Scott Allen, Michael B Menefee, Fran DeRespinis, M.S. (Jimmie) Cockburn and Xan Nyfors
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Scott
Allen
Hello.
My name is Scott Allen. I live in Minneapolis. My first fountain
pen was a Sheaffer demo my father (who used and still uses
a Parker 51) gave me when I was in fourth grade. I remember
using Sheaffer green ink. Through the years I lost it and
did not rediscover the joy of fountain pens until about four
years ago when I purchased a cheap Waterman at Office Depot.
It worked acceptably but I wanted a pen that matched my work
style (Advertising/Marketing), so I chose a black Rotring
600 gold (EF). I still enjoy using this pen but I yearned
for a more 'classical' pen, so in January 2000 I bought a
Montegrappa Symphony (red/F). I realized I was hooked on fountain
pens, and have since purchased a: Dupont Orpheo (Silverplate/M),
Lamy Persona (M), Namiki VP (old style/matte black/M), Saturno
(blue green/F), and the Kaweko Ltd E. celluloid set (F). I
also bought a Wahl Red Doric from the late 30's (small but
beautiful) in mint condition that I intend to give to a friend
as a gift. I have a Visconti Kaleido (burgandy) and Montegrappa
Historia (parchment) on order. I lean towards black, burgandy
and brown inks.
I have been
in marketing and advertising for many years. But I recently
sold my share of my business to my partner so that I may start
my second career -- to become a teacher (social studies / high
school). It means being a student again (after 30 years) but
I am excited and eager.
Michael
B Menefee
Hello,
my name is Michael. I am a second year law student at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I have an incredile
wife and two kids, a son who just started kindegarten and
a 14 month old daughter. I also work part time as a law clerk.
My wife bought
me my first fountain pen for our third anniversary, a waterman
preface. I have been hooked every since. I bought a couple Lamy
Safaris and a Waterman Kultur within a year. My wife bought
me a Pelikan m800 when I graduated from undergraduate, my favorite
pen. Since then I have purchased a sheaffer prelude, a Pelikan
Tortoise, and a vintage waterman off e-bay that leaks when you
fill it. I also own tons of ink (cheaper than pens).
Betweeen
family, school, and work I stay very busy but when I get the
chance to relax I like to play with my pens and read the post
on these boards. I have been visiting Ikon pen for a long time
and just found this site. Nice to meet you all, I look forward
to getting to know you better.
Fran
DeRespinis
I am a
native New Yorker, born in the Bronx back in May, 1948. I've
lived up and down the East Coast all my life, including NY,
NJ, PA, CT, MA, FL, and since 1986, the Raleigh area of North
Carolina. Being a Bronx Boy, I am currently enjoying the intoxication
of my birthright, as I celebrate the NY Yankees' 26th World
Series championship.
I did my
undergraduate work in American Studies at Penn State and have
a Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard. My first career was
teaching High School social studies in the Hudson Valley of
New York. It was wonderful work. After eight years I left teaching
to seek a challenge outside of education, winding up in Boca
Raton, Florida working for the new PC business for International
Business Machines. Lotsa jobs in lotsa places. Left in the early
90's and after a bit of consulting, my heart returned me to
teaching; this time teaching 6th grade social studies in Chapel
Hill, NC. I loved it even more than teaching high school. I
left teaching (again!) this August and now work as a technical
editor for Tivoli Systems, which is actually art of IBM. Go
figure.
The best
part of my life is Tricia. We've been together nine and a half
years and will celebrate our ten years together by getting married
on April 28, 2001. We are finally leaving behind us the last
remnant of our semi-hippy days and are now willing to pay the
higher taxes! Seriously, we couldn't be happier and are looking
forward to a grand celebration with loving family members and
a wonderful group of friends.
Trish and
I have four dogs, two cats and a rabbit. Two of those dogs are
rescued greyhounds. If you are thinking of getting a dog, I
recommend you set aside your next Limited Edition purchase and
seek out a rescued greyhound. You won't regret it.
Besides our
dogs, I am a (very) amateur astronomer with a Televue Ranger
refractor. Seeking the planets and the stars helps keep me humble.
I read a fair amount. Some great fiction, some philosophy, some
cognitive studies, lots of Thich Nhat Hahn. I also practice
Vipassana (mindfulness) and teach this form of meditation to
others.
Oh yeah,
pens. I recall the fountain pens in elementary school but didn't
get back to them for may years. Teaching high school, I was
impressed by a colleague's Monster Blanc. I purchased a Shaeffer
Targa and enjoyed it. About four years ago Trish got a bug and
bought a Waterman Lady Agatha (she now has a Lamy Safari and
a vintage Shaeffer Balance I bought her). It was contagious,
so I now have a stable of Delta LEs, Shaeffers (both modern
and vintage), a vintage Duofold as well as Centennial, Aurora
Sole, Waterman Opera, Visconti Club Corno and Manhattan, an
OMAS Celluloid and 360 (medium size), and a few others. I use
them all, rotating so I always have at least two fine-nibs,
one medium nib, and one broad nib ready. I don't see myself
as a collector so much as someone always enamored by the new
and (somewhat) different styles of pens.
Next stop...a
Stipula Saturno and I'll have it in hand as I look at Saturn
with my Televue!
M.S.(Jimmie)Cockburn
My
birthday is October 6. I have been interested in writing instruments
all my life. My first recollection is of a burgundy vacumatic
Parker which I was using in grade school but it was confiscated
by a teacher in his believe that it might not be entirely
mine; my father reassured him that indeed he had given me
the pen. I had to use an Esterbrook after that, however, at
home I continued to do my homework with my beloved burgundy
Parker. Unfortunately, this pen was lost to me.
My favorite
pen in medical school was a black snorkel Sheaffer, medium nib,
that still I have. I also had a dove gray Parker 51, as a set
of FP & BP, and these two also have a story to tell. I had
kept the set in great shape and in time I gave it to my son.
Alas, I had also given my son a Doberman Pinscher, and the dog
managed to chew the BP. Of course, I was distressed but determined
nevertheless to fix the damage, and so with great luck I found
a lovely person, by the name of Susan Writ, who took the time
and applied her talent to fixing the dog's job. Now I have the
dove gray Parker 51 set mounted on a frame displaying the chewed
and repaired BP and the FP.
During my
many years of intense professional work I have used mostly BP's,
why, with all those many copies one has to sign and the needed
pressure that one cannot get from a FP. However, I could never
bring myself to use the utilitarian drug store variety of BP's,
good as they are, so I always carried with me a "decent" writing
instrument of one type or another. My children remember me wearing
a Parker 75 pencil and BP, those still I have with a collection
of other Ciseles, Premier and Sonnet.
I was visiting
in Spain at one time when I lost the gold Waterman BP I was
carrying with me. Naturally, I had to find a replacement right
away and so I did at a fabulous place in downtown Madrid, the
name is Plumas Sacristan (http;//www.sacristan.com/principal.asp),
in business since 1915 and still going strong (you just sit
at a desk and try the pens you are interested in).
After that
visit to a serious pen store, my interest in pens began anew.
Back home I started a pilgrimage to the pen stores in the area
where I live, that is, the Washington DC greater metropolitan
area, and I began talking to people also interested in pens.
Thus I discovered that there was such a thing as "pen shows."
The first pen show I visited was in Boston, 1997, by chance
coincidental with my business trip there. I was amazed at the
number of pens I saw, and bought a few 51's and 21's and desk
sets.
Back in Washington
I went heavy on 51's, I had all the unusual caps including the
Empire, Heirloom, solid gold, etc., and then I sold them: bad,
bad, I miss them terribly but they are gone and nothing can
be done.
I kept on
acquiring a number of pens (Waterman, Parker, Sheaffer and others),
and then one day I found the book "Fountain Pens History and
Design" edited by Giorgio Dragoni and Giusseppe Fichera. I was
totally taken by this magnificent book that compiles in a single
volume the history of writing instruments, well written and
beautifully illustrated with extraordinary photographs and descriptions.
I thought in my naivete that I could obtain all the pens shown
in this book, only to run out my budget for pens really fast.
I have even ripped off pages of the book to place one of my
pens on top of the corresponding illustration, this really makes
an excellent display (I have three copies of this book).
I have continued
going to pen shows and buying and selling pens there, also in
eBay, (I got into Penbid early in the game, probably before
many of my fellow pen collectors knew about this site).
Recently
I have discovered Duofold pencils; what caught my attention
here was the color of the pencils that has remained very bright
in comparison to the FPs, most of which are discolored except
for the rare one found in mint condition. Most of my pencil
finds are in need of repair, an enterprise I decided to take
myself, well, a madman has designed the mechanism but I am learning.
When I finally achieve my goal of repairing a certain pencil
and it looks marvelous, I place it in a display box and took
delight in their individual and collected beauty.
Where will
my next interest in writing instruments be is a part of the
unknown future.
M. S. (Jimmie)
Cockburn
pensMSCpens
Xan
Nyfors
Hmmm.
Well, yes, interesting life. Like the curse about living in
interesting times. It might be easier to start with what I
haven't done - I've never been in jail and I've never been
committed. Yet. But I'm only 44, so there's time. I'm a late
boomer - 1956.
I was born and raised in the Seattle area, on a small farm,
where we raised all of our own fruits, vegetables, chickens,
eggs, ducks, rabbits, goats, etc. My father was a commercial
fisherman, tried a brief stint at electronics, and then a tugboatman.
My mother ran the farm. Partly because of the isolation, and
the fact that we didn't get a telephone or television until
much later, I started out literary and stayed that way. Reading,
reading, reading. Still my besetting sin.
Got out of
high school when I was 16, and went immediately to the University
of Washington on full scholarship, where I lasted for a couple
of years before dropping out. Spent the summer between the two
years in Tunisia on a fellowship. Then worked at a variety of
little jobs for a few years (accounting clerk, data entry, customer
service) did a lot of stuff in music, got very involved in left-wing
politics, lived in communal housing, wrote for a newspaper,
and eventually came to my senses. I moved to New York in 1986,
where I parlayed the fact that I speak clear English and my
accounting clerk jobs into a position as the Accounting Manager
for Victim Services. Got married in 1988, and moved back to
Seattle.
Went back
to the UW. Finally graduated in 1991, with a couple of degrees
in English Lit and Geography. I wanted to get a hard science
degree too, but they wouldn't let me. I mean, I think everyone
should have an arts degree, a social science degree, and a hard
science degree. It's well-rounded. After that, I worked for
awhile as a research assistant on a project measuring health
effects on the kids that grew up around the Hanford nuclear
reservation, which was a lot of fun and very interesting. Then
I started technical writing for a series of high-tech companies.
First time in my life I've been officially a 'writer' which
is what I'd always wanted to be, and they've been the most difficult
ten years of my life. So, I'm on the verge of a major career
change now.
Oh, the marriage
lasted until this spring. Twelve years. Not bad in this day
and age. No kids, but I have three absolutely adorable cats,
ages 13, 11, and 3. Yes, one of the cats outlasted the marriage.
Comments from the peanut gallery duly noted.
So I've always
loved pens, and have always written all my manuscripts by hand
in the rough draft stage (except the technical writing). I used
to be on the quest for the perfect pen. I'd buy tons of pens
at the school bookstore - all these cheap pens - looking for
one that was better than the others. I'd forgotten about the
Sheaffer cartridge pen that got me through junior high school
so nicely. Then I found a batch of old pens in a junk store,
and the owner sold them to me for $10. They were all fountain
pens, and one of them was a Waterman 52. It was pretty oxidized,
uniform brown all over, but it was nice enough to figure out
what it was and get it fixed up so it worked.
Well, at
that point, it was all over bar the shouting. YOU try writing
with a Waterman 52 if you've been using rollerballs for years!
Fogedabouddid. So I started buying more pens. A Namiki Grance
in burgundy was my first modern. Too skinny, but a joy otherwise.
Now I have three collections - BCHR, combos (they're so weirdly
amusing), and Pelikans. I adore all of them, the Pelikans in
particular. Oh they are so lovely and so functional! I adore
the piston filling mechanism, and the materials and workmanship.
Oh, and of course, there's close to 100 bottles of ink, in all
colors, a lot of modern pens that don't fit in my "real collections"
and paper, paper, paper. I'm a sucker for unlined journals.
Oh, I also
spend a lot of time reading (did I mention that?), doing needlepoint
tapestries, and listening to music - mostly classical at this
stage, although when I was the bass player in a punk band I
would have cursed and reviled myself for this. *sigh* always
the extremist.
My
birthday is October 6. I have been interested in writing instruments
all my life. My first recollection is of a burgundy vacumatic
Parker which I was using in grade school but it was confiscated
by a teacher in his believe that it might not be entirely
mine; my father reassured him that indeed he had given me
the pen. I had to use an Esterbrook after that, however, at
home I continued to do my homework with my beloved burgundy
Parker. Unfortunately, this pen was lost to me.
I was born and raised in the Seattle area, on a small farm,
where we raised all of our own fruits, vegetables, chickens,
eggs, ducks, rabbits, goats, etc. My father was a commercial
fisherman, tried a brief stint at electronics, and then a tugboatman.
My mother ran the farm. Partly because of the isolation, and
the fact that we didn't get a telephone or television until
much later, I started out literary and stayed that way. Reading,
reading, reading. Still my besetting sin.
Got out of
high school when I was 16, and went immediately to the University
of Washington on full scholarship, where I lasted for a couple
of years before dropping out. Spent the summer between the two
years in Tunisia on a fellowship. Then worked at a variety of
little jobs for a few years (accounting clerk, data entry, customer
service) did a lot of stuff in music, got very involved in left-wing
politics, lived in communal housing, wrote for a newspaper,
and eventually came to my senses. I moved to New York in 1986,
where I parlayed the fact that I speak clear English and my
accounting clerk jobs into a position as the Accounting Manager
for Victim Services. Got married in 1988, and moved back to
Seattle.
Went back
to the UW. Finally graduated in 1991, with a couple of degrees
in English Lit and Geography. I wanted to get a hard science
degree too, but they wouldn't let me. I mean, I think everyone
should have an arts degree, a social science degree, and a hard
science degree. It's well-rounded. After that, I worked for
awhile as a research assistant on a project measuring health
effects on the kids that grew up around the Hanford nuclear
reservation, which was a lot of fun and very interesting. Then
I started technical writing for a series of high-tech companies.
First time in my life I've been officially a 'writer' which
is what I'd always wanted to be, and they've been the most difficult
ten years of my life. So, I'm on the verge of a major career
change now.
Oh, the marriage
lasted until this spring. Twelve years. Not bad in this day
and age. No kids, but I have three absolutely adorable cats,
ages 13, 11, and 3. Yes, one of the cats outlasted the marriage.
Comments from the peanut gallery duly noted.
So I've always
loved pens, and have always written all my manuscripts by hand
in the rough draft stage (except the technical writing). I used
to be on the quest for the perfect pen. I'd buy tons of pens
at the school bookstore - all these cheap pens - looking for
one that was better than the others. I'd forgotten about the
Sheaffer cartridge pen that got me through junior high school
so nicely. Then I found a batch of old pens in a junk store,
and the owner sold them to me for $10. They were all fountain
pens, and one of them was a Waterman 52. It was pretty oxidized,
uniform brown all over, but it was nice enough to figure out
what it was and get it fixed up so it worked.
Well, at
that point, it was all over bar the shouting. YOU try writing
with a Waterman 52 if you've been using rollerballs for years!
Fogedabouddid. So I started buying more pens. A Namiki Grance
in burgundy was my first modern. Too skinny, but a joy otherwise.
Now I have three collections - BCHR, combos (they're so weirdly
amusing), and Pelikans. I adore all of them, the Pelikans in
particular. Oh they are so lovely and so functional! I adore
the piston filling mechanism, and the materials and workmanship.
Oh, and of course, there's close to 100 bottles of ink, in all
colors, a lot of modern pens that don't fit in my "real collections"
and paper, paper, paper. I'm a sucker for unlined journals.
Oh, I also
spend a lot of time reading (did I mention that?), doing needlepoint
tapestries, and listening to music - mostly classical at this
stage, although when I was the bass player in a punk band I
would have cursed and reviled myself for this. *sigh* always
the extremist.