Fall Meeting Report & New Gasogene Announcement

The Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit welcomed 39 people to their annual fall meeting at the Commonwealth Club in suburban Warren on October 19, 2024.

The meeting got underway at 6:15 p.m. as Gasogene John Kramb introduced the board members, first-time attendees and the club and audience members who belong to the master scion, the Baker Street Irregulars, who will be holding their annual meeting in New York City in January.

The meeting continued with the society’s traditional toasts to The Woman (offered by BSI member Monica Schmidt from Iowa, who also recalled the history of Sherlockian women); Mrs. Hudson (by Al Calderini, who speculated in a poem that her first name may have been Jean Louise and that she was related to Detroit’s famous retail store family); Mycroft Holmes (by David MacGregor, who offered his own take on smarter brothers) and finally, Watson’s Second Wife (by Brad Schwartz, who elevated the evening’s literary quotient by quoting the poet Rilke, who noted that sometimes we must “learn to love the questions”  – such as the identity of the mysterious wife in question).

After a fine buffet of pasta, chicken and beef entrees by Soprano’s Catering, the meeting continued as Rob Musial led a discussion on the evening’s story, “The Final Problem.” Detailing the backstory to the story, Musial related that Watson and his literary agent, Arthur Conan Doyle, has grown tired of Holmes and decided to finish him off, though fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

And partly, the story was chosen because it seemed like it would be the final meeting of the Mendicants at the Commonwealth Club, which is currently looking for a new home. But a club official announced that night that the club had several more months left on its lease so possibly a future meeting could be held there. The Mendicants and their guests said they were grateful for both outcomes.

Then, in a surprise announcement, Kramb announced  that he would be stepping down as Gasogene after 20 years. Fortunately, the esteemed Sherlockian Scott Monty has agreed to step in. Besides being the BSI (as “Cpl. Henry Wood”), Monty is a member of several Sherlockian societies and the co-host of the regular podcast, “I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere” and the weekly podcast, ”Trifles,” dealing with Holmesian minutiae.

Next came the Mendicant History Minute, featuring society Commissionaire Chris Music, who detailed the “Passed Gas,” that is, the folks who have led the society since its founding in 1946. In order, the list included Russell McLaughlin, Bill Rabe, Bob Harris, Gene Leeb, Tom Voss, Ed Stein, Peter Spivak, Roy Pilot and of course, John Kramb.

Then came a detailed presentation by Jerry Kelly on “Everything You Didn’t Know About Sherlock Holmes,” which captured the many appearances of the great detective in animated cartoons (from Daffy Duck to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and movies and online. Kelly also gave each attendee a 30-page booklet packed with background, history and online sources to learn more about Holmes. And he topped it off with individually wrapped slices of bread pudding, made from an authentic British recipe.

That was the second tasty dessert of the night, the first being a large artfully decorated round cake that featured a waterfall in icing down one side in honor of the Reichenbach Falls from the evening’s story; the special cake was made by the Chocolate Bar Café in Grosse Pointe Woods.

The second presentation came as Mendicant member Glenn Walters offered a look at “The Doctors of the Canon.” This presentation looked at the doctors who filled in for Watson or were mentioned in the stories as well as the British med school entrance requirements and the curriculum before and after the 1880s, when Watson trained and became a doctor. Surprisingly, before then, one could enter medical school at the age of 16 (!) with no prior medical education required. It is perhaps then no wonder that Watson seemed a little vague on the exact location of the wound he received while fighting in Afghanistan.

Walters concluded his presentation by noting that in 1953, the Mendicants had erected a plaque at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, where Holmes first met Watson.

Next the traditional drawing for door prizes took place and the winners were Jerry Kelly, Kathy Krisciunas, John Stadler and Brad Schwartz who were able to claim their prizes from the extensive collections of Holmes books and materials available that night. The items were also offered to the attendees that night, with proceeds benefiting the society.

No firm date was offered for the group’s next meeting but it would likely be in the late winter or early spring.

With the meeting winding down, all in attendance rose to sing “God Save the Queen” and  the society’s new Gasogene, Scott Monty concluded the meeting at 9:05 p.m. with the reading of the immortal poem, “221B.”

Respectfully submitted,

Robert Musial

AMS Tantalus