Ask Abe
Direct your "I-always-wanted-to-ask-but-never-did" questions to askabe@uwalumni.com.
Bob Birr ’86 asks Abe: “I was just at a neighbor’s rummage sale who had antique sheet music. My daughter came across sheet music for ‘On, Wisconsin.’ The copyright is 1909 and printed by Joseph Flanner, Milwaukee. I went online and Flanner Music is still in existence. On their site they have a fun fact that they were the first to print ‘On, Wisconsin’ in 1909. Definitely worth framing, but just how rare is this piece of sheet music?”
Answer: The actual value of your sheet music might not measure up to its sentimental value, Bob. Appraisers consider a variety of factors when valuing sheet music, a popular commodity among collectors. In general, “the older, the better,” says Don Cresswell, owner of The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. and an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. As such, 1909 is not old by most collecting standards. By the turn of the 20th century, print shops could produce thousands of copies of a single piece. Other factors in valuing sheet music are the aesthetics of the cover — illustrations and attractive text make a difference, as well as the condition of the pages: is the cover illustration faded? Are the pages bent or torn with pen or pencil marks? By looking at the demographics of the university in 1909, you can get an idea of how many people would want such a thing. “From the good vibrations I always receive about the campus at Madison, I suspect demand would be high,” says Cresswell, who stops in Madison with the Antiques Roadshow tour on July 11, 2009.
“On, Wisconsin” composer William Purdy originally planned to submit the tune to the University of Minnesota for a $100 prize. When his friend Carl Beck, a former UW student, heard the music, he wrote lyrics for Wisconsin. Sung for the first time during 1909 Homecoming, “On, Wisconsin” was an instant hit on campus and the song spread throughout the country. More than 2,500 high schools and colleges have since adopted the melody and changed the words to suit their campuses. The original Wisconsin version was played unchanged until UW Band Director Michael Leckrone adapted the music in 1969 to engage Badger fans more quickly. Our beloved fight song celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Beck and Purdy printed the early copies but when they started to get more requests for the song, they negotiated with Joseph Flanner to print them. Flanner issued more than 10,000 band and orchestra copies and 100,000 piano solo copies between 1909 and 1912. So if you could prove that your copy was from the first printing run, it should be more valuable. University Archives has a copy of the sheet music autographed by Beck, and signature usually adds value. After considering all the factors listed above, you could also see if any have sold at public sales, which could provide a benchmark of its value.
Answer: The actual value of your sheet music might not measure up to its sentimental value, Bob. Appraisers consider a variety of factors when valuing sheet music, a popular commodity among collectors. In general, “the older, the better,” says Don Cresswell, owner of The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. and an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow. As such, 1909 is not old by most collecting standards. By the turn of the 20th century, print shops could produce thousands of copies of a single piece. Other factors in valuing sheet music are the aesthetics of the cover — illustrations and attractive text make a difference, as well as the condition of the pages: is the cover illustration faded? Are the pages bent or torn with pen or pencil marks? By looking at the demographics of the university in 1909, you can get an idea of how many people would want such a thing. “From the good vibrations I always receive about the campus at Madison, I suspect demand would be high,” says Cresswell, who stops in Madison with the Antiques Roadshow tour on July 11, 2009.
“On, Wisconsin” composer William Purdy originally planned to submit the tune to the University of Minnesota for a $100 prize. When his friend Carl Beck, a former UW student, heard the music, he wrote lyrics for Wisconsin. Sung for the first time during 1909 Homecoming, “On, Wisconsin” was an instant hit on campus and the song spread throughout the country. More than 2,500 high schools and colleges have since adopted the melody and changed the words to suit their campuses. The original Wisconsin version was played unchanged until UW Band Director Michael Leckrone adapted the music in 1969 to engage Badger fans more quickly. Our beloved fight song celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Beck and Purdy printed the early copies but when they started to get more requests for the song, they negotiated with Joseph Flanner to print them. Flanner issued more than 10,000 band and orchestra copies and 100,000 piano solo copies between 1909 and 1912. So if you could prove that your copy was from the first printing run, it should be more valuable. University Archives has a copy of the sheet music autographed by Beck, and signature usually adds value. After considering all the factors listed above, you could also see if any have sold at public sales, which could provide a benchmark of its value.
Mike Schell asks Abe: “Where can I find information about the baseball teams the Badgers had in the 1960s?”
Answer: The 1960s brought about unrest on the UW campus. But on the field, the Badger men’s baseball team was steady as she goes — compiling an overall record of 140 wins, 135 losses and two ties in the decade.
Led by head coach Arthur “Dynie” Mansfield, the Badgers finished .500 or better seven times. And while Mansfield’s teams won Big Ten championships in 1946 and 1950, a title in this decade wasn’t meant to be. But the 1965 squad did set a new school record by racking up 11 Big Ten wins.
In 1961, the team stumbled to a 9-19-1 record, their worst since 1949. However, the Badgers also stumbled upon a young star by the name of Pat Richter. Richter led the ’61 team with seven home runs, four triples, 13 doubles, 85 total bases, 23 runs batted in and a .398 batting average. He went on to earn nine letters in baseball, football and basketball, and eventually was named athletic director. Richter ’64, JD’71 is credited with saving the UW athletic program, and WAA presented him with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006.
Frederic “Rick” Reichardt was another Badger standout during this era. In 1964, he became the first Big Ten player to win back-to-back batting titles, and his .443 batting average and 20 stolen bases set Wisconsin school records. After college, Reichardt went on to enjoy success at the Major League level for 10 years.
So while the ’60s left its mark on the nation, the Badgers left their own mark on the national pastime.
Answer: The 1960s brought about unrest on the UW campus. But on the field, the Badger men’s baseball team was steady as she goes — compiling an overall record of 140 wins, 135 losses and two ties in the decade.
Led by head coach Arthur “Dynie” Mansfield, the Badgers finished .500 or better seven times. And while Mansfield’s teams won Big Ten championships in 1946 and 1950, a title in this decade wasn’t meant to be. But the 1965 squad did set a new school record by racking up 11 Big Ten wins.
In 1961, the team stumbled to a 9-19-1 record, their worst since 1949. However, the Badgers also stumbled upon a young star by the name of Pat Richter. Richter led the ’61 team with seven home runs, four triples, 13 doubles, 85 total bases, 23 runs batted in and a .398 batting average. He went on to earn nine letters in baseball, football and basketball, and eventually was named athletic director. Richter ’64, JD’71 is credited with saving the UW athletic program, and WAA presented him with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006.
Frederic “Rick” Reichardt was another Badger standout during this era. In 1964, he became the first Big Ten player to win back-to-back batting titles, and his .443 batting average and 20 stolen bases set Wisconsin school records. After college, Reichardt went on to enjoy success at the Major League level for 10 years.
So while the ’60s left its mark on the nation, the Badgers left their own mark on the national pastime.
Trudihope Schlomowitz ’78 asks Abe: “When I was in Madison during the early to mid 1970s, guerilla cookies were sold at the unions and the Mifflin Street Co-op in bags of 12. When a friend went to Madison in 1999, she brought me a bag of ’guerilla cookies’ from the Mifflin Street Co-op that were NOTHING like the original, chewy, memorable cookies. What ever happened to them, who made them, are they still available and is there a recipe? Thanks for any information you can provide about this iconic treat.”
Answer: You’re not alone in your search for the guerilla cookie recipe — many fellow students of the ’70s have tried to replicate its nutritious and chewy goodness. The general consensus is that molasses, sunflower seeds and lots of oil give the cookie its distinct color, texture and whole-meal experience. Equally elusive is the recipe’s creator, Ted Odell, despite pleas from hankering current and ex-Madisonians, among them Linda Tobin ’72 of Pittsburg. A collector of 400 cookbooks and books about food, Tobin welcomes Badgers to weigh in with their guerilla cookie recipes and stories at Toast.
“I haven’t personally made any recipe advances, and none of the contributors seems completely satisfied with his or her recipe yet,” Tobin says. “Perhaps your readers can help too.”
Answer: You’re not alone in your search for the guerilla cookie recipe — many fellow students of the ’70s have tried to replicate its nutritious and chewy goodness. The general consensus is that molasses, sunflower seeds and lots of oil give the cookie its distinct color, texture and whole-meal experience. Equally elusive is the recipe’s creator, Ted Odell, despite pleas from hankering current and ex-Madisonians, among them Linda Tobin ’72 of Pittsburg. A collector of 400 cookbooks and books about food, Tobin welcomes Badgers to weigh in with their guerilla cookie recipes and stories at Toast.
“I haven’t personally made any recipe advances, and none of the contributors seems completely satisfied with his or her recipe yet,” Tobin says. “Perhaps your readers can help too.”
Please note that, due to time constraints, each e-mail cannot be answered individually. Abe will try to answer as many questions as possible in upcoming issues, but it may take awhile for yours to be published. You may also want to check our archives before submitting a question, since Abe will not publish questions that have been previously answered.
