Insulator collectors to meet at first national convention

ONE-OF-A-KIND . . . . Dennis Donovan, who has organized the first National Insulator Collector's Convention for next weekend in New Castle, admires one of his rare glass insulators which was made by Hemingray of Muncie. — Evening Press Photo by Carol Thompson.

Insulator Fans

Plan Convention

By MYRA MIDDLETON

Insulator collectors and dealers from all over the United States will meet at Smith Auditorium in New Castle next weekend for the first National Insulator Collec­tor’s Convention.

Organized by Dennis Donovan of Muncie, the convention has already received reservations from collectors and dealers in 21 states, including California, Ore­gon, New York, Kansas, Florida, New Jersey, Tennessee and Alas­ka.

Each collector and dealer will set up an individual display at the event which is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat­urday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The admission is one dollar for adults. Children will be admitted free.

Donovan began organizing the event last January. He explained that there are many local get-togethers of this nature in dif­ferent parts of the country but there has never been any type of meeting on a national level.

After corresponding with many collectors all over the United States, he decided that a na­tional convention where collec­tors could trade, sell and just talk about insulators would be enthusiastically received by collectors — and it was.

200 EXPECTED TO ATTEND

He has advertised the event in several collector and trade jour­nals and expects over 200 to par­ticipate in the event.

His interest in collecting the glass insulators began about three or four years ago when he was a foreman in an insulator shop at Owens-Illinois. He start­ed collecting the insulators then and now has well over 400.

Though he collects all kinds, he is primarily interested in the Hemingray insulators (made in Muncie until 1967). He has all shapes and sizes of the insula­tors and prides himself in having several "one-of-a-kind" collector’s items.

His wife. Ruth, who didn't even know what an insulator was until three years ago, shares his enthusiasm for his hobby and doesn’t mind giving up most of their garage to house the items. The special ones are kept in a breakfront in their living room.

Donovan, like most insulator collectors, is a rare authority on a rare subject. He's especially looking forward to the conven­tion because there will be people who will know what he’s talking about when he discusses the "drip points" or "petticoats" on an insulator.

His interest in collecting the insulators has ignited an extra interest in the Hemingray Manu­facturers and he’s been busy late­ly collecting available informa­tion for a book he plans to write about the local operation. He has assembled books, clip­pings, pamphlets, catalogues and all information he can find about the Hemingray Company and is looking for additional informa­tion. "If anyone has any infor­mation about Hemingray,” he said, "it’s just what I need."