Our club turns 30!

[caligula]

To all members of the Vacuum Cleaner Collector's Club. HAPPY ANNIVRSARY!

Thanks to John Lucia taking a road trip from California to Indiana, and meeting me, we have a club. In September 1982, John and I went to the Hoover Historical Center, and after thaat decided to form our club. On January 2, 1983, our first newsletter was mailed.

The early months were far from easy, but thanks to John, we got this club off the ground. I'll share more later and recognize the first members tomorrow, but for now it's enough to say.

THANK YOU JOHN LUCIA!

Alex Taber.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Congratulations!

I'm wondering if you folks have any 1983-vintage vacuum cleaners to show us in light of the founding of this club?

~Ben

 

[jmurray01]

I had no idea the VCCC was that old! Congratulations in keeping it going so long.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Happy Anniversary!!

Indeed, we are all indebted. I'm very glad to know John Lucia, for lots of reasons.  I'm glad to call you my friend, and hope to see you at the convention.


  Now, in clelebration,  let's all run our favorite HOOVER cleaner.


 John.

 

[caligula]

Hi John.

Thank you John:

The history of our club is an interesting one, and yes, it began with Hoover! Later today, I'll share the info on exactly how the club was created. Bottom line was that it was Mrs. Stacy Krames who was the director of the Hoover Historical Center who put John and I in touch. She also gave us a list of people interested in vacuum cleaner collecting. The rest, as they say, is history!

The reason John and I decided to form the club was to save fellow collectors from the endless search for information. Both he and I had acquired information as children. Looking in other peoples cleaning closets, saving magazine adds, and hounding shop owners with questions. John had spent most of his time digging up facts on Hoover, while I was interested in Electrolux and Kirby. In the early days, the club was a teaching center. It was also a place for guys to go and be free of the comment "you collect what?" When we were kids, the vacuum cleaner was not a nice device, and vacuum cleaner salesmen were like the dreaded car dealerships. So together we got the ball rolling.

Did you know that there was a club museum? No, not an on line museum, but a whole room full of vacuum cleaners? Everything from brooms, waxers, non electric, early electric, and a myriad of brands. There were posters, instruction books, walls of tools, and parts galore.

It's been an interesting 30 years, and one that I'm proud to have been a part of. As I said, I'll tell the entire story later today.

Glad you are a part of the club.

Alex Taber

 

[caligula]

1983 vintage vacuum cleaners.

Well at that time I think there was the Kirby Heritage, I know that was what I was demoing back then.

In those days the club centered around a bi-monthly newsletter, and phone calls between members. The newsletter was the only form we had to help answer the question "what is the history of--?" While John knew the history of Hoover, I covered everything else. My interest at tht time was the non electric machines of the late 1800's. I also knew a lot about Air-Way, Electrolux, Kirby, and Regina. In time a member named Mike Pupek, offered to share his interest in Rexair. My strong interest at his time was patent information, and I practically lived at the research department of the Chicago public library. Here I also learned about Eureka, Filter Queen, General Electric, Royal, and a myriad of fly by night brands like Bee-Vac, Cadilac, and so on.

During this time, I was also working for a Kirby branch office in Lombard, Illinois. Any interesting trade-in, I got, as well as machines from garage sales, and the basements of several vacuum cleaner shops. As for the storage of these machines, they were put on display in a spare bedroom.

In the fall of 1984, Mike Pupek stopped at my house, and in the course of conversation said. "How about a gathering of the club members?" (all 5 of us!) My answer to this was "nobody is going to travel cross country to see some old vacuum cleaners!" Mike smiled, "put the question in the Christmas issue of the newsletter!" I did, and the responce was "when do we meet?" The result was the first gathering at club headquarters, Chesterton, Indiana, on the first weekend of May 1985. It was here that we set the rules, drafted bylaws, and appinted people to cover various parts of the country for human interest stories. We also set a cut off date. Nothing older than 1960.

Then a few months later, September 1985, I bought a house in Naperville, Illinois, and my guest bedroom became the club museum! My machines were now incorporated into the club, as was all my paperwork. This room also served as the meeting room for the next few years.

Certainly rules have changed! Neither John of I wanted officers in the club. Basically I was the club, As John was not in a position to do office work, I covered the corospondence, served as editor/publisher, screened phone calls, interviewed members, and dealt with the anual meeting. At that time, there was a motel a block away from my house and it was here that we housed the membership.

In 1995, I sold my house, and relocated to San Diego, California. At this time I turned the club over to our first president. This was a member who went over the heads of John Lucia and me, and got himself elected. Saddly, I decided to 'walk away' and let the club fly on it's own. Fortunately, there were people to keep the club going, and today it is going strong!

Now, I'm content to stay on the sidelines and simply be a member.

Alex Taber.

 

[portable]

<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I remember that we had many interesting early meetings. We learned lots of information and had great fun. I have certainly learned more about Hoover than I THOUGHT I knew in the beginning, thanks to many wonderful club members, both long ago and more recently. We've learned about many other brands as well. Ruth Hollander, a wonderful, sweet person, gave a dynamic presentation at her home one year about Filter Queen and Compact and Tri-Star. Mike Pletcher and his partner hosted a great dinner the year that Bob Kautzman held the meeting at his home and barn in Pennsylvania. Seeing Bob's barn and property was a treat. We convened at Hoover and got a chance to tour the vault and see parts of the factory. I missed the year that we went to Kirby for the first time, and missed many meetings after that. Tania and Charlie have given great presentations about Air-Way, and are a great source of knowledge on these and other brands. We have many members with a great working knowledge of Kirby, Electrolux, Regina, GE and other brands. And, I could never have envisioned that we would have valued members in Canada, England, Scotland, South Africa, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal. You bring so much to the "mix" - I once thought that I would never be able to learn anything about vacuums overseas...I was wrong! Wow, we are lucky!</span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">When we went on the roadtrip in 1982, we met a few current and past employees of Hoover. One former employee had retired, and Stacey gave us his name and contact info. We went to see him. His basement was filled with old attachment sets, hoods, headlights, brochures and other wonderful stuff. Sadly, he was in very ill health, and we kept in contact with his wife after our visit with them. Several months after our visit, he passed away. He had worked for Hoover for something like 35 years.</span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">There were lots of great members that joined the group later on. I'm not going to name them all for fear of leaving some names out. They have been valuable members, and have contributed to the Club in great ways. Many are still members, and have helped to grow the Club. Their enthusiasm is infectious and much appreciated.</span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">As Billy Lipman would say..."Have you EVER!!" </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Happy 30th VCCC!! Thanks to Alex for the idea and the enthusiasm, and to so many others for your participation and energy.</span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">John Lucia </span>

 

[caligula]

Hi John.

I remember that trip to Hoover very well. The retired man you were thinking of was Bill Smiley. He was the man who designed the original brush rolls. I also remember how thrilled his wife was that we were there. Seems that Hoover had forgotten about him. The person who suggested we see him was Skip Marquat, head of engineering.

I can still see us in two different cemeteries, not only searching for the Hoover family members, but also Murray J. Spangler. Yes, that was a fun weekend.

And after we left North Canton, you drove me to Wallingford, Connecticut, where you met my paternal grandmother Margaret Taber. You got permision to go into the attic and help yourself to the old magazines up there, and found several old Hoover ads for your collection.

This has been a wonderful 30 years, let's hope it lasts another 30, or longer.

Robert Alexamder.

 

[caligula]

Hi John.

And while I'm handing out praise, we have to lift our glasses in tribute for the one and only STAN KANN!

My favorite memory of Stan was in 2006, it was the night of the Convention in St. Louis. My guy Charles had been in awe of Stan for years, and the respect I saw in Charles's eyes when they met that afternoon was awesome. Stan didn't simply shake hands, he hugged Charles, like he was a long lost buddy.

Now both Charles and Stan are gone, I know they are together someplace.

Alex Taber.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Alex,

Charles is no longer with us now? How? Are you speaking of Charles R. Lester?

~Ben

 

[gottahaveahoove]

No, no.

Charles Richard Lester is alive in California.  He no longer associates with the club.

 

[caligula]

Not that Charles.

I was talking about my partner, the late Charles Hamilton Brookreson. May 25, 1958 - July 2, 2006.

Alex

 

[kirbyultimateg]

Happy 30th Anniversary VCCC!

 

[caligula]

Which Charles am I talking about?

There were two men in my life, both named Charles. Charles Richard Lester and I met at a meeting at my house in Naperville, Illinois. Back in those days, we called them meetings because there were 20 members, if that. Because I was tired of doing it all, I hired Charles as our publisher, while I remained editor. I also reserved final approval on ALL newsletters, so I got them to him 'print ready!'

In May of 1995, we had a member who will remain nameless. He went over the heads of John Lucia and myself, as we didn't want 'officers' in the club. This guy gathered up a group of people and at the anual meeting got himself elected president! That caused a rift between us that will never be mended! As I had just bought a house in San Diego, I more or less left the club to sink or swim. It did both!

Then on March 7, 1996, I met a man who would become my life partner, his name was also Charles. Charles Hamilton Brookreson. Not only did he fall in love with me, but also my vacuum cleaner collection. He helped me design a new display room, and listened in rapt attention to the stories about Electrolux, Hoover, Kirby and so on. He also told me of his awareness of Stan Kann, and longed to meet him. Unfortunately their meeting came at a time when Charles's heart condition was at it's worst. With extreme effort, he toured the Fox theater, and took part in a very intense convention. I knew at the time that he was forcing himself to stay alive. He wanted to meet my friends in the club, and let them meet him. It was only two weeks after the convention in St. Louis that Charles passed away to congestive heart failure, but he was happy. What I remember most was his love for Stan. That was truly awesome.

As for Charles Richard? we are now 2,000 miles apart, and no longer involved with each others vacuum cleaner collections. While the friendship is there, and always will be, he does his thing and I do mine. We chat from time to time, but that's it.

So I hope this ends the question of which Charles I'm talking about. And yes, Charles Richard Lester is very much alive!

Alex Taber