SHRINERS - CHARITY
BUFFALOES
My blog yesterday about the photographic movement BUFFALO prompted memories of over 50 years ago when I was joint founder of a young man's drinking club which we named Tarquins as in Tarquinius Superbus who I seem to remember stood on the bridge over the River Tiber in Rome repelling the enemy(?). The object of the Tarquins was not merely to have a good time meeting every week in different pubs in North Hertfordshire, about 40 miles north of London, but also to raise monies for charity.This was the period late 50's and early 60's
By chance one of the pubs we visited was in Old Stevenage and we had to juggle the 'meet' dates to accomodate the meetings also held there by The Royal Antidiluvian Order of Buffaloes - BUFFS, who similarly had strong aims in Philanthropy and Conviviality and in turn charity.
Fast forward to 1981 when I was a regular visitor to the States where in the first instance I was promoting a quintessentially British marketing programme that reflected the 'comfortable' side to life with no conflicts and all very nostalgic being influenced by the English countryside-The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.
In tandem with the marketing programme I was trying to sell an engraving technique that I'd developed for decorating glass where I was targeting glass manufacturing in all areas of the States.
Lo and behold I gained appointments with two companies that fitted with my own remit and both in Omaha Nebraska.
A Mexican glass manufacturer from Monterrey - Mexico had their US HQ and offices in Omaha Nebraska and the Dept. Store J.L. Brandeis & Sons wished to look at the opportunities that The Country Diary offered they already working with some of our partners/licensees .
I arrived in Omaha late on the Thursday night (10th Sept. 1981) having flown in from Cincinnati where I'd met with Pogues the department store in particular John Hoerner the President and his style VP Martha Pettinger they then visiting me in NY - 1412 Broadway. John Hoerner via L S Ayres,Indianapolis came to England and was a major retail force from the late 80's until today. He being over the years CEO or exceptionally senior at dept. stores such as Debenhamns or high street fashion retailer as with Arcadia/Topshop and latterly Tesco the international supermarkets with 'a toe hold in
California with Fresh and Easy..
I managed to find a room at the New Towers Hotel but only for that night as they quoted '"the city is full for a Shriner Convention/Get together (The Shriner movement originally being called The Ancient Arabic order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine which was morphed into Shriner International in 2010).
Having had my two meetings and not wishing to get a flight back to NY by some circuitous route I was determined to find a room - easier said than done !!! there being no rooms available and my ventures out into the streets mad it very clear that the Shriners were in town en masse and out to enjoy themselves and show what great works they performed for charity and especially 'the KIDS'
I gather that the local chapter/ward in Omaha was known as the TANGIER Ward
#
I eventually was offered a room in The Red Lion Hotel in Council Bluffs with many caveats as to the hotel's responsibilities as the room was allegedly 'closed' after a series of complaints by previous visitors that there was a leaking gas smell. Suffice it to say 'that beggars can't be choosers' and I took the room with all the windows left open and I'm still alive today in my 74th year.
If you wonder as to my memory I'm fortunate to have an excellent thought process of being able to mentally 'join the dots' of occurances in part no doubt aided by my daily exercise of paper clipping the hard copy papers, filing and categorising all areas of style and design and any subject I've been involved in in the past.
I also have kept a diary since 1961 and yes I'm a Virgo
- Buffalo - Buffs -Omaha - Shriners -
By chance one of the pubs we visited was in Old Stevenage and we had to juggle the 'meet' dates to accomodate the meetings also held there by The Royal Antidiluvian Order of Buffaloes - BUFFS, who similarly had strong aims in Philanthropy and Conviviality and in turn charity.
Fast forward to 1981 when I was a regular visitor to the States where in the first instance I was promoting a quintessentially British marketing programme that reflected the 'comfortable' side to life with no conflicts and all very nostalgic being influenced by the English countryside-The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.
In tandem with the marketing programme I was trying to sell an engraving technique that I'd developed for decorating glass where I was targeting glass manufacturing in all areas of the States.
Lo and behold I gained appointments with two companies that fitted with my own remit and both in Omaha Nebraska.
A Mexican glass manufacturer from Monterrey - Mexico had their US HQ and offices in Omaha Nebraska and the Dept. Store J.L. Brandeis & Sons wished to look at the opportunities that The Country Diary offered they already working with some of our partners/licensees .
I arrived in Omaha late on the Thursday night (10th Sept. 1981) having flown in from Cincinnati where I'd met with Pogues the department store in particular John Hoerner the President and his style VP Martha Pettinger they then visiting me in NY - 1412 Broadway. John Hoerner via L S Ayres,Indianapolis came to England and was a major retail force from the late 80's until today. He being over the years CEO or exceptionally senior at dept. stores such as Debenhamns or high street fashion retailer as with Arcadia/Topshop and latterly Tesco the international supermarkets with 'a toe hold in
California with Fresh and Easy..
I managed to find a room at the New Towers Hotel but only for that night as they quoted '"the city is full for a Shriner Convention/Get together (The Shriner movement originally being called The Ancient Arabic order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine which was morphed into Shriner International in 2010).
Having had my two meetings and not wishing to get a flight back to NY by some circuitous route I was determined to find a room - easier said than done !!! there being no rooms available and my ventures out into the streets mad it very clear that the Shriners were in town en masse and out to enjoy themselves and show what great works they performed for charity and especially 'the KIDS'
I gather that the local chapter/ward in Omaha was known as the TANGIER Ward
 |
| Aselection of hospitals in the States where The Shriners were to be thanked for raising all the money to fund such spectacular places of healingf |
#
I eventually was offered a room in The Red Lion Hotel in Council Bluffs with many caveats as to the hotel's responsibilities as the room was allegedly 'closed' after a series of complaints by previous visitors that there was a leaking gas smell. Suffice it to say 'that beggars can't be choosers' and I took the room with all the windows left open and I'm still alive today in my 74th year.
If you wonder as to my memory I'm fortunate to have an excellent thought process of being able to mentally 'join the dots' of occurances in part no doubt aided by my daily exercise of paper clipping the hard copy papers, filing and categorising all areas of style and design and any subject I've been involved in in the past.
I also have kept a diary since 1961 and yes I'm a Virgo
- Buffalo - Buffs -Omaha - Shriners -
All images used on the Leslie Creasey Blog are from my hand
clipped archive documenting 35 years of Style and Design media. For all enquiries please contact leslie@charismatic-brands.com.
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