE HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER, AND POSSESSED SUBSTANTIAL VALUE. AT THE TIME, ANYTHING THAT HAD TO DO WITH MUSKOKA'S BOAT HERITAGE, TOPPED THE LIST, ESPECIALLY THOSE ITEMS CONNECTED TO STEAMSHIPS, AND BOAT WORKS, SUCH AS DITCHBURN, FROM ITS LEGENDARY YEARS HERE IN GRAVENHURST. WE SOLD A LARGE NUMBER OF STEAMSHIP WAY BILLS, FROM THE JUDDHAVEN RESORT, ON LAKE ROSSEAU, ON BEHALF OF OUR FRIEND AUDREY JUDD. LOCAL COLLECTORS WENT NUTS FOR THIS PAPER HERITAGE, AND WITHIN A MONTH, WE HAD SOLD EVERY LAST SHRED OF NAVIGATION COMPANY NOSTALGIA, THAT WE HAD BEEN EMPLOYED TO SELL. SINCE THOSE DAYS, WE'VE SOLD A MUSEUM'S WORTH OF LOCAL PAPER HERITAGE, AND SAVED A FEW PIECES FOR OURSELVES. ONE DAY, IF THE BOYS AREN'T INTERESTED, WE'LL PROBABLY SELL THEM OFF AS WELL. PART OF THIS COLLECTION, IS A LARGE NEGATIVE FILE, OF VINTAGE MUSKOKA AND ONTARIO PHOTOGRAPHS, DATING BACK TO THE LATE 1800'S. THEY HAVE TO BE SOLD AS A COLLECTION AND NOT INDIVIDUALLY, DUE TO THE FAMILY HERITAGE ATTACHED. OF THIS WE INSIST. THAT'S WHY THEY WON'T BE LANDING IN THE STORE AS SUCH. WE HAVE ALWAYS HATED BREAKING UP FAMILY COLLECTIONS IN THIS FASHION, HOPING THAT EVENTUALLY WE CAN CONNECT WITH AN HISTORIAN WHO KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THESE PIECES TOGETHER....AND HOW THE IMAGES REFLECT ON THE HISTORY OF A FAMILY IN A PARTICULAR CANADIAN COMMUNITY OR REGION. WE DEAL WITH HISTORIANS ALL THE TIME, AND WE CERTAINLY LET THEM KNOW WHEN WE HAVE POSSESSION OF THESE CONNECTED ITEMS. WE HAVE SOLD HANDWRITTEN JOURNALS TO SEVERAL MUSEUMS, AND RETURNED ONE BACK TO FAMILY, THAT CONTAINED A GREAT DEAL OF HISTORIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOST COMMUNITIES. WE REALLY LIKE IT WHEN WE CAN REPATRIATE THESE HEIRLOOMS BACK WHERE THEY BELONG.....AFTER DECADES OF SEPARATION. THERE'S A LOT MORE TO THIS PAPER CHASE THAN TURNING A QUICK PROFIT. 

     FOR MOST OF US, EPHEMERA ISN'T GREAT TO DECORATE WITH, UNLESS IT HAS INTERESTING GRAPHICS, LIKE A HANDWRITTEN RECIPE (WE HAVE MANY FRAMED EXAMPLES) OR IS A FAMILY HEIRLOOM. I DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW FAR DOWN THE LIST, EPHEMERA RANKS, IN TERMS OF COLLECTABLE INTERESTS, BEHIND TRADITIONAL ANTIQUES. IT'S NOT LIKELY TO BE USED AS A FEATURE SPREAD BY ANY OF THE MAJOR DECORATING MAGAZINES, AND EVEN IN TERMS OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, COLLECTING OLD PAPER ISN'T LIKELY TO TRUMP ARTICLES ON CHINA, PORCELAIN, GOLD, SILVER, HERITAGE GLASS, HISTORIC LIGHTING, OR COLONIAL FURNITURE. YET IN SOME CASES, EPHEMERA CAN BE WORTH AS MUCH AND MORE AS TRADITIONAL VINTAGE PIECES. THIS MIGHT BE A LETTER FROM A PAST PRESIDENT, PROMINENT AUTHOR, MOVIE STAR, ARTIST OR FROM A FORMER POPE. THERE ARE PAPER SLEUTHS WHO KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF CHECKING ALL THOSE SIGNATURES, ON CARDS AND LETTERS, JUST IN CASE. HAVING A LETTER SIGNED BY JAMES JOYCE, OR F. SCOTT FITZGERALD IS VERY SIGNIFICANT, TO THOSE WHO COLLECT LITERARY MEMORABILIA. A NOTE FROM ACTOR JOHN WAYNE, OR MARILYN MONROE. A CHRISTMAS CARD FROM JOHN A. MACDONALD. EPHEMERA TAKES IN A HUGE DIVERSITY OF PAPER RELATED HERITAGE, AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO FIND A NOTE FROM ARTIST, ANDY WARHOL, YOU ARE DEFINITELY A LUCKY AND HAPPY CAMPER.

     AS WE DO LIKE TO BUY PAPER LOTS, FROM ESTATES, AS SOON AS WE BEGIN SORTING THROUGH THE COLLECTED BOXES, SUZANNE AND I COMMENCE OUR RESEARCH IN EARNEST. WE'RE LOOKING TO ESTABLISH A QUICK PROFILE, OF WHO THE OWNERS AND FAMILY WERE CONNECTED TO IN THE PAST; AND WHO HAD FRIENDSHIPS WITH THEM THROUGH THEIR LIVES. WE HAD A RECENT ESTATE SALE, WHERE A LARGE AMOUNT OF EPHEMERA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH VICTORIA COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, AND PARTICULARLY THE FAMILY OF CANADIAN POET, E.J. "NED" PRATT. HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE BOTH ACCOMPLISHED ARTISTS, AND THERE WAS SOME INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE WITH FAMILY OF THE ESTATE. THE LETTERS AND RELATED EPHEMERA, INCLUDING HOLIDAY GREETING CARDS, WERE ALL INTERESTING, BUT WEREN'T OF PARTICULAR HISTORIC RELEVANCE TO COLLECTORS OF CANADIAN LITERARY RELICS. BUT IT'S WHAT WE WERE WATCHING FOR, ESPECIALLY ANYTHING PRATT MAY HAVE WROTE, REFERENCING WORK HE HAD ALREADY WRITTEN, OR WAS PLANNING TO WRITE. AND YES, WHEN AN AUTHOR'S PAPERS COME UP FOR SALE, THEY CAN ATTRACT A HUGE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION. IMAGINE WHAT VALUE WOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE ROUGH WORK, AND NOTES, OF AUTHOR FRANK BAUM, CREATOR OF "THE WIZARD OF OZ," AND J.M. BARRIE, AUTHOR OF "PETER PAN." HOW ABOUT LETTERS PENNED BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN, LEWIS CARROLL, OR C.S. LEWIS? VALUE? GADS! YOU COULD RETIRE AND TAKE ME WITH YOU.

     IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE MONEY. THERE IS A HUGE QUANTITY OF SOCIAL / CULTURAL HISTORY THAT WINDS-UP BEING TOSSED, BECAUSE NO ONE THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT, SOME OF THE LETTER CONTENT, CONTAINED OBSERVATIONS FROM, FOR EXAMPLE, GERMAN CIVILLIANS TRYING TO SURVIVE THE BOMBARDMENT IN THE CLOSING DAYS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. LETTERS PENNED BY RESIDENTS OF HOLLAND, AFTER LIBERATION FROM THE GERMAN OCCUPATION. HISTORIANS LIVE FOR THESE FINDS, BECAUSE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN, IS USUALLY "FIRST PERSON" ACCOUNTS....AND SOMETIMES, THEY ARE OBSERVATIONS OF MAJOR EVENTS, AND PERSPECTIVES THAT HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN KNOWN OR STUDIED.

     HAVE YOU EVER, IN YOUR LIFE, VIEWED A LETTER WRITTEN BY A CHILD TO GOD, ASKING FOR A BABY FOR THE NEXT DAY? THE NOTE "TO GOD", ILLUSTRATED ABOVE, WAS WRITTEN IN THE EARLY 1900'S, AND REQUESTS A BABY TO BE DELIVERED TO THE CHILD LETTER-WRITER. THIS ISN'T A PRECIOUS PIECE OF EPHEMERA, BUT LET'S FACE IT.....IT'S PRECIOUS IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS. THIS NOTE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THROWN-OUT IF WE HADN'T BEEN IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, TO MAKE AN ENQUIRY TO THE CHAP, SETTLING AN ESTATE. "PLEASE, PLEASE, LET US CHECK THE OLD PAPER, LETTERS AND INVOICES, BEFORE YOU THROW-OUT ANYTHING ELSE." IT'S ONE OF OUR STANDARD REQUESTS, WHEN SOMEONE APPROACHES US ABOUT BUYING ITEMS FROM ESTATES. SO THIS GENTLEMAN RESPONDED, "I WISH I'D COME IN YESTERDAY. I JUST THREW OUT TWO BIG BOXES OF OLD PAPER AND LETTERS." BASED ON WHAT WE FOUND IN THE PAPER HE HADN'T DISCARDED, BOY OH BOY, DID WE EVER LOSE A TREASURE TROVE. IT HAPPENS. MANY PEOPLE SIMPLY DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORIC PAPER, BECAUSE IT ISN'T PROFILED THE SAME WAY AS BETTER KNOWN ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. THERE ARE FOLKS WHO DON'T WANT PRIVATE LETTERS MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, AND WE UNDERSTAND THIS, AS WE HAVE SENSITIVE CORRESPONDENCE IN OUR OWN FAMILY. WE HAVE BEEN SORTING OUT SENSITIVE MATERIAL FROM EVERY LOT WE PURCHASE, THAT WILL NEVER MAKE IT TO THE SHOP, OR TO PRINT. WE ARE PARTICULARLY AWARE OF PRIVACY CONCERNS, AND WE DO OUR OWN VETTING OF MATERIAL, EVEN BEYOND THE FAMILY INTERESTS. BUT WHEN I HEAR ABOUT WAR LETTERS BEING DESTROYED, IT BREAKS MY HEART. NOT THAT THEY ARE VALUABLE....BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF WAR LETTERS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSERVED....BUT BECAUSE OF THE HISTORIC SOCIAL / CULTURAL CONTENT, BETWEEN THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES, AND THOSE KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING. AS AN HISTORIAN, I HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO VIEW SOME OF THESE PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, TO GATHER CONTENT FOR ARTICLES; BUT I HAD TO KEEP NAMES OUT OF MY FEATURE ARTICLES, IN RESPECT TO PRIVACY CONCERNS.

     THE SECOND ILLUSTRATION ABOVE, IS A PAGE FROM A PIONEER "METHODIST" SUNDAY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOOK, FROM THE 1870'S, THAT I WAS GIVEN MANY YEARS AGO NOW, UPON THE SETTLING OF A BRACEBRIDGE ESTATE. WHAT'S MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE RECORDS, OTHER THAN TO NOTE THE NAMES OF THESE PIONEER CITIZENS, IS THAT OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE REGARDING THE PREVAILING WEATHER, ON THAT PARTICULAR SUNDAY, ROAD CONDITIONS, AND REFERENCES TO DEATHS OF STUDENTS OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS; PLUS INCLUSIONS ABOUT ILLNESSES GOING AROUND THE COMMUNITY AT THE TIME. BY ITSELF, MAYBE IT ONLY ADDS A SMIDGEON OF KNOWLEDGE TO THE LOCAL HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. BUT INCLUDED WITH ALL THE OTHER GATHERED COMMUNITY HERITAGE, WE CAN LEARN A HUGE AMOUNT ABOUT THE EARLY LIFE, AND TIMES, OF OUR PIONEER COMMUNITY BUILDERS. WE CAN DO WITHOUT IT, BUT HISTORIANS HAVE PROVEN, TIME AND AGAIN, THAT WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT THROUGH THESE HISTORICAL RECORDS, CAN HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT, ON HOW WE PROCEED IN THE FUTURE. EVEN THE REFERENCE TO DEATHS AND THE SPREAD OF ILLNESSES, SUCH AS INFLUENZA, THROUGH A HAMLET, CAN CONNECT A GREAT MANY DOTS FOR RESEARCHERS. ADD THIS TO A REGIONAL CHRONICLE, PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL, AND THE PUZZLE BEGINS TO INFILL MORE AND MORE. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TOSSED IN THE DUMPSTER, HAS BEEN SPLICED INTO PLACE, AS HISTORICAL RECORD. OF COURSE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH EVERY ESTATE, OR WITH EACH BOX OF EPHEMERA WE PURCHASE. WE MIGHT ONLY GET A COLLECTION OF OLD GREETING CARDS, AND KIND LETTERS BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS. BUT EVEN WITH THESE, WE CAN FIND HERITAGE REFERENCES, THAT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO CERTAIN OF OUR COLLECTOR FRIENDS; LIKE THE OVERVIEW OF DRIVING A BRAND NEW "HUDSON," OR "MODEL T FORD." BELIEVE ME, FROM A CAREER OF BROWSING THROUGH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS, WE FIND ALL KINDS OF SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION BETWEEN THE CASUAL, FRIENDLY OBSERVATIONS, OF LETTER-WRITERS, AND NOTES THEY'VE INSCRIBED ON SPECIAL OCCASION CARDS. WE GET A SHIVER WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH OF THIS HERITAGE, DEEMED OF NO INTEREST TO THE FAMILY OR ESTATE, HAS BEEN DISCARDED OUT OF IGNORANCE.

     OBVIOUSLY HISTORIANS AND EPHEMERA COLLECTORS HAVEN'T DONE A GOOD ENOUGH JOB GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT. SO WE'LL TAKE THE BLAME.   

     ANDREW AND ROBERT, THE CURATORS OF THE MUSIC HERITAGE COMPONENT OF OUR BUSINESS, ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR HANDWRITTEN LYRICS, AND SHEET MUSIC (SCORES), PENNED BY THE MUSICIANS. THESE EXIST OUT THERE, AND WE'VE FOUND A SMALL QUANTITY MIXED IN WITH OLD MUSIC FOLDERS, PURCHASED AT YARDS SALES AND FLEA MARKETS. NO GREAT OR VALUABLE FINDS, BUT SOME NEAT ONES FROM THE MUSKOKA REGION THAT HAVE SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE TO THE LOCALE. BUT WHEN THEY START LOOKING THROUGH THOSE BOXES OF OLD MUSIC SHEETS, BELIEVE ME, THERE WOULD BE AN UNEARTHLY HOWL, IF THEY HAPPENED UPON ORIGINAL BEATLES LYRICS, WRITTEN BY JOHN LENNON, OR SOME SCRIBBLING FROM THE HAND OF GORDON LIGHTFOOT. IT MAY SEEM LIKE A HELL OF A STRETCH, BUT FUNNIER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, AND IF YOU'VE SPENT A FEW YEARS IN OUR PROFESSION, AND HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SORTING THROUGH ESTATE COLLECTIONS, YOU'LL APPRECIATE JUST WHAT KIND OF MAGIC CAN HAPPEN UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. PEOPLE CORRESPOND WITH ALL KINDS OF CELEBRITIES, AND YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO FIND OUT, THAT MANY STARS DO TAKE THE TIME TO RESPOND WITH HANDWRITTEN NOTES OF THANKS. AFTER THE SHOOTING DEATH OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY, SUZANNE'S MOTHER WROTE A LETTER OF CONDOLENCE TO HIS BROTHER, SENATOR BOBBY KENNEDY, AND LOW AND BEHOLD, HE SENT A LETTER OF APPRECIATION BACK, WITH AN ACTUAL SIGNATURE....NOT A STAMP OF A SIGNATURE. THE LETTER WAS GIVEN TO ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER WHEN HER PARENTS' ESTATE WAS SETTLED. A NICE KEEPSAKE, AND I DARE SAY, WORTH SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS. POINT IS, WHETHER IT IS A NOTE BACK FROM WALT DISNEY OR FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THESE IMPORTANT PIECES OF CORRESPONDENCE HISTORY, EXIST IN THOSE MUSTY ATTICS, AND CLOSETS OF RELATIVES OF THOSE WHO WROTE THE ORIGINAL LETTERS. WHICH IS GREAT, UNLESS, FAMILY MEMBERS DOWN THE ROAD, THINK OF ALL THIS ACCUMULATED PAPER AS "MATERIAL FOR THE GARBAGE BIN." BY THE WAY, I KNOW DUMPSTER DIVERS, WHO JUMP INTO THESE BINS WHEN NO ONE IS AROUND, AND REMOVE ITEMS TOSSED OUT BY ESTATE EXECUTORS AND CLEANERS. IT IS ILLEGAL. IT'S PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE, TO AT THE VERY LEAST, ASK PERMISSION OF THE ESTATE, TO SORT THROUGH THE CAST-OFF MATERIALS, AND OFFER TO PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE. SOME EXECUTORS WILL BE OUTRAGED YOU WANT TO DO THIS, WHILE OTHERS, WANTING THE MONEY, WILL BE PLEASED TO REDUCE THE COST OF DISPOSAL. IT COSTS NOTHING TO AT LEAST ASK.

WAYNE RUTLEDGE AND THE LOS ANGELES KINGS -

HIS SPIRIT HAD A HAND ON THE STANLEY CUP

     ONE AFTERNOON, QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO NOW, WE WERE AT A GRAVENHURST AUCTION, JUST UP THE HILL FROM SAGAMO PARK. I BROUGHT A COUPLE OF HOCKEY CARDS WITH ME, TO HAVE SIGNED FOR SONS ANDREW AND ROBERT. I DIDN'T TELL THEM ABOUT IT BEFORE-HAND, THINKING IT WOULD BE A SURPRISE TO MEET A FORMER NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE GOALTENDER, WHO HAD PLAYED ON THE SAME CLUBS, IN HIS CAREER, AS THE GREAT TERRY SAWCHUCK, AND GORDIE HOWE. SAWCHUCK OF COURSE, CELEBRATED HIS HOCKEY HEYDAY WITH THE DETROIT RED WINGS, AND THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. HOWE WAS WITH DETROIT AND THE THE HOUSTON ARROWS. I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT BOTH LADS COLLECTED HOCKEY CARDS BACK IN THE 1990'S, SO IT WAS QUITE USUAL TO TOTE AROUND CERTAIN HOCKEY CARDS, JUST IN CASE. IN MUSKOKA, AS YOU PROBABLY ARE WELL AWARE, HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE WELL REPRESENTED AMONGST OUR SEASONAL RESIDENTS. THEY GET TOGETHER FOR SHINNY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, SO THE BOYS WERE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO GET THEIR PRIZED CARDS SIGNED. THEY'VE GOT QUITE A WHACK OF THEM TODAY, THAT I'M SURE THEY'LL BE GIVING TO THEIR YOUNGSTERS SOME DAY.

     SO TOWARD THE END OF THE AUCTION, I EXPLAINED HOW TERRY SAWCHUCK, WHO WAS DECEASED BY THAT POINT, HAD BEEN THE NUMBER ONE GOALIE FOR THE LOS ANGELES KINGS, GIVEN UP BY THE MAPLE LEAFS, IN THE 1967, FIRST EXPANSION OF THE ORIGINAL SIX TEAM N.H.L.  BUT WHAT HAPPENED, WHEN THE SEASON BEGAN, CHANGED THE GOALTENDING ORDER. DUE TO AN INJURY SUSTAINED IN THE PRE-SEASON, SAWCHUCK WAS SIDELINED. THE NUMBER ONE GOALIE FOR JACK KENT COOKE'S FLEDGLING KINGS, WAS………A FUTURE MUSKOKA AUCTIONEER. IN FACT, IT WAS THIS PARTICULAR AUCTIONEER, WORKING THE ESTATE SALE HERE IN GRAVENHURST.

     WHEN THE AUCTION CONCLUDED, I HANDED A HOCKEY CARD TO EACH BOY, AND SUGGESTED THAT THEY APPROACH THE AUCTIONEER, AND ASK FOR AN AUTOGRAPH. THEY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I'D BEEN UNCEREMONIOUSLY RETURNED TO EARTH, AFTER AN ALIEN ABDUCTION (AND SEMI-ENJOYABLE PROBING), EXPECTING ONE OF MY TRADEMARK GRANDIOSE SET-UPS, TO INFILL THE STORY AT HAND. THEY LOOKED AT THE CARDS, SAW THE NAME, LOOKED AT THE AUCTIONEER, AND ANDREW ASKED, "IS THAT THE SAME GUY?" "WHY YES IT IS," I RESPONDED, PUSHING THEM ON TO MEET THE AUCTIONEER-GOALTENDER.

     WAYNE RUTLEDGE WASN'T OFTEN AT A LOSS FOR WORDS. HE STARED AT THE CARDS THE BOYS HAD JUST HANDED HIM, AND SEEMED QUITE SURPRISED ANYONE, ESPECIALLY THESE YOUNGSTERS, WOULD KNOW ABOUT HIS DAYS IN PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY. HE SIGNED BOTH CARDS, SMILING AT THESE YOUNG COLLECTORS, AND SEEMED GENUINELY IMPRESSED HIS CARDS WERE EVEN IN CIRCULATION, AFTER ALL THE YEARS SINCE HIS RETIREMENT BACK IN THE 1970'S.

     IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCE, OR ILLNESS, FOR SUZANNE AND I TO MISS A WAYNE RUTLEDGE AUCTION. IT WOULD HAVE MEANT AN EQUALLY CRITICAL INTRUSION, OR OUTRIGHT CATASTROPHE ON THE HOME FRONT, IF I COULDN'T MAKE IT TO HIS FATHER'S AUCTIONS. WAYNE'S FATHER WAS LES RUTLEDGE, OF GRAVENHURST, A FORMER RAILWAYMAN, WHO FOUND HIMSELF, BY CIRCUMSTANCE, ONE OF MUSKOKA'S BEST KNOWN AUCTIONEERS IN THE 1980'S. I'VE WRITTEN QUITE A BIT ABOUT LES OVER THE YEARS, BECAUSE I ALSO HAD A PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AT THE FORMER HERALD-GAZETTE. I WAS A MEDIATOR, FOR LES, EACH WEEK WHEN HE'D GET INTO A DISAGREEMENT OVER ADVERTISING BILLING, WITH ONE OF OUR FRONT DESK CLERKS. I'D HEAR HIM COME INTO THE OFFICE, STETSON FIRST, AND FROM THE FIRST FEW WORDS, YOU COULD PRETTY MUCH TELL HOW HEATED OR EXCITING THIS VISIT WAS GOING TO WIND-UP. BEFORE THE CONCLUDING CONCILIATORY HANDSHAKE.  HE WAS MORE BLUSTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE, BUT HE DIDN'T LIKE GETTING THE RUN-AROUND. IF HE SENSED YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN ANSWER, AND WERE TRYING TO FUDGE A RESPONSE, HE'D GET FURIOUS. HE LIKED THE STRAIGHT GOODS, AND HE COULD HANDLE A PROBLEM, JUST NOT IF ANYONE TRIED TO FOB HIM OFF. ONE CLERK REFUSED TO BACK DOWN TO HIM, AND THEY'D STAND ARGUING WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR FORTY MINUTES, BEFORE HE'D STARTED GETTING RED IN THE FACE. WHICH WAS THE SIGN INDICATING AN INTERVENTION WAS NECESSARY TO SAVE THE CLERK.

    LES WASN'T ONE TO MINCE WORDS, OR GO SOFTLY THROUGH LIFE, BARELY LEAVING A MARK. AS I WAS ONE OF HIS AUCTION REGULARS, AND A WRITER WHO MUST HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT LES, A HUNDRED TIMES, IN AUCTION REVIEWS, CLERICAL STAFF ALWAYS KNEW TO CALL ME IF THEY REACHED AN IMPASSE. LES WASN'T WRONG WITH HIS ASSERTIONS. WE MADE A LOT OF MISTAKES IN THOSE NEWSPAPER YEARS, AND WE HAD MANY PARALLEL "HEATED" ENCOUNTERS AT THE FRONT DESK, THAT REACHED THE NASTY-RETORT LEVEL. LES JUST WANTED HIS ADS TO APPEAR IN THE RIGHT EDITIONS, THE SIZE HE WISHED, PLACEMENT HE DESIRED, FOR AS MANY WEEKS AS HE HAD PLANNED. HE DIDN'T LIKE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS EITHER. WE WERE EXPERTS IN THAT REGARD. WE ONCE RAN A HEADLINE THAT READ, "PRIME MINISTER TURDEAU TO VISIT MUSKOKA." HOW ABOUT THE TIME WE RAN A HEADLINE ON THE STORY OF A 100 YEAR OLD WOMAN, WITH THE WORDS, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS GRAND OLD LAY." TRY EXPLAINING THAT TO FAMILY. I DID THE SAME THING ONCE WITH A CAPTION ON THE FRONT PAGE, BENEATH A PHOTOGRAPH OF A COSTUMED YOUNG LADY. "THIS YOUNG LAY READY FOR HALLOWE'EN." HER MOTHER WANTED MY HEAD ON A PLATTER. AS FOR "TURDEAU," WHICH OF COURSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN "TRUDEAU," WE GOT SOME INTERESTING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. THAT'S IT. I'VE ONCE AGAIN DIGRESSED FROM THE PURPOSE OF THIS STORY.

     AFTER AN AUCTION ONE EVENING, IN BRACEBRIDGE, I HAD A FEW MINUTES TO TALK TO WAYNE ABOUT HIS FATHER, LES, AND TOLD A FEW STORIES ABOUT HOW HE MADE THE YOUNG GIRLS CRY AT THE HERALD-GAZETTE. HE JUST NODDED. LES WAS LES! ONCE YOU GOT TO KNOW THIS MOUNTAIN OF A MAN, YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT BEING GRUFF WASN'T A SIGN OF HIS PREVAILING MOOD…..IT WAS JUST WHO HE WAS. WAYNE GOT A KICK OUT OF HEARING MY FEW STORIES, AND IT'S WHY I ENJOYED GOING TO THE SALES SO MUCH…….I SAW A LOT OF LES RUTLEDGE, IN THE MANNERISM AND CHARACTER OF HIS SON…..WHO ALSO WORE A STETSON, BUT WAS AT LEAST A HUNDRED POUNDS LIGHTER. WAYNE HAD A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR AND THE CROWD LOVED HIM. I'VE NEVER BEFORE, IN ALL THE AUCTIONS I'VE ATTENDED AS AN ANTIQUE DEALER, SEEN SERIOUS AUCTION GROUPIES. IT WOULD BE TOO CASUAL TO SAY THEY WERE "REGULARS." THESE FOLKS BECAME HIS FRIENDS, AND IT DIDN'T MATTER HOW GOOD THE SALE WAS, THESE PATRONS STAYED TO THE BITTER END OF EACH SALE, JUST TO TAKE IN THE AMBIENCE. WE PROUDLY COUNT OURSELVES AMONGST THIS GROUP OF FOLLOWERS. BUT MANY OF HIS GROUPIES WEREN'T AWARE OF THE WEALTH OF HOCKEY HISTORY THIS MAN REPRESENTED.

     WHEN THE LOS ANGELES KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP THIS WEEK, I SAW A FAN JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN CELEBRATION, WHO WAS WEARING A REPLICA SWEATER OF THE ORIGINAL 1967 CLUB, AND I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT ABOUT WAYNE RUTLEDGE, AND HOW PLEASED HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO SEE HIS OLD TEAM FINALLY WIN THE BIG PRIZE. HE HAD JOINED THE CLUB IN 1967, AFTER A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL AMATEUR CAREER WITH THE BARRIE FLYERS, NIAGARA FLYERS, AS WELL AS BEING ON THE ALLEN CUP WINNING, WINDSOR BULLDOGS.  RUTLEDGE WAS BORN IN BARRIE, ONTARIO, ON JANUARY 5, 1942. HE DIED ON OCTOBER 5TH, 2004. HE HAD BEEN LIVING IN HUNTSVILLE, BUT WAS WORKING THROUGHOUT MUSKOKA AS BOTH A GLAZIER AND AN AUCTIONEER.

     AFTER A FAIR STINT WITH THE KINGS, HE JOINED THE WORLD HOCKEY ASSOCIATION'S HOUSTON ARROWS, WHERE HE PLAYED WITH FORMER DETROIT RED WING LEGEND, GORDIE HOWE AND HIS SONS MARK AND MARTY. HIS TEAM WON TWO AVCO CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS OVER TWO SEASONS, 1973-74, AND 1974-75. HE RETIRED IN THE LATE 1970'S.

WAYNE RUTLEDGE AND ROGER CROZIER

     From my research notes, while working on the biography of Bracebridge born, Roger Crozier, formerly of the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, I found many references and news clippings, of junior hockey in Ontario, that also mentioned Wayne Rutledge. There were two particularly spectacular goalies, getting a fair amount of positive press in the early 1960's, and if memory serves, they even played against each other in those pre-N.H.L. days. They obviously faced each other in later years, when Los Angeles played either Detroit or Buffalo. Shortly after I began working for Roger in the mid 1990's, and his fledgling childrens' charity, the Crozier Foundation, I was given work to do, on the creation of a special celebrity dinner, in Roger's honor, at the Bracebridge Centennial Centre. It would bring out quite a few veteran hockey players and long time friends to "roast" Roger. I helped arrange for hockey writer, Ross Brewitt to be the guest speaker, for the evening, as he had worked with the Sabres, in their promotional department, during Roger's stay with the club. Brewitt has written quite a number of hockey books, and actually, even took my advice, to take-up where Paul Rimstead had left off, writing the biography of Eddy Shack. Rimstead died before the book could be written, and seeing as Brewitt had a similar style of writing, I suggested he run it by Shack to see if there was any interest in continuing the book. He thought the idea was a good one, and that Brewitt fit the bill. Shack and Rimstead had been best friends for years. The book was written. I was invited to the book launch with Brewitt and Shack, in Toronto, during a huge winter storm that even closed the highway. I couldn't attend. He sent me a double-signed copy which I still cherish, as Eddy was one of my all-time favorite players, and Brewitt, next to Rimstead, was my choice of sports writers.

     Along with arranging for Brewitt to roast Roger, I was able to convince the organizers from the Crozier Foundation, to invite Wayne Rutledge for the big night. I can't tell you how thrilled I was, to see the two goaltending veterans, meet-up before the start of dinner……and it was the handshake I will never forget. Here was the auctioneer I had regular meetings with throughout the Muskoka auction season, reliving those great hockey days with my boss, Roger Crozier. Their talk was about a time, when hockey was the mainstay, the national passion, an obsession for Canadian kids, when the voice of Foster and Bill Hewitt was Hockey Night in Canada. Before the super-star days that prevail so pretentiously today. It was the gentlemanly handshake that had probably occurred, many times before, between the two veterans, beneath the centre-ice scoreboards; in some of the great arenas of the old N.H.L., to the ovation of thousands of cheering fans. What I saw was a "job well-done" handshake, for the long and substantial successes of two courageous netminders, both who had played in those early years without the benefit of face masks. Some would say, it was easier to play without the masks. It was terrible playing without a defense. Both goalies, from their expansion era teams, "had more rubber on them that the tarmac of an airport," according to Ross Brewitt. The stories these old goaltenders possessed! Wow!  If I'd only had the time, to put these two men together, for a proper interview, what a front-pager that would have been……what a byline coup for me.

     Inside a year, Roger had passed away. I can't tell you how privileged I feel today, to have witnessed that parting handshake. Wayne passed away, after a short illness, in 2004. I had enjoyed a chance to work close with Roger, for a short but intense period, and I spent a lot of business / social time, chasing after Wayne from auction to auction. I remember one day, coming upon Wayne replacing glass in the doors at the Huntsville Public Library. I actually wrote a piece for the Oldtimers Hockey News, about this multi-talented former N.H.L.'er, who was a championship goalie, an expert on glass replacement, and one of the most revered auctioneers in this part of Ontario. I don't know if they ever used the story, but at least I wrote it. Roger of course, became a bank executive for MBNA based in Delaware. I'm just glad to have had the opportunity to work with both these veteran players. Andrew and Robert did as well. In fact, for a little trivia here, Andrew purchased the first instrument of his present business, at a Wayne Rutledge auction in Huntsville. It was a beautiful Regal banjo, that he sold the summer we took a booth at the Antique Boat Show in Gravenhurst. It was his first major sale, and it tied-in with our auctioneer friend. There's more. I had to ask Wayne for a favor that day. We had to leave the auction to attend a family event, and I asked if he could put the vintage guitars and banjo a little bit ahead of schedule, so we could bid on them. We had just run out of time. Wayne could have stuck to protocol, and refused to alter the order of sale items in front. As we were good customers, and at every sale, he graciously agreed, and Andrew got his chance to bid. He worked it hard, as an auctioneer, for the benefit of the host for the sale, so we didn't get any special treatment during the actual bidding. But I did very much appreciate, the way he bent the rules a bit, and bumped the vintage music pieces up, in the auction order, to give Andrew a break. He purchased numerous other guitars and old records from Wayne over quite a few years. In a small but significant way, he was a part of that start-up to Andrew and Robert's music business today. He'd find it humorous and anecdotal, that son Robert has taught one of his kin, here in Gravenhurst. A completed circle, some might say.

     So we all hoisted a mug of coffee, this morning, in Wayne's honor, thinking how much he would have enjoyed watching his Los Angeles Kings, finally, after all these years, win the coveted Stanley Cup. I'm sure, in spirit, Wayne was there, to put his hand on the cup, with all the other veterans of the team, who hadn't survived to celebrate this momentous occasion in hockey history.

     Thanks so much for visiting today's blog. Please come back again soon.