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“Forging Ahead in Franklin” By Jack Bales (PF-258)


An enthusiastic group of Alger collectors gathered at the Hampton Inn in Franklin, Indiana, for the Horatio Alger Society’s annual convention, hosted by Bob Sipes (PF-1067) from June 11 to June 14. Jack Bales (PF-258), Janet Hedrick (PF-1164), and Liane Houghtalin (PF-699), were among the early arrivals on Wednesday, June 10, and that evening they enjoyed both dinner at a nearby restaurant and walking around Franklin’s attractive downtown.

Thursday
Registration for “Forging Ahead in Franklin” took place in the Society’s Hospitality Room, the Hampton Inn’s large meeting room. Bob’s convention packet included a surprise: a Horatio Alger first day cover! This collectible envelope featured an attractive design and showcased the Horatio Alger stamp. The envelope, or “cover,” was postmarked with the stamp’s official first day of issue, April 30, 1982, in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, during the Society’s annual convention, hosted by Bill Russell (PF-549). The H.A.S. business meeting was held Thursday afternoon in the Hospitality Room.

Friday
On Friday morning, Bob and Society President Liane welcomed everyone to the convention, and their remarks were followed by three presentations. Matt Short (PF-1161) spoke on “A Partial Recovery of ‘Chicago’s Most Mysterious Publisher’: William Henry Lee.” One of the publisher’s specialties was dime novels, which included the Pinkerton Detective Series. Upon Lee’s death in 1913, reports suggested that he was a light-skinned black man, which would have made him one of the first African American mass-market publishers in the United States.

Janet Hedrick (PF-1164) wrote a September-October 2025 Newsboy cover story on renowned book cover designer, illustrator, and author Margaret Armstrong. She expanded her article with her discussion titled “Judging a Book by Its Cover: Interweaving Margaret Armstrong’s Artistic Biography with the Collector’s Quest.” Her PowerPoint included images of numerous Armstrong covers from her collection as well as scans of letters from Lowell Thing, author of the definitive Cover Treasure: The Life and Art of Margaret Armstrong (2022), to her and Newsboy editor Jack Bales.

Jack has written numerous works and given quite a few PowerPoint presentations on the Chicago Cubs. (His latest book, which will be published by The History Press on January 19, 2027, is titled The Cubs’ First Dynasty: 1880s Baseball in Chicago.) His presentation, “The Mysterious Lewis Meacham: The Untold Story of the Man Who Helped Found the National League,” focused on the many contradictions concerning the life and career of the Chicago Daily Tribune journalist and sportswriter and how Jack ascertained the true details. He highlighted the discrepancies about Meacham’s birthdate, birthplace, middle name, Civil War service, and even the location of his burial site.

Following a brief business meeting and a box lunch, attendees gathered for a popular feature of many conventions, the auction of donated Alger books, volumes by other authors, and related items. Bob Huber (PF-841) reprised his usual role as convention auctioneer, and he kept both the bidding and the sales moving smoothly. A highlight was the sale of two cards signed by Horatio Alger, Jr., donated by Patricia Young, widow of former H.A.S. President Arthur Young and purchased by Rob Kasper (one of which he sold to Bob Sipes). The auction raised $581.00, all in donated items.

Dinner Friday night was held at The Willard restaurant in downtown Franklin, which, according to its webpage, “has become a local favorite for casual gatherings, special celebrations, and unforgettable meals.” Members gathered in the Hospitality Room after dinner to chat among themselves, with easy and animated discussions.

Saturday
People had free time to do what they pleased on Saturday morning. I know that some people casually walked the streets downtown and checked out the many stores, while others explored the area’s antique shops, such as the Exit 76 Antique Mall. Others relaxed in the Hospitality Room and enjoyed the snacks and drinks that Bob had provided for everyone.

We met up at Bob and Wendy Sipes’s large house in nearby Shelbyville that afternoon. Bob is a collector of wide-ranging interests. He has a massive collection of nineteenth-century boys’ books including volumes by Oliver Optic (William T. Adams), G. A. Henty, Harry Castlemon, Jules Verne, and Edward S. Ellis. His Alger collection is simply superb, with first editions, paperbacks, periodicals, volumes with dust jackets, and assorted ephemera. He owns a huge number of dime novels. Members gathered in the basement to pore over—and admire!—everything and to talk with Bob, periodically taking breaks to go upstairs and enjoy lunch prepared by Wendy.

I was rather staggered (overwhelmed?) as Bob pulled out dozens of signed books—along with photographs and other items—that showcased his various interests. One volume he had on display was a first edition of The Boy Emigrants by Noah Brooks, an 1877 Christmas gift to 15-year-old Edward Stratemeyer and signed by him.

Ever hear of J. Watson Davis (1870—1959)? He was an American artist who illustrated numerous books and magazines. I’ve seen his illustrations here and there in A. L. Burt Algers, and Bob has a few of the artist’s original pen-and-ink drawings. As Liane Houghtalin put it in an email to me: “Bob truly had a ‘Library of Curiosities,’ as he called it (a play on the old ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’), because he had so many fascinating objects as well as books, including a poster advertising the play being shown at Ford’s Theater the night of Lincoln’s Assassination.”

The banquet on Saturday evening featured a specially catered dinner as well as the presentation of several awards. According to the Society’s bylaws, the Carl Hartman Luck and Pluck Award is presented “to the previous year’s convention host in recognition of his/ her effort.” Matt Short received the award for hosting the 2025 convention at Northern Illinois University.

In keeping with Horatio Alger’s ideals of hard work, self-reliance, perseverance, and strength of character, each year the Society presents its “Strive & Succeed Award” to a student who possesses these traits and who could be a typical ‘Alger hero’ in one of the author’s books. This year, Bob Sipes presented the Strive & Succeed Award to Jake Huffman. Jake will be starting his sophomore year at Indiana State University, where he is pursuing a degree in accounting. Despite facing and overcoming significant challenges throughout his young life, he has remained determined and resilient, positioning himself well for continued success.

The Newsboy Award “is usually given to the member who has demonstrated significant or outstanding efforts in researching and presenting written analyses about Horatio Alger, Jr. and his works or those of other boys’ and girls’ books during the pre­vious year.” After the death of longtime Newsboy Editor Bill Gowen, the name of the award was changed to the “William R. Gowen Newsboy Award.” President Liane Houghtalin took Jack Bales completely by surprise by presenting him with the 2026 award “for his exemplary service as Newsboy Editor, demonstrated through his seamless assumption of the role and his commitment to cultivating and producing the outstanding content that enriches every edition of Newsboy.”

The Richard R. Seddon Award recognizes a Society member “who has consistently demonstrated the warmth, companionship, and camaraderie of the late Dick Seddon, who graced many Society activities over the years.” This year it was “presented to Janet Hedrick, who in every way reflects the admirable qualities and warm companionship of Dick Seddon, in whose memory this honor is now conferred.”

Our keynote speaker at the banquet was Brent Williamson, the award-winning author of the Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray, which, according to his home page, “is a genre-hopping young adult fantasy series, blending elements of steampunk, faeries, horror, dystopia, and science fiction.” By crafting stories that feature relatable characters who reflect the struggles many face in life, he hopes to create a space for kids to escape into, where they can find both enjoyment and deeper meaning in what they read.

During his PowerPoint presentation, Brent discussed archetypal character arcs, which represent timeless, mythological paths of personal change that align with the core aspects of human psychological and spiritual growth. Each arc emphasizes not merely the actions a character takes, but also how his or her identity, values, and connection to the world evolves and deepens over the course of the story.

After dinner in the Hospitality Room, convention attendees stayed rather late in the night, talking and enjoying themselves and saying good-bye—until next year, when Liane Houghtalin will host “Facing the World in Fredericksburg,” from May 13-16, 2027, in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Sunday
The banquet was the last official convention activity, and Sunday was reserved for members to have breakfast on their own before heading home.