1981 Winkie Convention

Although members of the Baum family were involved in the Oz Club's earliest conventions (in Indiana and Michigan in the 1960s, and for the first three Winkie Conventions from 1964 through 1966), 1981 proved a banner year for Baum family participation in the Winkie Convention. Richard R. Rutter chaired a program that brought together Brenda Baum Turner (widow of Harry Neal Baum and co-host of the original Midwestern Oz conventions), Ozma Baum Mantele and her sister Janet Donaldson (daughters of Kenneth Gage Baum, L. Frank Baum's youngest son). In honor of their presence the Oz Film Manufacturing Company version of HIS MAJESTY THE SCARECROW OF OZ (1914) was shown. Sonia Brown played a recording of the voices of Fred Stone and David Montgomery (who had rocketed to stardom in 1902 as the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman). Dick Rutter showed slides he took at the University Library of his Alma Mater, Stanford University, of the waddles from THE WIZARD OF OZ WADDLE BOOK. He also won the costume contest in a phenomenal replica of an animated Tik-Tok (as depicted by Neill in OZMA OF OZ in 1907). Children not connected to the Oz group were totally magnetized by Tik-Tok (and possibly a bit frightened of him, too!). Warren Hollister conducted the Winkie Auction.

From Winkie Newsletter Vol 2 #5, Written by Peter Hanff