Whoooh Hee, Saturday morning and the DC Pen Show. I hop out of the taxi and head into the Sheraton. I see people with pen cases hanging around the front door (pssst, wanna buy a Conklin?). Boys and girls toting bags of pens here and there. I pay my money, get my traders badge, grab a few of Len's blotters and move on. Hot dog, big table, Delta pens everywhere. Free ink, a new catalog, hey is that a Napoleone? Wow, look at those antique pen trays, are those Waterman 52's? Hello Chuck Swisher, can I play with your toys? Hey it's the whole Fahrney's pen store and the Pen Doctor. Good Golly Miss Molly look at all the Maki-E. Wow! This is great, pens galore, dealers abound, what a crowd. I'm doing the Texas two step to maneuver back and forth.

L-R Doug Addington, Len Provisor, Fran DeRespinis and Will Thorpe

I run into Bob Johnson and he says, "Going into the pen show Will?" I stare at Bob, he stares at me, I stare at Bob, he stares at me. My eyes dart back and forth among all the dealers and tables eyeing more pens than I've ever seen in my life. I say to Bob, "This is the DC Pen Show Bob." He says to me, "No Will, this is the hotel lobby, this is the DC Pen Show" as he swings open a big set of double doors. The clouds roll back, a ray of sunshine comes streaming down, tears run down my cheeks. I hear the Hallelujah Chorus. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! HAL LE LU JAH! I know how Moses felt when the waters of the Red Sea parted. My trail dust stained eyes gazed upon hundreds of tables, thousands of smiling faces, zillions of pens. The hair on my neck stood up, my mouth moved but no words came out, my knees quivered, my hands shook. Buckaroos and Buckarettes it's PEN HEAVEN!

Like a Dallas Cowboy going after a fumble I wade into the crowd. Hey there's Sam, over there is Richard, wonder where he got those glassy looking eyeballs. My gosh, that's Mr. Nagahara working that nib. Two stepping up and down the aisles in that five acre room I bump into the second room. Hey Ed, give me some calendars, yep it's the Fountain Pen Hospital crew. I'm having the time of my life. I hear an announcement that it's 10 AM and the doors are opening to the public. Listen to that will you, they're playing the William Tell Overture. "To da dump, to da dump, to da dump dump dump. To da dump, to da dump, to da dump dump dump." Then I hear Junior holler, "Stampede!" Suddenly I realize that it ain't the William Tell Overture but the noise of 6,000 feet as the public comes foaming into the room. Run for your life, it's a stampede of Rowdy Pen Freaks. I notice Saul leading the charge. I run and hide behind Len's table. I sit down and listen to the zip of pen cases, the snap of pen caps, the whoosh of plungers, the pop of levers and smell the aroma of celluloid and ink drifting across the room.

I'm sitting there in glory looking at one of Len's superb Parker DC-3 airplanes and I say to the guy next to me, "You collect pens?" He says, "Yep." I say, "What kind?" He says, "Parker." I say, "You need to buy one of these airplanes." He says, "I flew on that plane." I say, "Were you a pilot?" He says, "I'm Geoffrey Parker." Chills run down my spine. Is that lovely lady your daughter? He says, "This is my wife Kearby Parker." Long conversation with two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Living history right there at the DC Pen Show and I was part of it.

Geoff Parker (left) with Will Thorpe

I join Len and Miroslav Tischler for lunch. Miroslav is an antiques dealer from Zagreb, Croatia. Miroslav loves fountain pens. Miroslav wrote a book called "Penkala Writing Instruments." I bought the book. It's a wonderful book and the photography is simply outstanding. The book is the first of my four treasures from the show. During lunch I spot Fran and Doug in the gift shop near the postcards. They are laughing like crazy!

I finally wade through the crowd to Richard and get my second of four treasures from the show, a Pelikan with a Binderized "left footed" nib. I see Maryal and Brad, I join them. My brain just won't absorb all of this, there must be 40,000 fountain pens on display. You name it and I saw it, touched it or wrote with it. I wrote a lot with the Sailor ebony wood pen, those Sailor folks were really nice to talk to.

I notice little clusters of people in corners whispering, I see tears, I see a black cloud roll across the room. I learn that we have lost PenTracer and Snailer Katie Hill. I go sit with Dov and let the sorrow flow. I'm in pen heaven and I know that's where Katie is, in Pen Heaven.

Maneuvering back among the crowd someone says to me, "Which one did you get?" The Pelikan from Richard I say. No she says, I don't mean pens. Well what do you mean because by now I'm lost. The Door Prize Will, you won the door prize, a $2,000 pearl necklace donated by Neuman Pens. Well knock me down with a tumbleweed, my third treasure of the pen show. The Italian Babe will love this.

Will Thorpe and the Italian Babe, with one of their Peruvian Pasas
(photo provided by Len Provisor)

Hey, there's Julie, Len, Doug, Fran, Dov, Saul, Ron, David, Maryal, Skip, Sam, Glenn, Trevor, Brad, Debi, Bill, Rob, Richard, Jimmy, Maryann and Steve. And that folks is my fourth treasure of the DC Pen Show. The PenTracers and the memories that will last forever and made the trip worthwhile, the Rowdy Pen Freaks, my friends, our family.

In memory of Katie Lynn Hill,
1965 - 2002.

Copyright 2002 by Will Thorpe.