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5113 Don Baker -- Systems Manager -- Cline Library <Don.Baker@n...> 1996‑09‑03 Bio and encounter with Galoots at a tool meet
Noble Galoots,

My name is Don Baker and I live in Flagstaff, AZ, known to some as the center
of Universe, but to *none* as tool heaven.  I am the librarian in charge of
computers (Systems Librarian) at Cline Library, Northern Arizona University.
I have been married for 27 years and have lived in Arizona for 24 of them.
I am originally from Buffalo, N.Y., but have also lived in Florida and
South Carolina.  I did a 4 year stint in the Air Force (64-68) and spent
some time in Danang, South Vietnam (also not tool heaven) and Tokyo, Japan.
SWMBO and I share 2 large dogs and 2 cats, but no kids.

I have been accumulating tools (new, new with old souls, and old) for a number
of years.  It started when I was cleaning out my grandfather's wood shed back
in the Catskill mountains in NY after he died and I came across some old tools.
They were not collectible shall we say and for the most part not usable, but
they fascinated me and I began to accumulate more of them.  I guess you could
say I am a user/collector or a collector/user.

I have been hanging out silently on this list for a month or two now.  What
inspires me to introduce myself is that I recently ran into several of you at
the Rocky Mountain Tool Collector's meet in Albuquerque.  I decided on the
spur of the moment to attend and as a result met Jason Fink, Jim Spallin (with
the famous hat on) and Mike Delong.  They all proved to be very hale fellows
well met with lovely and understanding spouses.  We shared a lunch, a table at
the buffet, and helped each other scout the tool tables.  Jason lives in
Albuquerque and showed true Galoot hospitality by finding us a great Mexican
restaurant for lunch and by showing us his shop and his two works-in-progress,
a very beautiful daughter and a very handsome iguana cage which looks sort of
like a huge gun cabinet or similar display cabinet.  He showed us some of his
tool treasures.  He got his start by coming into family heirlooms, too.

I had a great time at the meet and came back with some planes, saws, drills and
one of Steve Butti's pukey duck machines (New Rogers treadle saw).  He wasn't
there, but his saw was.  Meeting and hanging out with Galoots was the
highlight for me though.  I will let them give you more info on the meet as I
have probably blathered too much already.

Regards,

Don Baker



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