PREVIOUS NEWS
Monday, December 06, 1999
Fellow Belleekers !! (lettre # 3.7)
** HEADLINE NEWS !! **
Cathy, whom I'll introduce to you all later, has
presented a wonderful idea for ALL of us Belleekers !!
I will paraphrase her idea the best I can :
(Editor's note : Due to health concerns Dick was not
able to be with us at the Millennium Convention !!)
I (Cathy) am the new President for the Degenhardt
chapter and I needed to know info on chapter info or
web pages? Most important and top priority, however,
is our wish for you (Del) to post a message for all
members. We would like to invite anyone who wishes to
write a personal note of thanks to Dick Degenhardt
letting him know what the Belleek Society has meant to
them. Whether it be new friends, new pieces, new
knowledge and information or new experiences …. we've
all gained something from what Dick has started. Our
(The Degenhardt Chapter's) goal is to put it together
and present it to him …. while he can still read and
enjoy and appreciate it. But we need to get started
on this immediately!
Whoops (Editor's Note : I DO THIS ALSO !!)….my last
email just got erased before I sent it! All right,
here we go again! PLEASE DON'T have people send their
letters to Dick ….send them to me (Cathy) as we want
to put them together in a scrapbook for him and his
wife. My email is marbleldy@aol.com and my snail mail
is :
Ms. Cathy C. Runyan-Svacina
7812 N.W. Hampton Rd.
Kansas City, MO. 64152
** PRESENTING THE MARBLE LADY !! **
(Editor's Note : From the lips of Ms. Cathy C.
Runyan-Svacina noted Belleeker and author) :
Just introduce me as the new Degenhardt Chapter
President ….daughter-in-law of long time Belleeker
Delight Svacina and married to Larry Svacina. Tell
them like many Belleekers I have the 3 simple
credentials it takes to be a Chapter President….
1) A sense of humor and a bit of craziness
2) An eagerness and excitement about learning and
3) A love for Belleek and it's rich history.
It isn't a matter of having time….none of us have
time….we all have time….the same amount of time and
the same freedom to choose how we spend our time.
And it isn't about knowing everything but it's about
being humble enough to admit how little we know, and
how willing we are to learn more. And it isn't even
about having the finest collection….it's more about
being excited about everyone's collections! And
finally….it is about sharing and caring and
friendships….these are the things I have learned from
my association with Belleekers in the last 5 years.
It is truly an honor to be elected as the new President
of the Degenhardt chapter and if I can in even a small
measure follow the footsteps of our previous Presidents
....I will be thrilled! Actually, my footsteps at
times may not match any of my predecessors exactly....
(I love to skip and walk barefoot in the rain and mud)
....but my overall destination and goals for the club
will be in harmony and I hope we can have fun on our
journey together!
Yes, please do put a link to my email….Marbleldy@aol.com
and please tell everyone I am OPEN to any and all
suggestions and help! I am currently working with a
Newspaper writer who once did a big article on me as
The Marble Lady and now I am talking to her about a big
article on Belleek to come out in March around St.
Pat's day. I would encourage everyone to first write
a thank you and personalized note to Dick and his wife,
and then...Chapter members….begin approaching your
local papers about a Belleek article in March….wouldn't
it be great to have Belleek articles start showing up
around the world?! From my background in PR….
newspapers like local attachments to any story….so plug
it from the chapter members perspective and then relate
it to the worldwide International Society. We really
can do this!
And finally, we will be having my friend Susan Sheehan,
former Pulitzer Prize winner, writer for The New Yorker
magazine, also contributor to New York Times, Atlantic,
Life, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Harpers, etc.,
1999 Writer and lecturer-in-resident for Georgetown
University ….(these are just a few of her credentials).
She will be speaking at our January meeting about a
trip to Northern Ireland she and her husband, Neil,
(also a former Pulitzer Prize winning author) took this
year. Neil Sheehan is obviously of Irish descent and
they had a very interesting trip. If any chapters
would be interested in having us ask Susan for
permission to tape her talk with us….we would be happy
to share it with you. I would really like to see a
tape library of special chapter programs be available
for sharing and lending because not all guests are
available to all chapters ….how does everyone else
feel about this idea? I'm open to any and all
suggestions and ideas! Thanks so much-Cathy
AND THANK YOU Cathy, from ALL us Belleekers !!
** NEW ADDRESS !! **
PLEASE NOTE : As of the time you read this, I will
have already completed my move to :
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue
WA 98008-2711
PLEASE update any of your records accordingly to
reflect this change AND DON'T worry, if you want
to drop by for a visit, it's ONLY 900 paces, my pace
is like ONE yard, from my previous residence !!
** Belleek Millennium Convention **
** Washington, D.C.**
** September 24th.thru 26th. 1999 !! **
What a convention it was !! For those of you that
missed it, Angela did a splendid job !! KUDO's for
Angela !!
Begin to mark your calendars for the upcoming
convention in Toronto, Canada hosted obviously by
our wonderful Northern neighbors due in 2001 !!
The Trillium Chapter B.C.I.S. is planning a splendid
convention Thursday, July 26 thru Sunday, July 29,
2001 in BEAUTIFUL Toronto !! AND THAT'S NOT THEIR
CAPITAL !! It IS, though, the capital of Ontario,
Canada !! To keep you ALL confused, the capital of
Canada is Ottawa which is also in Ontario which is
situated on the Ottawa river which flows 696 miles SE
into the St. Lawrence !!
** Belleek Collectors' Fair, etc !! **
Stay tuned !! The upcoming Collectors' Fair in
Portland, Oregon promises to be another GREAT one !!
Be there for terrific Belleek opportunities and
friendship Saturday, March 11, 2000 and will run
from 8AM till 'closing' (down or up) !! PLEASE direct
ALL inquires to either Lori or Ben Harlan
@ (425) 828-4247 for more details !! Last year was
unforgettable !!
** Collectors' NEWS and UPDATES !! **
QUESTIONABLE BELLEEK ITEMS !! The following information
was compiled for our benefit by some VERY good friends
of mine over in OHIO, i.e., The Queen City Chapter !!
It appears that TWO, YES 2, flavours of the 'Founding
Members' of the Society Plaque have surfaced !! Of
course, the first was the known ?? Then came it's
mate ?? It has the IDENTICAL reddish special Society
backstamp EXCEPT :
Woops, JUST checked it out and mine is a GREEN mark !!
The 'original' issue reads "Issued to Founder Members
Only 1979" while the 'secondary' issue reads "Issued
to Members' Only"
Word to the wise is sufficient !! BE CAREFUL BEFORE
PURCHASING ONE OF THESE !! The 1979, i.e., dated
version should be worth much more !!
I bring this up as I have seen numerous of these on
E-Bay, the on-line auction site and it seems that no
one knows the difference ?? CAUTION is the word of the
day !!
** CHICAGO SUMMER ANTIQUE SHOW **
It's OVER !! GREAT as usual and I'll be posting
updates for all of us who will be there during Y2K,
assuming the world doesn't just stop ??
In any case, look for updates on my web-site !!
** THE PRISONER BOOK # 2 **
** I Promised You All This Volume !! **
A GREAT Belleeker by the name of Bob up there North in
B.C. Canada did some marvelous research several years
ago and I've been waiting for the proper time to
publish some of his findings !! Here's his DIRECT
verbiage :
Went down to the dockyard to-day and talked with Paul
Reynolds for about an hour, surprising what you don't
know about some people even when you're his boss and
have known him for over 20 years!! His dad's name was
"Geffory" he was the eldest son of Sydney's 6 children,
brother Howard and 4 daughters. Sydney and family came
to southern Vancouver Island to the Mill Bay area and
were going to start a chicken farm when the financial
bubble broke (The Great Depression). He moved to
Victoria and worked for a "Guy"(Paul told me his name
which I forgot) who had a business in the next building
up government st. where Sydney ran the china dept. for
him because of his previous experience in china (he
owned and operated 3 china stores in England which he
had sold prior to coming to the island, the "Guy" set
Sydney & a Partner (name I Forgot!!) up in a china
store at the location where the present store is,
originally the store had another name (goofed again
forgot name) which Sydney bought out and renamed Sydney
Reynolds. Paul also said because of Sydney's many
contacts because of his previous experience in china he
just contacted the factories and they sent him barrels
of china. Paul read the tale I told under the Prisoner
of Love picture (Marion's Potpourri test page) and said
he had never heard the story but it wouldn't surprise
him because of Sydney's love of the Irish people and
he would go beering with the employees and party to the
wee hours.
(To Be Continued !!)
A view of First Period Mark on the
BACK of the BASE of the Painted Prisoner of Love !!
I have included a brass ruler so one
can grasp the immense size !!
It, the ruler doesn't show very well, but it's 1" !!
Belleekingly,
Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue, WA 98008-2711
U.S.A.
Telephone : 1 (425) 746-6363
Message : 1 (425) 746-6363
FAX : 1 (425) 746-6363
E-mail : delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site : The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek (or) :
http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html