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“Welcome to Maine, the way life should be!” Forty-two members and guests arrived at
the China Rose Restaurant in downtown Brunswick, Maine beneath clear but
threatening skies. We’ve had it
good so far this winter. “In like a
lamb, out like a lion”. We’re
bracing for the “lion”.
Newcomers aren’t strangers for long, for Chapter 89 is
known for good hospitality. Everyone
had an opportunity to ponder over the growing display of auction, and we
all enjoyed a whiff of “what’s cookin” from the buffet.
The 165th meeting and 37th year
of Maine Chapter 89 got underway at 11:00 a.m. with some NEW faces in the
crowd. During the Welcome Hour, we
caught up on the latest news.
The Business Meeting started around 1:00 PM, led by
President John Hannington. He
welcomed members and guests during his opening introduction and asked for
folks to make a “self introduction”.
OLD BUSINESS: Chapter Secretary Ern Grover rendered a
reading of the Minutes of the Meeting for our November 2005 meeting. Treasurer Tom Vance rendered the
Treasurer’s report. The membership
accepted both reports.
NEW BUSINESS: President Hannington gave
a brief review of the Executive Council Meeting having just convened
minutes before the membership meeting.
He highlighted our goals for 2006 with respect to special speakers
and the acquisition of some audio/visual equipment to enhance our
presentations. Regarding member Jim
Lea’s proposal to invest treasury funds in the form of a Certificate of
Deposit, he reported that the ECM would first need to review the By-Laws to
expressly permit such investment.
It would be in the best interest of the chapter to act upon Jim
Lea’s proposal, but we must approach this legally.
Looking ahead: 2006 meetings will be March 20, May 20,
July 15, September 16 and November 18.
Our November 18th meeting will be our Annual Chapter
Auction and Election of Officers for 2007.
No other programs have yet been developed. The March 20th meeting will pull together in a
couple of weeks, and the membership will be notified.
Our July 15th
will be the Annual Lobster Picnic at the Rockport Boat Club with a slight
menu change. Instead of “lobster in
the rough”, we will take advantage of market prices and offer “sautéed
lobster au basil beurre blanc” along with filet mignon. As usual, the membership will bring a
variety of potluck dishes and desserts.
show & tell: Jim Lea brought a pocket watch
bearing the name of his great uncle, John Lea, who worked and lived in
London in 1844. A friend alerted
him of this Ebay sale. Jim now has
watches from four generations of watch and clockmakers.
Paul Fournier brought an Ogee
rosewood cased Daniel Pratt, circa 1841, with a distressed dial, looking
for some advice. It was a brass
movement, weight driven. There was
ample table discussion as to whether Pratt made it or simply put his label
on it for retail.
John Hannington brought a
Frank Mueller tubular bell movement capable of playing a complete series of
20 selections on 10 tubes. Once the
movement is completed, it will be returned to its place of prominence at
the University of Maine. As a side
note, Cal Morgan originally worked on the same movement 35 years ago. It came to him, disassembled, with parts
missing. Thanks to Cal’s reverse
engineering skills, he fabricated the necessary warning and stop levers for
the movement. In all, there were
128 of these handmade chime clocks manufactured. Mueller would use a commercially available movement and case
and add his chiming movement.
Raffle drawing: Sam Ogilvie won the $20
draw, and Chuck French won the $10 draw.
Congratulations!
presentation: A
motion to adjourn the meeting was made and seconded, and the members turned
their attention to the presentation.
Member Gerry Haviland offered the membership an audio/visual
instruction on adhesives and restoration of press fits. This was followed by some comparisons of
cleaning and rinsing solutions for use in the clock repair shop. His engineering talents and knowledge of
various Loctite products, adhesives and epoxy agents was quite
evident. He explained applications
and limitations of various products.
Thank you Gerry for a great presentation.
Invitation: Come
join us at a future meeting. We’d
love to show you some Maine hospitality.
Ern Grover, Chapter 89 Secretary
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Presenter Gerry
Haviland
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Mueller Clock and
Chime
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A good time was had
by all
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