Friends, many of you asked that I let all know if the detective work on the book was solved. Thanks to Graham Phillips of NZ… for his nuggets of info which helped solve the mystery of the travelogue in the ADS Library. Graham thought it could belong to Wells Knierim, as he remembered a visit from him. I suspected that Wells might have prepared a subsequent article about his trip Down Under for the ADS Daffodil Journal. And, yes, Wells authored a splendid article about his tour in the MAR 1970 Journal. He compared his journey to that of Captain Cook. The dates and places visited in the Journal article, matched up perfectly with our mystery book. So we will now endeavor to get this delightful book into the hands of someone in Wells’ family. I encourage you to read the Journal article as you will find it fascinating. My goodness, “You say you don’t have a MAR 1970 Journal?” If you owned a DVD of the Daffodil Journal 1964-2008, for $40, available on the ADS webstore www.daffodilusastore.org… you would! It is searchable and a wonderful resource. I personally fulfill orders placed via the webstore, and receive immediate notice of your transactions. On the 1969 trip with Wells, was his wife Mary, and they were apparently joined at least for part of the trip, by Kitty Bloomer of VA. You say, “I don’t know who Kitty Bloomer was.” Then you also need a copy of the ADS 50 Year History, available from ADS. Did you know the daffodil, ‘River Queen’ was named in honor of Kitty Bloomer? River Queen was her CB “handle” (citizen’s band radio) . And I guess you should just try searching “CB handle” on the Internet, to understand that, if you don’t already know. At my first ADS National Daffodil Convention & National Show in 1974, in Cincinnati OH, one of the first three people I met were Wells Kneirim, Kitty Bloomer, and Bill Pannill. Later in the 70s, I had the privilege of being a tour guide and driver for Phil Phillips, on his visit to Atlanta GA. Phil Phillips would be on my list of 10 smartest people I’ve ever known. When I got turned around on taking him to the airport, he knew how to get there better than I did. Phil once provided me with his top-secret fertilizer recipe for daffodils. As I went about trying to procure the ingredients, I was asked by a pharmacist if I was mixing up a bomb. And now that I know the little travelogue book belonged to Wells Kneirim, I can definitely see the very neat upper case printing he wrote on his tags for daffodils he was photographing. I tried Wells’ patience in the 70s, as he would endeavor to teach me how to photograph show flowers at ADS National Shows. I suspect Wells’ was never blessed with patience to begin with. So this detective saga has brought back a flood of memories, from when I “showed up with a pacifier in my mouth and a Coca-Cola bottle full of daffodils” in the early 70s (what Mary Cartwright of Nashville TN has always said about me). So if you would like to have these kinds of experiences, and you aren’t a member of ADS, I suggest you join right away. You can do that on the ADS webstore, too. And one more correction on my original post; I had said that Whitcombe & Toombs, Ltd, in Christchurch NZ, was probably a travel agency. An Internet search revealed they were actually a printer/publisher/bookseller. OK, I’m ready for a flood of new joins, and orders on the ADS webstore now.
Appreciatively to all… and especially to Graham Phillips,
Jaydee Atkins Ager
ADS Executive Director
The first and most appropriate response, Jaydee, should be a raft of registrations for the Columbus convention–conventions are very often where it all begins! But don’t you dare go unless you are willing to have your world, of people, of plants, of places, of ideas, expanded forever after.
Enjoyed your remarks very much, Jaydee – will ask about the pacifier at the convention! Positively balmy here in Minnesota tonight, at 22 above and no wind – hurray! Ethel Smith
Thanks for sharing your research, Jaydee. I got out my DVD and enjoyed reading about New Zealand in 1970. I couldn’t stop after reading the one article, though. I also read Mary Cartwright’s article on judging daffodils and ended up looking through and reading bits of the whole issue. The 40 years DVD of the Journal is certainly a treasure trove! Yes, Loyce, see you in Columbus!