[meteorite-list] Tucson 05 Retrospective

[Notkin]

Dear Friends and Listees:

I've come up for air after a long and sometimes exhausting Tucson show. 
This was my first show as a legal resident of the great state of 
Arizona and it was a very different experience for me. I had a house 
full of overnight guests, hosted the big birthday bash, met with 
clients, acted as Allan Lang's auctioneer, bought and traded for a few 
collection pieces, and generally ran around like a lunatic taking care 
of a million things for nearly three weeks. I think it was more fun 
when I used come out here for a vacation each February . . . but then I 
had to go back to New York afterwards, and that part wasn't so fun   : 
)

I'd like to sincerely thank all of you who joined Steve Arnold IMB and 
myself for the Sixth Annual Meteor Mayhem party and Harvey Awards. The 
consensus was that the new venue (The Copper Club, inside the Arizona 
Plaza) was a HUGE improvement over previous venues, and I agree. Our 
many guests were able to move around and socialize, instead of being 
pinned behind a crowded restaurant table, while experiencing lousy 
waiter service . . . and Steve and I certainly enjoyed having a stage 
from which to present the Harvey Awards. We will return to the Copper 
Club next year if the hotel remains open.

Congrats to the 2005 Harvey Award winners:

Dr. Art Ehlmann  --  Lifetime achievement
Michael Blood  --  Ambassador award
Mike Miller  --  Best new meteorite find
Ruben Garcia  --  Best new meteorite find
Sonny Clary  --  Rookie of the year!
Jose Guggiari  --  Best new meteorite find
Edwin "E.T." Thompson  --  Lifetime achievement

And remember, you don't have to be "old" to receive a lifetime 
achievement award  : )  There are many other deserving people in our 
community, so stay tuned for next year's awards!

Low point of the show this year was when somebody stole one of our 
Harvey Awards, while they were on display prior to the awards ceremony. 
It was somewhat embarrassing that -- thanks to our thief -- we did not 
have an award to give to our final recipient (E.T.), but I was able to 
make another one, and deliver it to E.T.'s room before he left for 
Oregon. I know that Harveys are something of a hot item, but COME ON 
that's pretty low. We're going to make a special "Jackass of the Year" 
certificate for the person who stole the award, and we'll leave it out 
on the table next year, so be sure to steal that too. Thanks.

On a more positive note, I'd like to thank Twink & Larry Monrad and Jim 
Kriegh for the stunning Gold Basin panorama birthday cake, which they 
very kindly brought to the party. This year's cake was the best ever. 
Also, thanks to my co-host Steve Arnold IMB, and my great friend Geoff 
Cintron who did everything from act as chauffeur to buying us drinks 
during the awards; and Lisa Marie Morrison of Sirocco Design, a very 
talented jewelry designer, who served as our glamorous hostess *and* 
absentee bid agent during the R.A. Langheinrich auction.

As always, Michael Blood's auction was a great event (I came home with 
the one piece I really wanted) and bigger than ever this year. Allan 
Lang's auction on the Sunday was a success too, and I shocked everyone 
by showing up in a suit and tie. Well, once a year with the tie isn't 
so bad.

It was a pleasure to finally meet fellow collector Martin Horejsi, 
after many years of friendly correspondence. Monnig Gallery Director 
Teresa Moss and her husband Lane made their first visit to the show, 
and it was particularly nice to see them here, as Teresa, Dr. Ehlmann, 
and I have worked closely together on the Monnig Gallery website.

Another highlight for me was spending time with genius inventor Bill 
Mason. My girlfriend and I joined him for dinner just last night, and 
Bill gave me a personal class in working with his meteorite rust 
prevention kit. You shoulda seen what it did to my rusty old Brahin! 
This product is truly amazing, and if you haven't tried it, you should. 
I must also mention that Bill was the recipient of this year's Charles 
H. Sternberg Medal from the paleontology community and the good people 
at AAPS (www.aaps.net). This is an extremely high honor, very well 
deserved, and I'm sure Bill's many friends in the meteorite community 
will join me in congratulating him on this fine achievement.

Finally, we owe a big vote of thanks to Allan Lang, Bob Haag, and the 
other exhibitors at the Westward Look Resort who financed a special 
event which made it possible for many of us to listen to, and meet, 
famed astronaut Harrison "Jack" Schmitt on Sunday, Feb. 6. What a 
superb afternoon that was!

It was great to see so many of you out here, and I apologize to those 
friends whom I saw only briefly or not at all. You'll just have to come 
out for a longer visit next year. Oh yes . . . and Dr. Joel Schiff, I 
expect see you here for Tucson 2006. There is no Harvey Award for 
"Meteorite" magazine until you come out here to receive it in person 
(that's because we all want to see you again)   : )


Regards to all,

Geoff N.
(trying to catch up with "real" work in Tucson)