Mike Bliss speech and personal note:

By Bob Berry; posted August 23, 2017

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To all my good friends in the hobby who have called or emailed me re: the national banquet presentation I made............... thank God it was taken as I had hoped. Countless people have bombarded me with a request (embarrassingly) for a copy of the speech, so I am just going to publish it here for the enjoyment of those requesting it.

Here is a picture of Mike in his Jerry Turner outfit: [id=513117790]

A fantastic 50 year reunion of Barry Cirillo, Dennis Cirillo, Henry Woods, Mike Bliss, and Eddie Downs, that was unexpected and unplanned for the first time (see photo) A very emotional "life moment" indeed for some '60 pioneers of our hobby in Colorado. [id=508033531]

Dan did an amazingly perfect job for us on the job of painstakingly giving "birth" and delivering a wonderful show for us .

Thanks to all indeed from a grateful 55 year collector

Yours most sincerely and may God bless you all ! !

Mike Bliss NIA 109

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I THINK I CAME PRETTY CLOSE TO WHAT JERRY TURNER WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE HIM WITH US TODAY

CHARLY CHAPLIN ONCE SAID "A DAY WITHOUT LAUGHTER IS A DAY WASTED" AND IN THE DAYS OF THE 42 AWARDS WITH JERRY, THE EARLY NATIONALS HAD AN ADDED HUMOR TO THE HOBBY TO SHOW US THAT WE MUST NOT TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY

FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS I TRIED TO BEG, BLACKMAIL, BUY OR BRIBE HIM TO SURRENDER TO ME ONE OF HIS TRADEMARK HEE HAW COVERALLS THAT I HAD GROWN TO ENJOY. HE SATISFIED MY ENVY AND JOKINGLY AGREED TO LEAVE THEM TO ME IN HIS WILL. THEN SOME TIME AFTER MY THIRD NATIONAL IN 2002 IN FT COLLINS I RECEIVE A BOX IN THE MAIL AND WHEN I OPENED IT AND I WAS DESTROYED TO SEE JERRY'S COVERALLS. AFTER 3 OR 4 WEEKS OF BEING DEPRESSED WITH LEARNING OF HIS DEATH, I OPENED THE BOX AND TOOK THEM OUT . DISCRETELY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX WAS A NOTE THAT SAID IN TYPICAL TURNER CHARACTER " NOT DEAD YET…ENJOY"

ISN'T IT AMAZING THE INFLUENCE PEOPLE HAVE ON OTHERS IN OUR LIVES AND THAT INCLUDES HERE, IN WHAT IS FOR THE MOST PART, A HONORABLE AND DEEPLY HISTORICAL COLLECTIBLES HOBBY

HOW MANY PEOPLE HERE KNOW THE NAME ALBERT R CAMPBELL… I CUT HIS LAWN IN S.E. DENVER IN 67. WHEN I CAME IN TO COLLECT FOR MY LABORS, I WAS REALLY TAKEN ABACK TO SEE 100 YEAR OLD CABINETS CRAMMED WITH INSULATORS. HE THOUGHT IT WAS ODD THAT A TEENAGER COLLECTED, AND WAS EVEN MORE FASCINATED WHEN I TOLD HIM OF THE GROUP OF KIDS INCLUDING THE SUMNER BROTHERS, HENRY WOODS, THE CIRILLO BROTHERS, ANDY SHAPIRO - IN ALL ABOUT 10 OR SO WHO SCROUNGED THE STATE FOR GLASS. AL CAMPBELL MENTORED US ALL AND WE GATHERED TOGETHER ONCE A MONTH FOR WHAT WAS TO BE THE FIRST SHOW AND TELL FOR COLORADO INSULATOR COLLECTORS. IT WAS A JOY TO SIP TEA THAT MRS CAMPBELL POURED OVER ICE AFTER EVERY WEEKLY LAWN MOWING AND TALK INSULATORS AS HE WOULD READ FROM LETTERS HE HAD RECEIVED FROM (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) SOMEONE IN A DISTANT PART OF AMERICA WHO ALSO COLLECTED! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? ANOTHER COLLECTOR. WOW WHO'S THIS GUY WHO CALLS HIMSELF WOODY? INCIDENTALLY THAT OTHER COLLECTORS NAME WAS NONE OTHER THAN MR. N.R. WOODWARD!

WITH MR. CAMPBELL BEING A 40 YEAR RETIRED RIGHT-OF-WAY MAN FOR MOUNTAIN STATES TELEPHONE COMPANY HE TOOK ME, PLAYING THE PART OF HIS "MULE", ON CLIMBING EXPEDITIONS. ON ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRIPS WE WENT DOWN A 5 CROSS ARM LINE DRIPPING WITH PURPLES FOR MILES, AT WHICH TIME HE STATED "BE QUICK AND ONLY TAKE THE PURPLES THAT SAY DENVER ON THEM AND LEAVE THE REST" WHICH TRANSLATED TO 5 OR 6 PER POLE ALL MORNING.

I FELT IT NECESSARY AS WELL AS VERY IMPORTANT TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE HOBBY FROM A PROSPECTIVE OF SEEING ALL THE CHANGES OVER 50 YEARS

WHERE WOULD MY COLLECTING HAVE GONE IF MY FIRST MENTOR HAD NOT TAKEN ME UNDER HIS WING?? FROM THE DAYS IN THE EARLY 60s OF CLIMBING POLES OR GATHERING CARLOADS OF INSULATORS EACH WEEKEND WHILE MOSTLY TRADING BACK AND FORTH. HARDLY ANY MONEY WAS INVOLVED. NOW WITH THE DECADES OF UP AND DOWN CHANGES, AND IN THE ADVENT OF THE INTERNET, I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT WE MUST NEVER STRIP OUR HOBBY OF HAVING THE EXPERIENCES OF THE CORE OF OUR COLLECTING WITH POSITIVE AND QUALITY MENTORING OF THE BEGINNERS TO PERSERVE IT FOR THE FUTURE BY KEEPING AND SHARING ALL TYPES OF PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT SUCH AS VOLUNTEERING, HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION AND SUPPORTING SHOWS OF ALL SIZES. PHILANTHROPY FOR THE GOOD OF ALL OF THE HOBBY SUCH AS THE ENDEAVORS OF TOMMY BOLACK, THE MC DOUGALDS, ELTON GISH AND A MYRIAD OF HISTORICAL INVESTIGATORS, AND OF COURSE SHOW HOSTS WHO MAKE IT THE EXCITING HANDS ON EXPERIENCE SUCH AS THIS SHOW THAT DAN HAS TIRELESSLY CREATED FOR US THAT IS A FINE EXAMPLE OF JUST HOW GOOD WE CAN MAKE OUR HOBBY

SO IN CONCLUSION I'M HOPING THAT ON EVERY LEVEL FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OUR HOBBY THAT WE ALL DEVELOP THE INSPIRATION TO PAY IT FORWARD FOR FUTURE COLLECTORS.

--Mike Bliss (July 2017)

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