Steve Doyle, leader of The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, publisher of The Baker Street Journal, and one-half of Wessex Press, has recently given several talks on the importance of scion societies. Those talks resonated with me very much. I joined my first scion society in 1976 and since then I have been and I am a member of numerous societies. I’ve seen societies come and go. I even started one.
The first society I joined was The Noble Bachelors of St. Louis, then the only one in the area. At the time it met in dinner meetings 3 or 4 time a year with up to 40 or more in attendance. I am still a member although the group doesn’t meet all that often and only had a picnic this year. In November of 1988 I founded The Parallel Case of St. Louis as a smaller group that discussed a case each meeting, something that could not be done in the larger setting of The Noble Bachelor dinners. Then, in January 1989, The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn was started in St. Charles, Missouri, a stone’s throw from St. Louis. Somewhat earlier The Occupants of The Empty House was begun in Du Quoin, Illinois, about two hours from St. Louis in Southern Illinois. Somewhat later The Chester Baskervilles saw the light of day in Chester, Illinois, about an hour from St. Louis.
Now there was an abundance of societies within easy driving distance, but I noted a peculiar thing. Most members of these societies were reluctance to attend other groups’ meetings. Oh, I picked up a few members of The Noble Bachelors but most of my group were new Sherlockians who pretty much only attended my meetings, even though I encouraged them to spread their wings. The same was true for The Harpooners. Now there was nothing wrong with that but I do believe it was a missed opportunity. I ended up attending meetings of all of the area groups extending to The Occupants of The Empty House and made new Sherlockian friends and had many great evenings.
Now I have to admit, we were very fortunate to have so many scion societies within easy reach. Many Sherlockians are lucky to have one group within driving distance and many don’t have any. Fortunately with Zoom meetings so readily available it is relatively easy to find a meeting to attend. Even after COVID, there are many groups either meeting exclusively on Zoom of doing hybrid meetings of in-person and Zoom meetings.
So why do I think supporting scion societies is so important? The BSI weekend only occurs once a year and, while there are numerous events other than the invitation-only BSI dinner, attendance is often difficult and certainly expensive. While the BSI is an important part of our hobby, most of the work of keeping it alive and growing is done by the scion societies. New members are attracted through the local groups. Much of the scholarship, including that which appears in the Baker Street Journal, begins in discussions in local groups. While the BSI hosts periodic conferences, there are many more hosted by scion societies.
Covid affected societies in various ways. Locally, the Harpooners now meet exclusively via Zoom. The Occupants died out during Covid. Fortunately, The Parallel Case, after meeting on Zoom during Covid, went back to in-person meetings and also continue to do Zoom meetings several times a year. Also, in the last few years, I’ve joined The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis and The Tankerville Club of Cincinnati and attend several meeting of each during the year. Also, the Clients host hybrid meetings so when I can’t be there in person I can still attend. Attending these meetings has broaden my outlook, not to mentions significantly increased my Sherlockian friends.
I was investitured into The Baker Street Irregulars in 1993 as “The Stockbrokers Clerk” and I am very proud to be a member but I have always maintained that had I never become a BSI, I would still be doing exactly as I am doing now. Attending scion society meetings and enjoying the scholarship, the friends and the fun that can be found in these groups.
[Editor's Note: As mentioned above, The Parallel Case of St. Louis meets via Zoom three times a year and you can register for this Saturday's Zoom at this link.]
