Bill Smith, Todd Crayton, Joel T. Schuster, Steve Herman and Brian Kreeger
These biographies are shown in the order in which they were received. Use Previous and Next at the top and bottom of each page to move through them, or pick a name from the list of all biographies.
Bill
Smith
Hi everyone,
my name is Bill Smith and I am an occasional poster here at
Pen Trace. I am 32 years old, live in Toronto Ontario Canada
and I work in the marketing services field. My fountain pen
hobby began with seeds planted courtesy the english school system
in Montreal where all the students at my elementry school learned
how to write with fountain pens. After an 18 year hiatus I got
turned onto writing with fountain pens by my girlfriend who
collected them. So this year I went from zero in April to 5
pens now starting with a blue Diplomat Classic that has a strong
resemblancee to the Omas Paragon, a Waterman Expert II in pale
blue metalic, The Recife Replica in black with gold accents
, and ST Dupont Fidelio and another Recife a yellow Press Master.
My collection has a Franco German flavour and my next pen will
definately be from somewhere else in Europe or the USA (famous
last words).
My other
passions in life are reading with my most favorite recent read
would be Michael Ondaatje's Anil's Ghost. I listern to a lot
of music ranging from electronica , rock and roll, jazz and
classical. I also collect watches which is just as dangerous
to the wallet as collecting pens. When I am not indoors I mountain
bike in the summer and ski in the winter. I enjoy hanging out
here because Pen Trace attracts a wide variety of people with
interesting backgrounds from all over.
Todd
Crayton
Pens are
fantastic! My wife laughed the first time she heard me say that.
I am a Graduate student attending East Carolina University.
I'm married to my best friend, who is coming around to the idea
of a "nice pen". My son, the sunshine of my days, is 18 months
old.
I have always
enjoyed writing, drawing, and sketching. I really got into pens
a few years a go. After six years in the military, (ink, black
bp only):-), I deiced to finish my degree full time. I purchased
a Cross roller ball for my organizer and began learning about
paper. I kept that pen for 3 years and lost it. I didn't want
to replace it so just bought inexpensive roller balls. When
my son was due, I wanted to buy something to celebrate. A pen!
Checked with Office Depot and caught they’re close out on Pelikan
K200s. The manager was a friend and marked them down to seven
bucks, I bought two. I loved it! Better than my old Cross IMHO.
I went online to find out more about Pelikan and found their
fountain pens. I had used the sheaffer calligraphy set while
taking a lettering art class, did improve my handwriting, but
didn't really make the connection. I was curious about the overlays,
gold nibs...etc. Well, my first pen was an Esterbrook SJ, I
am a student. Now 1.5 years later and ten pens in debt, I am
hooked.
I enjoy this
forum's friendly feel. I like Zoss Pen list as well, just more
time consuming. I like Paul(grad student)am enjoying the wonderful
world of sweat and tears=Grad School, so this is a nice break.
Greetings
to The Triangle Pen club. I hope to get to a meeting soon. Sundays
are usually a full day, I am a part-time minister.
Thanks to
Donal for a great site:-)
"The Day
Is Yours"-Todd
Joel
T. Schuster
I have been
contributing and snailing and in general hanging around for
quite sometime now, and have been too busy (lazy) to write my
bio. So here it is:
I fall into
that vast wasteland of American twentysomethings. Although I
am far less enamored with .dotcom anything than lots of my peers.
I am something of a throwback enjoying antiques, and many things
of a vintage flavor including shotguns, pens, cufflinks, and
toy trains. I have been known to enjoy wearing bowties and hats.
Working as an accountant for the State of Wisconsin, I get plenty
of opportunities to use my fountain pens. I spent some time
working for Gillette-SPG/Parker Pen just before the meltdown
in Janesville. That was a great learning experience. I worked
with some very extraordinary people, and developed friendships
that have continued despite the diaspora that has ensued. I
worked with new product costing for the Sonnet line, the Insignia
Custom Fp, and the Frontier product line. I also got to know
a couple of people in the Parker Service Department that have
been indispensable to me since leaving. On the flip side, I
also got to see what corporate neglect, yesmanship, indifference,
idiocy, and failure to understand a market can due to a company
producing solid products. I root for Parker to emerge and become
a force in the market again, but Newell is not impressing me
thus far. So I hope for the best.
I moved to
Madison to be closer to friends and the culture and restaurant
scene that I enjoy. I live five blocks from my office and walk
to work everyday. I have never known so much freedom. Not long
after moving here, I met Kim, my girlfriend and we have been
happily living together for a year. We share many of the same
passions, literature, music, cocktails, and old things of all
kinds. She is currently using a Pelikan M250. I have given her
other pens, but it is always the 250 for her. Not surprizingly,
my collection is heavy on Parkers. I have a handful of modern
and vintage Duofolds in many sizes (although all of them are
orange), as well as Vacumatics, 51's, 75's, Sonnets and some
lesser pens like 21's and 41's. A couple of Sheaffers (Balance,
and Legacy II) came and went. I went through a MB 149 phase,
and sold it too. I have fallen in love with Pelikans however,
and who doesn't need another Duofold or three?
Steve
Herman
Well, it's
time to say hello to other stylophiles and officially join this
community. I have been an avid pen collector (of primarily new
and LE pens) for about 5 years. There was a slight itch when
my wife bought me a Pelikan 600 series rollerball, but the itch
turned into a major case of the hives when a pen collector friend
from Ann Arbor gave me an OMAS rollerball for my 50th birthday.
And now, there's no hope for me. I am totally devoted to this
hobby.
I am a forensic
psychiatrist, practicing in Manhattan, Connecticut and, sometimes,
in other parts of the country. I am constantly interviewing
people, in or out of prison, during custody battles, lawsuits,
you name it - any time psychiatry and the law interface. All
my interviews are done with a fountain pen, and, as I did with
my clothes when I was in elementary school, I get my pen and
chosen ink ready for the next day, the night before.
I grew up
in Brooklyn, New York, lived on Long Island and now live in
a 300+ year-old home in Western Connecticut. I commute to Manhattan
only twice a week, and work for Child Protective Services in
Connecticut on the other days. I absolutely love my work, -
especially the fascinating cases as well as the challenge of
communicating psychiatric terminology in the courtroom, certainly
"foreign territory" to most physicians.
My other
passion, for some inexplicable reason, is Ireland. I have been
there 4 times and a fifth comes up early in 2001. I now have
friends and colleagues there and have travelled all over. I
can't explain this deep and abiding love for the country, being
a wiseguy Jewish kid from Brooklyn - unless you believe in past
lives. And as a respected physician and court appointed expert,
I'm not about to espouse THAT belief! So I don't understand
this love for Ireland and its people, but I just give in to
it, as I do with my pens.
And in that
department, I love OMAS and Aurora pens especially. I have a
few Watermans (Carenes, and Edson and the Serenite) and recently
have come to appreciate the feel and quality of the ST Duponts.
I read all the pen books and the histories of the great companies.
And I hang out at the Fountain Pen Hospital too much. The best
part of this hobby - aside from the many pleasures of the pens
themselves - is that I have met so many wonderful people - cyberspacially
as well as in person. And I am so enriched because of that.
So, let's talk.
Brian
Kreeger
Hi, I'm Brian
Kreeger, a mathematician by training, but an actuary by trade.
I don't really qualify as a collector, but I am a die-hard user.
My wife,
Ann, and I live in Belle Plaine, MN with our 2-year old son
Daniel and our 3 dogs. We all love to read (not so much the
dogs), but I am in the throws of the actuarial exam process,
so I don't have much free time to read. I mainly stick to fantasy
or science fiction, but I also enjoy military history and other
types of fiction. I also enjoy music of all sorts. I would also
like to explore the world of woodworking, and hopefully will
be able to when these stupid exams are finished.
My first
pen was a Cross. Sturdy, efficient and ever-trustworthy. Being
a graduate student, it was also a pen I could afford. It was
a loyal companion many a late hour transcribing notes. I was
pretty boring, pen-wise, back then, never wavering from my fine
point and black Cross ink.
Now my collection
includes most of the major brands, but my favorites are a Pelikan
M600, and any one of a handful of Parker Duofolds. I'm also
partial to my Dupont Orpheo and Waterman Opera.
My wife,
Ann, and I live in Belle Plaine, MN with our 2-year old son
Daniel and our 3 dogs. We all love to read (not so much the
dogs), but I am in the throws of the actuarial exam process,
so I don't have much free time to read. I mainly stick to fantasy
or science fiction, but I also enjoy military history and other
types of fiction. I also enjoy music of all sorts. I would also
like to explore the world of woodworking, and hopefully will
be able to when these stupid exams are finished.
My first
pen was a Cross. Sturdy, efficient and ever-trustworthy. Being
a graduate student, it was also a pen I could afford. It was
a loyal companion many a late hour transcribing notes. I was
pretty boring, pen-wise, back then, never wavering from my fine
point and black Cross ink.
Now my collection
includes most of the major brands, but my favorites are a Pelikan
M600, and any one of a handful of Parker Duofolds. I'm also
partial to my Dupont Orpheo and Waterman Opera.