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Stein Zeitung

Erste Gruppe, the Southern California Chapter of Stein Collectors International To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

Erste Gruppe Chapter Bulletin: Issue No. 143 28 May 2012

Special Notice:

Due to Frank Poppie Jr’s health issue, the June 16, 2012 EG chapter meeting that was scheduled for the Poppies’ residence in Monterey Park, has been relocated to the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA), about 20 miles east on Hwy I-10 at 399 N. Garey Avenue, Pomona, CA 91767. Hours will start at 2:00 PM and go to 8:00 PM. You will be receiving an official announcement shortly from the Kellogg’s.

The AMOCA is where the Bob Wilson's 3,000 piece Mettlach collection is stored. There will be a small display of Bob's Mettlach and we can peruse the whole museum as a group during the party.

John Piet, SCI Webmaster, is still scheduled to speak on "German Student Association Steins".

Any questions can be addressed to me at drroydesel@aol.com and you may send your meeting and party fee of $20.00 per person to Dr. Roy De Selms at 1309 Seven Hills Dr., Hemet, Ca 92545. Tel: 951-765-5423 before 9:00 PM.

Looking forward to seeing you there - Roy De Selms, Erste Gruppe VP.

Inside this issue:

1. EG Officers & Chapter Meeting Dates 2. Erste Gruppe Chapter News and Updates 3. EG Meeting Minutes 4. Trip Report, Portland/Tacoma, Roy/Sue Kellogg 5. Article, an Interesting Bicycle Stein, John Mann 6. AMOCA event, showing the Wilson Collection.

Erste Gruppe Officers for 2012

President Roy Kellogg 1st Vice President Roy De Selms 2nd Vice President Elliot Jones Secretary Sue Kellogg Treasurer Roy Kellogg Historian Sharon Cooley SZ Assembler John Mann Board Members Ravi Patel, Frank Poppie, Bill

Gaumer, Pat Cunningham

Erste Gruppe Chapter meetings, 2012 (G-General, B-Board, SCI-Convention)

June 16 (Date and Location Changed due to illness): to be held at the AMOCA, Pomona, CA. Guest speaker, John Piet, "German Student Association Steins" July 28 Temecula (B) August 15 - 17 Annapolis, MD, (SCI) Sept. 8 (Changed: was 15) Stevenson Ranch (B) Oct. 13 Ojai (G)

Guest Speaker, Walt Vogdes Oct. 27 (Special Event) Oktoberfest at AMOCA Dec. 8 Taix French Restaurant, Los Angeles (G)

PO Box 891491, Temecula CA 92589.

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Golden Gate Zecher 2012 Event Calendar April 28 Vallejo Sept. 8 TBD Nov. 10 TBD

Dec. 8 Harry’s Hofbrau, Redwood City

PSS meetings 2012 June 2 Bainbridge Isl., WA Sept. 15 Lake Chelan, WA Dec. 8 TBD

Erste Gruppe Chapter News: Membership:

In February, membership renewal notices were sent out to our 30 non-lifetime members who pay annual dues. Six (6) of these dues paying members have failed to respond to our request to renew their membership. We can only assume that they have made a conscious decision not to renew their membership, however this may not be the case and you may be able to provide an encouraging word to them to renew their membership. We would sincerely like to have these members back within our group. The following listed members did not renew their membership.

Jim and Cheryl Armstrong Al and Helen Dennis Dick and Julie Hughes Paul Newman * Tim Peters * John Riddle *Removed from Stein Zeitung mailing list.

Frank Poppie Jr: Frank has been hospitalized for treatment of his high blood pressure. Lee is concerned for Frank’s health and feels that they cannot support the EG party that was scheduled for 16 June 2012. Lee sends her regrets and hopes that you will understand. Victor Lopez: I received an email from Lotti Lopez last night about her husband, Victor. They are old time Erste Gruppe members. Vic has taken a number of falls, resulting in subdural hematomas and required surgery (They drilled two holes in his skull to remove the blood and relieve the pressure). He has been progressing rather speedily, and he would LOVE receiving cards, notes, etc. from friends of EG.

Vic Lopez update 21 May 2012: The GOOD news is that the Dr. released him yesterday after five days in the

hospital. He is thrilled to be home, although walking with the assistance of a walker, he is sleeping in his own bed, eating well and utilizing the bathroom without assistance. The Dr. said he was in good physical shape due to his routine daily exercising and walking. Victor is looking forward to receiving cards from EG’ers.

Victor L. Lopez

552 Center Lane

Santa Paula, CA 93060

Sue Kellogg

Sad news from Jean Belsha. Tom, Ruthe White's son said, “Ruthe passed away this weekend at her home in Santa Monica”. She had been ill for the past year and experienced many falls, hospital visits surgery, etc. I will miss our daily emails. For you "old timers", you will surely remember Ruthe and Bob White and their fabulous collections. Ruthe was 90 years old.

Sue Kellogg

In Memory of Ruthe Loleta (Peterson) White December 24, 1921 - April 1, 2012 The friends and family of Ruthe Loleta (Peterson) White have respectfully requested that her obituary remain private. A brief note from her children follows. Our beloved mother Ruthe was born on December 24, 1921 at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Her parents, Walter and Margaret Peterson lived and worked on a farm and her father sold fruits and vegetables out of his truck to support the family.

Hello, I am Sandy Gohlich, John Bryson's

daughter, and I'm afraid I have sad news that my dad passed away on March 15th at the age of 96. He had

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been in declining health for the last few years, and finally a combination of old age and various illnesses ended his life. He always had a wonderful sense of humor, telling jokes and funny stories up until the end. As you know, he loved collecting steins and attending the stein club meetings. We will be having a celebration of life for him next month and I would like to get the information to any members that may want to attend. Thank you, Sandy

Memoriam John Bryson

John S. Bryson of Morro Bay, CA passed away peacefully on March 15, 2012 at the age of 96. He was born Feb. 11, 1916 in Los Angeles. He graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1934. He went on to UCLA and graduated in 1940. He served in the Navy during WWII, and

after the war became a Merchant Seaman traveling the world for a couple of years. He loved to travel and eagerly embraced other cultures and languages. He was fluent in German and Japanese.

John and his wife, Nina, were married in 1951 and moved to Burbank where they raised their two daughters. He worked for Los Angeles County for 32 years as a Deputy Probation Officer. He retired from the county in 1976 and enjoyed a long and active retirement. He and Nina loved the California Central Coast and decided to move to Arroyo Grande in 1990. He was extremely active in his senior years and thought nothing of going for a 50 mile bicycle ride up until his late 70’s.

John was an avid beer stein collector and enjoyed the camaraderie of the Erste Gruppe Stein Club. He enjoyed going to the conventions, especially in Germany where he could put his German fluency to good use. In addition to beer stein collecting and bicycle riding, he loved literature, classical music, opera, and old movies. His all-time favorite comedians were Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. John had a marvelous sense of humor and enjoyed telling and hearing a good joke.

John is survived by his wife, Nina; his daughters Vicki Van Hazelen (Bob) and Sandy Gohlich (Rick), and 3 grandsons. A family gathering to celebrate his life will be held in Arroyo Grande, CA in April, and a larger celebration of life will be held in Los Angeles in May.

Minutes from the EG General Meeting at the Kellogg’s on 3-31-2012

A short Board Meeting was held prior to the general meeting at the Kellogg’s on March 31, 2012.

The general meeting was called to order by president, Roy Kellogg, at 4:20 PM. The minutes from the Dec. meeting were read and approved. The treasurer’s report was given as $11,238. Expenses for the secretary for the year were $280, for mailing, stamps, and printing. $136 went for the publishing of the Stein Zeitung. Annual fee to have the Website is $50. Our annual speaker’s fee was over $150.

We currently have 25 annual dues paying members, as of March 31st. We also received two donations by members.

It was announced that AMOCA, the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona will have an exhibit in Oct. of Bob Wilson’s massive stein collection of over

3000 pieces. Two thirds of his collection will be on display for 3 months. On Oct. 27, an Oktoberfest celebration will be held there with German food to be sold on the premises. Money for food and a donation will go towards the museum. This will be from noon to 8 PM. Roy DeSelms will give a talk at 6 PM. All chapters will be invited to attend this event. Information on this activity will be in the next issue of PROSIT.

Sharon Cooley has found a place for us to have our annual Dec. holiday meeting and dinner at a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, called TAIX. where the 101 and 10 freeways meet. It is a French restaurant and should be easy for people to attend. It is near Sunset and Alvarado and requires a $200 deposit for us to reserve a room. There are 3 dates to choose from with dinners ranging from $12.95-$29; including a choice of two entrees. This also includes dessert and salad. A motion was made to accept the date of Dec. 8.and to put the $200 deposit down.

It was recommended that when a speaker from our own club gives a talk, that he/she not pay for their dinner at that meeting.

A discussion on owning a Power Point Projector for our own club was mentioned. Presently, only a few members own one and they have to be borrowed for a speaker to use. It was suggested that the club purchase our own equipment for $400-$500, and then our club will own one. It was decided to wait to buy one because of new types coming out on the market so fast.

Officer openings: Still need volunteers for the position of President next year.

Master Steinologist nominee for 2012 was suggested for Chris Wheeler. This was agreed on and seconded by the club.

Walt Vogdes service award for 2012: We nominated Ravi Patel and all agreed and the vote was

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seconded. He meets all the current criteria necessary for the award.

Further discussion about the AMOCA museum and our club’s presence as stein collectors was

mentioned. This may help interest people who are now members of any club as yet.

A big thank you was given to the Kellogg’s for

hosting the meeting. It was mentioned that a former member, John

Bryson, had passed away in March. His obituary was shown on the Kellogg’s computer and an article will

appear in the next issue of SZ about him. Meeting was adjourned at 5:10 PM.

This was followed by a power point presentation by Master Steinologist, Roy DeSelms on translating German inscriptions on steins.

Roy and Sue’s trip to Portland, OR and Tacoma, WA

We woke up this morning ready to begin our driving trip north to the Pacific Northwest to see our friends in PSS chapter in Portland, OR and Tacoma, WA. Looked out the window and was 37 degrees, with snow on the ground! But we were able to leave our driveway and go down our hilly roads without any trouble. We had to fill up with gas at $4.23/gal. Lovely drive, snow on the mountains, good traffic, and weather was cool, but sunny.

We drove over 565 miles that first day and made it to Redding. Listened to all the locals talking in the motel and they were saying chains were needed for the rest of the drive. We did bring them with us this time, but as luck would have it, we never had to use them. We browse in any antique stores that we found along the way. You never know what treasures may be hidden inside. Started to snow as we left and temps dropped to 33. The fir trees all around us were just like you see in Christmas scenes, all heavily laden with snow.

We arrived in Oregon and noted the price of gas had dropped to $3.96/gal. Roy remembered NOT to get out of the car to fill the tank, for you cannot use the gas pump yourself in this state. Now the snow turned to rain. But we were able to find more antique stores to pass the time in Springfield and Aurora. That is the birthplace of our cement statue of Bambi that we bought last year. We told the owners and they remembered the hassle of getting that lawn decoration into our car!

We arrived at Lyn and Janine Ayers home in Vancouver, WA, right across the river from Portland, OR. The evening fun started when Phil Masenheimer and Steve Natoli arrived to stay there too. We all took off for the Portland Expo the next morning, Cherry Pickin’ Day,

before the admission prices would be lowered the next day for the public. We met so many people from different stein groups; we kept asking each other, what did you find? That evening, the Ayers held their annual Open

House for all who were in town from their stein club and Golden Gate Zechers and Erste Gruppe. We had so much fun talking with everyone and being entertained by Ron Fox and Les Paul. Les was between chemo treatments and he was in top form. He felt wonderful and look fantastic. They told us so many stories from the past that we are unable to repeat here.

The PSS meeting was held at Salmon Creek Micro Brewery and Restaurant in Vancouver, WA with a great menu, mucho Micro Beers, and of course, a whole room with Les Paul’s steins set up.

Walt Vogdes asked me to sell tickets for their 50/50 raffle; I made the most money for them for this event! How nice, the owner of the restaurant was the big winner and was absolutely delighted.

Ted and Glenna Scheer were able to attend, for there were no stairs to prohibit Glenna’s wheel chair. We miss Ted and Glenna, who have been EG members for many years. Their home is no longer on the market, and they are happy where they are but miss so many of their friends. Sunday we left the Ayers home to meet up with the Scheer’s for brunch in Tualitin, OR. You can see from their photo how well they look.

We departed from there, saying good bye to the Ayers and headed for Tacoma to visit Phil and Peggy

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Masenheimer. We had so much fun, food, and laughter there, while we toured their vast collections of steins, plaques, roosters, mail boxes, monk collections, etc. They live in a Historical Victorian House that is registered. The furnishings, light fixtures, woodwork, and glass are just marvelous. We spent the night with them and again were treated to a groaning table of breakfast goodies. We are so happy to have met so many wonderful people not only in our club, but other stein clubs as well. We took our time in returning home and went along the Coast Highway. Stopped at any antique stores that we found, visited the famous Tillamook Dairy and sampled their delicious ice cream; collected Starbuck gift cards for Sue Fox. Even stopped by the Santa Ynez Mission near Solvang. Arrived home March 8, to 80 degree weather and had put almost 3000 miles on the car.

Can’t wait to do it all over again! God willing

and the creek don’t rise.

Sue Kellogg

The 2012 SCI Convention will be held AUG 15-17 in Annapolis, Maryland.

Check out the 2012 Convention Promotional Video now available on the SCI Web Site, Look for Convention NEWS. http://www.steincollectors.org/

An interesting Bicycle stein found on German eBay.

Article assembled by John Mann, dedicated to John Bryson Bibliography: Compiled from various sources available on the internet and thanks to Dr Roy DeSelms who directed me to eBay.

The stein appears to be made of stoneware/cream-ware exhibiting a handle typical of some Marzi Remy steins; the impressed mark on the bottom appears to be the number 3 (no other markings).

The artwork on the stein appears to be a transfer with some hand painting depicting a preppie bicyclist with his bicycle and the words, "All Heil!” Additional German

wording appears on the lower corner of the artwork it reads, "allgemeine + radfahrer Union” which translates

into English as “General Cyclists Union”.

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Of interest to me were the cast images and the engraving on the lid.

The cast design around the exterior of the lid appears to be figures of men participating in a bicycle race that includes both “Safety Bicycles” and the Hi-wheeled, “Penny-Farthing” type machines.

The engraving on the lid indicates the dedication of the stein was to F. Opel and was related to a bicycle race on February 15th 1895 between F. Opel and E. Bergmann that took place at or near Mittweida, Germany.

Frederich (Fritz) Opel attended Mittweida University at this time and was a champion bicycle racer. Fritz had won about 180 prizes on bicycles manufactured by his father Adam Opel. One of his greatest triumphs was the victory in the 1894, a 620-kilometer voyage Basel Cleveland. The safety bicycle displayed on the stein was a ca 1880 innovative design change led to the demise of the Hi-wheel (Penny-farthing). The new concept incorporated two tandem wheels of the same approximate diameter, Peddles, free-wheeling crank levers and rider’s seat near

the center of gravity, chain drive through the rear wheel which allowed the rider the ability to go as fast as the Hi-wheeler with improved overall safety.

The primary design problem that made Hi-wheeled (Penny-Farthing) bicycle unsafe was the large diameter of the front wheel, a short wheel base and the riders position (a high center of gravity) located near the top arc of the wheel. The high center of gravity and the large diameter front wheel made the Hi-wheeler highly susceptible to road

hazards like, cobble stone roads, rocks and especially rutted roads. Any one of these hazards could cause the hi-wheeler to become uncontrollable. If the large diameter front wheel fell into a rutted road the rider would not be able to steer the machine and maintain balance. If for any reason the large diameter front wheel stopped rotating, the forward inertia of the rider and bicycle would be propelled over the top of the wheel arc, ejecting the rider to the ground. So common was this accident, it is said that the phrase “break neck speed” and “Taking a Header”

was coined.

Note the rider who has fallen from his Hi-wheel machine, possibly having been ejected over the top of his machine and landing in front of his machine. It looks like he is getting up, so I assume he did not break his neck

The speed of the machine was limited to the diameter of the front wheel, rider’s strength and the rate in which the

rider could peddle. Increasing the wheel diameter (up to 60 inches) allowed the rider to cover more distance (approximately 15.7 feet) with each turn of the wheel thus the potential for greater speed. The crank peddles were connected directly to the hub of the large diameter wheel without free-wheeling. Experienced Hi-wheel riders while coasting downhill and in anticipating of the potential for ejection from the Hi-wheeler, would often position their feet above the handle bars; the idea being that if they had a problem and was ejected from the Hi-wheeler they would have a better chance of survival if they landed on their feet.

Hi-wheel Penny-Farthing riders, Los Angeles, ca 1885

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Why was the Hi-wheel machine a “Penny Farthing”?

The Penny-Farthing was named after the old British penny and farthing (quarter penny) coins, configured in the same layout as the wheels of the Penny-Farthing.

Adam Opel; the father of the Opel brothers, a short biography.

The Opel family traces its roots to 1838 in the town of Rüsselsheim, Germany and the birth of Adam Opel. As a young adult, Adam Opel trained as a locksmith, toured Europe extensively and learned to make sewing machines while in Paris. Fascinated by these machines, Adam Opel, then only 25 years old, opened a factory in Rüsselsheim for volume production of sewing machines.

In 1868, Adam Opel married Sophie Marie Scheller and began a family which would include five sons: Carl, Wilhelm, Heinrich, Friedrich (Fritz) and Ludwig, all of whom would be involved in the family business.

The sewing machine business grew rapidly. In 1884, a year in which the company employed 240 people and built no less than 15,000 sewing machines. Soon Opel sewing machines could be found as far away as the United States in the west and India in the East. By the time of Adam Opel’s death some 32 years later, his

company had become the Europe’s leading producer of

sewing machines.

Adam Opel discovered a new fascination on trip to Paris with his wife: the bicycle. Opel purchased bicycle parts from a manufacturer in England to study and build for his sons. The next year, Opel expanded its business to include building pre-assembled bicycles. This enterprise proved more profitable on a piece by piece basis than his sewing machine business. In 1885-86, Adam Opel expanded production to sell fully assembled bicycles in Germany. Business grew steadily and Opel began to offer

a number of different two-wheel and three-wheel type cycles. Opel eventually became Europe's largest bicycle maker, producing over 20,000 units a year.

His oldest son Carl also entered bicycle races throughout Germany to promote the products of the family business. These events were gaining popularity at soon the marketing strategy paid off as Carl came up victorious a number of times. As it turned out, all five sons were talented cyclists. Together they won over 550 races on Opel bicycles by 1898.

The Opel Brothers, Carl, Wilhelm, Heinrich, Ludwig and Friedrich (Fritz) Steering).

Adam Opel died in 1895. The company was making 2,000 bicycles a year and was leading Europe in sewing machine sales. His will set up a new organization for the company, in which his widow Sophie held the primary interest and his two eldest sons had lesser shares. Their first crisis was a sudden deflation of the boom in bicycles in 1898, a collapse caused by the over-expansion among the many makers of cycles. They managed to carry on. New products were introduced that kept on the more than 1,500 employees, most of whom had grown up in the industry with Opel.

With the encouragement of their mother, the Opel brothers decided to move into the fledgling automobile industry and would produce their first motorcars in 1899. Opel has been building them ever since.

The bicycle plant expanded, eventually becoming the largest in the mid-1920s, with a capacity of 4,000 cycles a day, with innovative equipment such as automatic painting and plating equipment in halls pressurized for ideal cleanliness.

By the 1930s, times had changed. In a series of transactions between 1929 and 1931, the Opel family sold their business, Adam Opel AG, to General Motors Corporation, and it became a subsidiary. In 1936, Opel sold its bicycle plant to NSU in Neckarsulm (which had started making bicycles at about the same time as Opel). Under the company's many different names, 2.5 million bikes in all had been produced.

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The Robert D. Wilson Mettlach Collection finds a permanent home

October 13, 2012 – January 12, 2013

Fall Exhibit to Feature the Wilson Collection of Mettlach Ware, Largest Collection of Mettlach in North America.

This October, the American Museum of Ceramic Art will feature an exceptional exhibition entitled, German Mettlach Ware (1885-1915). Robert & Colette Wilson, prominent collectors and enthusiasts, amassed a huge number of late 19th and early 20th century Mettlach ceramic ware over the past thirty years. Their collection of incredibly detailed and finely crafted pieces is known to be the largest collection in North America at over 3,000 pieces and rivals that of the collection at Mettlach, Germany.

Until now, the collection has been viewed only by special invitation in the Wilson’s home. The Wilsons

recently donated their collection to the museum and placed it in AMOCA’s care with the purpose of sharing it

with a broader audience. This fall, for the first time, the Wilson collection of Mettlach ware will be on public display at AMOCA’s new home in Pomona, CA.

The exhibit will place the German pieces within the context of their social history, and bring in a contemporary component through a contrasting exhibition of contemporary artists. In addition to the Wilson collection, on display will be eight prominent ceramic artists, showing work that relates in theme, content, or technique to the vintage ceramics.

German Mettlach ware dates to 1836 when a pottery was founded by François Boch merged with one

owned by Nicolas Villeroy to form the famous ceramic company called Villeroy & Boch. By the late 19th century, the company had seven factories, but the one at Mettlach, most famous for its production of steins,

became known by the village name Mettlach also produced plaques, vases,

jardinières, and table wares, all of which are known for their intricately decorated surfaces in a variety of designs and styles. Events Associated with the Exhibition Will Include:

Members-Only Preview Night – October 12, 2012 7pm-9pm For AMOCA Members, join us in a private preview of the new show from 7-9pm on the Friday before the public opening. Mingle with other members, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and wine. Public Opening & Reception – October 13, 2012 12:00 noon-9pm. In conjunction with Pomona’s Second

Saturday Art Walk, the public opening of German Mettlach Ware (1885-1915) will open to the public on October 13th with a reception from 6-9pm. Oktoberfest at AMOCA – October 27, 2012 12-noon to 8pm. A lecture entitled Beer Steins, Verses and History will be presented at 6:00 PM by Dr. Roy De Selms.

In conjunction with German Mettlach Ware (1885-1915) the American Museum of Ceramic Art will host an outdoor Oktoberfest with German cuisine available to purchase. This event will feature activities for the whole family: music, cultural dancers, hands-on activities for kids, and other entertainment. Highlighted in the “Biergarten” will be beer tastings and sales offered by

local, award-winning microbreweries. American Museum of Ceramic Art 399 N. Garey Avenue Pomona, CA 91767 www.amoca.org