| Kay M Purcell | |||
| On Snail List | Biography # 298 | email: Kay.M.Purcell@gmail.com | |
My first pen was an Esterbrook in grade school. I was not allowed to write with ballpoints until I got to college. I hated that Esterbrook (I have no idea what nib it had and didnNULLt eve know there were choices until I joined the Zoss list!) and threw it away as soon as I could. So what am I doing among this bunch? Well when my two kids were toddlers and no longer needing constant care, I needed something else to do. I read an ad entitled "Improve Your Handwriting." Well, up until college the only two subjects I ever received Unsatisfactory in were handwriting and spelling. (In college I added a couple of Phys Ed classes to the list.) So, I decided to give it a try, and sent in my money. I got a wonderful book by Eagers (I think it was) and a pen holder and a bunch of Speedball nibs. I never mastered the dip pens, but before I totally gave up, I got an ad in the mail for a Platignum pen. Got one of those. Better than dip pens, but still not good. I got an ad in the mail for an Osmiroid. Got one of those. Better than the Platignum, but still not good. Then I got an ad in the mail (boy, was I on the sucker lists!) for Pelikan 120 made by the "high end pen maker." I had no idea what a "high-end pen" was, but I ordered one any way. Think I paid about $50 and we ate a lot of beans that month. But ... it was love at first write. That pen did all of my correspondence for 25 years. Then when we had more money, I started to wonder what a "high end pen" was and if I could maybe replace it with one with a gold nib, instead of a plated one. I started watching for ads and answering anything that looked promising. Eventually a catalog from Fahrney ended up in my mail box and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. But Pelikan did not make a gold Italic nib :-( . Parker did. I started on my quest for the perfect replacement. By now I had noticed the cracks in the end cap and I wanted to retire the trusty 120 to prevent further damage. So, I started accumulating pens in my search for that perfect one. I am still searching .... However, in the mean time I discovered ebay, the two Zoss lists (there used to be two), and Internet pen stores. And I realized that I had a collection and that I was not alone. My accumulation as well as knowledge has grown significantly. Thanks to all of you knowledgeable folk who are so willing to share your expertise. For 25 years I was a Visiting Instructor in Electrical Engineering at Southern Illinois University. I teach the capstone course, Senior Electrical Engineering Design, plus whatever is left over after everyone else gets what they want. I "visited" long enough to be able to retire. :-) I am back working 20% doing administrative stuff. Fall of 2006 I fill in for the young lady who took over the Senior Design course while she is on sabbatical. I live with my husband of 43 years, two dogs, two cats, and occasional litters of kittens that pass through on their way to good homes. Our two children are grown and on their own, but not married yet. I also collect miniature figurines of cats; I have more of them than pens, but they are less expensive. I have enough pocket knives and playing cards to be collections, but they are more like accumulations than collections: very eclectic and totally unorganized. Other interests : cats, playing cards, pocket knives
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