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Weekly News September 13, 2010Description
Morris Paley (1922?–2010): My first remembrance of Morris Paley was when he brought his newly-acquired 1916 Stanley Model 725 to the Hershey car show about 1960. He was showing us his thermo-couple water-level indicator for his boiler, either installed by him or by the previous owner. Small electric lights visible to the operator would indicate how much water was in the boiler; I’m sure it worked well. Earle Eckel and Thomas S. Derr had used thermo-couples for the same purpose with great success. Our 1922 Model 740 has a Bristol-Derr indicator of this type, installed by my father as an after-market accessory.
Off and on for 20 years there was a second, and much smaller, Steam Car Tour each year. In 1976, the primary tour was held at Woodstock, Vermont, in June, and a second tour, operated by Morris and Dolly Paley and Stuart and Barbara Herman, was held in September with headquarters at the Iron Masters Motel in Lakeville, Connecticut. To this September tour, I drove our newly-reconstructed 1912 Stanley Model 87 with its steel frame. Marvin Klair was my passenger. The tour lasted three days, and immediately thereafter Marvin went with his good friend Mel Johnson to a flea market near Keene, New Hampshire. I drove home alone, perhaps the longest trip I ever made in a Stanley without a passenger. On this stretch, I stayed overnight in Ravell Eckel’s backyard in Washington, New Jersey, and had my last visit with his father, Earle, who died two years later.
Morris and Dolly lived at Sharon, the adjoining town to Lakeville in the beautiful area of northwestern Connecticut. One very impressive day was spent near their home visiting the former Colgate mansion and also the estate of Ted Jameson on the other side of town. Jameson was collecting fine antique automobiles, and he had 20 fire engines! Possibly attributed to our visit, he soon owned a 1909 Model R Stanley and a 1905 Model E White. Dolly served us lunch at their home, and I can still taste the homemade pie. Another day, we steamed to Louis Biondi’s home about 35 miles away to view his magnificent collection of early cars. Joe and Rhoda Green, she the daughter of Stanley racing car driver Fred Marriott, rode with me in the Model 87 to Biondi’s, the first of many times they rode with us on steam car tours.
Morris Paley seldom missed the annual steam car tours, and I recall his pitching hay (with ease) into a threshing machine near Orillia, Ontario, on the tour run by Gordon and John Smith in 1982. On our way to my wife, Ruth’s, first steam car tour at Linville, North Carolina, in 1986, the night before arrival we had checked into a motel at Johnson City, Tennessee, and just before dark here came Morris and Dolly, all of us a long way from home with our steamers in our trailers (Don Bourdon drove his Mountain Wagon round-trip to attend this tour from his home in Woodstock, Vermont). The Paleys conveyed their enthusiasm for Stanleys to their children, most notably the Coon family, who have attended the annual steam car tours on a regular basis. Two members of this family have won the Young Driver Award in recent years. We are honored to have had the Paleys and the Coons as members of FAHP.
Morris Paley died last week after a long illness. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Dolly and to their large family. A very quiet man, he will be sorely missed in the steam car community. Work Night Activity Last week cars were prepared for another busy September weekend with trips to the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival and Chadds Ford Days. Volunteers Jerry Lucas, Art Wallace, Kelly Williams, Bill Schwoebel, Steve Bryce, Lou Mandich and Jay Williams readied the CX, EX, 76 and 725, and Jerry Novak prepped the 1932 Packard for travel. Steve Bryce, with help from Jeff Pollack and Emil Christofano, diagnosed and replaced the boiler check valve on the Model 87 after experiencing incorrect boiler water level readings during Steamin Sunday. The Model 607 project continued with Bob Stransky applying a special graphite primer to the leaf springs, Mark Russell stripping the rear floorboards, and Ted Kamen applying "Quik-Poly" to the last of the 607's wheels. Emil Christofano started fitting the replacement hinges for the Rauch and Lang doors.
Anne Cleary and Jeff Pollack cleaned the steam locomotives after their run on Steamin Sunday. Butch and Jim Personti began reassembling a marine steam engine donated to the museum by member Walter O'Rourke.
Upcoming Activities
The Events Committee will be meeting Tuesday night (Sept 14) at 7 pm. The Christmas Decorating Committee will meet Thursday evening, along with the Herald Editorial team.
Filming for the oral history/documentary project will continue Sept. 19 as Teleduction accompanies the Steam Team to the Hagley Car Show. They also anticipated shooting activities during the Sept. 21 work night.
A 50-person charter group will be celebrating a double children's birthday party on Oct. 2, 10 to 1 (the day before our next open house). We plan to operate the diesel and offer rides in one steam car. If you can help and make a birthday extra-special for two children, please contact Susan (srandolph@auburnheights.org).
