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| Denny Dobry holds Colonel Moran's air rifle in his reconstruction of 221B |
Last summer, I wrote here about visiting our friend Denny Dobry’s
recreation of 221B Baker Street. Denny will be sharing the story of that
remarkable achievement as one of the speakers at the Holmes, Doyle, &
Friends conference in Dayton, OH, on March 28. I recently asked Denny a few
questions:
How and when did you first meet Sherlock Holmes?
“The Speckled Band” was required reading in the ninth grade at
my junior high school. Although I was
not much of a reader at the time, something clicked and became planted deep in
my brain to emerge many years later.
How and when did you become a Sherlockian?
Although little signs of interest in Sherlock Holmes
revealed themselves over the years, I didn’t really do anything to advance my
interest until 1987, when the centennial of A Study in Scarlet generated
some articles in the local newspaper. That
would have been the start of my informative years. With life intervening, I didn’t get the time
or the courage to attend a scion meeting until 1995. From that first meeting, I would say that I
was firmly hooked as a Sherlockian.
What has it meant to you to be part of the Sherlockian
community?
Participating in the Sherlockian community is my major
interest outside my family life. Almost
all of our friends are Sherlockians and we socialize together in and outside
Sherlockian events. I can’t imagine what
my interest would have been without Sherlock – probably something more
constructive, but not anywhere near as much fun.
You’ve been a Sherlockian a long time. What are one or
two of your fondest Sherlockian memories?
By far, my most-fondest Sherlockian memory was the day I
walked into Paul Churchill’s home and saw his re-creation of his sitting
room. Paul was the inspiration to create
my own re-creation of 221B, and he was my first and best Sherlockian friend. Paul passed in 2008 and I think of him and
miss him every day.
How did you come to recreate 221B Baker Street in your
basement?
I was blown away when I met Paul Churchill and visited his
221B re-creation. Paul’s creation
brought the Canon to life for me – Watson’s stories became real. Paul and I became great friends and he
encouraged me to pursue my recreation. He was instrumental in helping me with
ideas to enhance my sitting room.
What Sherlockian groups do you belong to?
I have belonged to Watson’s Tin Box of Ellicott City, MD;
the Denizens of the Bar of Gold of Cambridge, MD; the Six Napoleons of
Baltimore; the Copper Beeches of Philadelphia; the Clients of Sherlock Holmes
of Philadelphia; the Epilogues of Sherlock Holmes of New Jersey; the John H.
Watson Society, and the Hounds of the Internet. I am no longer active in all those groups,
and a few of them have faded away.
I received my investiture into the Baker Street Irregulars
in 2018 as “A Single Large Airy Sitting-room.”
And after many years, I continue as Gasogene of the White
Rose Irregulars of York PA.
Besides Holmes, Doyle, & Friends, what other major
Sherlockian events are on your calendar this year?
I plan to attend A Mountaineer Named Sherlock at West
Virginia University in March, A Scintillation of Scions in Columbia, MD,
in June, and the BSI conference Sherlock Holmes and the British Empire in
West Point, NY, in July
What question haven’t I asked you that I should?
I am currently the Headlight of the Beacon Society, a scion
society whose sole purpose is to promote the reading of Canon by our
youth.
I also operate the BSI Trust Parnassus on Wheels, collecting
donated books and other Sherlockiana, and selling the same to raise funds in
support of the Baker Street Irregulars Archives which are housed at the Lilly
Library in Bloomington, Indiana.
To find out what treasures the BSI Trust has available that
might interest you, email Denny at dendobry@ptd.net.
Although Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Seven, March 27-28, 2020, is closed out
for vendors, participants can stillregister here.
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