THE ZIMMERMAN COLLECTION

During the month of October, we were contacted (at the urging of Mr. Laverne Wray) by Mr. Eric Zimmerman, of York, Pennsylvania, USA.

Mr. Zimmerman told us during a telephone conversation he had a collection of Checker's related materials that he thought might be of interest to followers of this page. This he inherited from his father, who passed away. His father, Mr. Gary Zimmerman, was friends with legendary Pennsylvania Checkerists Fernie Moffett and Tony Kozenski, and had accumulated many photos and books, boards, etc.

After a visit with Eric, we discovered that he did, indeed, have a most unique collection that should be shared.....This collection will be updated with additional items as they are received.

Gary Zimmerman was a Pennsylvania Checkerist from the 1950's era up to the late 1990's. During his time participating in the game, he met and competed with many of the area's finest players, and also attended exhibitions by the touring players of the day, such as Newell Banks. Shown are some of the photos, books with autographs, and other related Checkerania that he collected during his lifetime.

EXHIBIT 216EZ
"HELLMAN-TINSLEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH PHOTO; 1955"

SHOWN IS A RARE PHOTO TAKEN DURING THE CEDAR POINT SESSION OF THE TITANIC 3-MOVE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH BETWEEN DEFENDING CHAMPION WALTER HELLMAN (SEATED LEFT) AND CHALLENGER MARION TINSLEY (SEATED RIGHT), HELD IN AUGUST OF 1955.

TINSLEY WOULD WIN THIS MATCH, DETHRONING HELLMAN AFTER A SEVEN YEAR REIGN AS THE 3-MOVE WORLD CHAMPION. THE FINAL SCORE WAS 3-0-35 DRAWS.

THIS CEMENTED TINSLEY'S POSITION AS THE BEST PLAYER IN AMERICA. TINSLEY WOULD GO ON TO BECOME RECOGNIZED AS THE GREATEST 3-MOVE PLAYER OF ALL TIME.

IN THE EARLY 1970'S, SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE FOR A RE-MATCH BETWEEN THESE TWO, BUT IT WOULD NEVER MATERIALIZE.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 217EZ
"MOFFETT-RYAN EXHIBITION PHOTO"

SHOWN IS A PHOTO OF FERNIE MOFFETT, SEATED LEFT, IN A CROSSBOARD SITTING WITH WILLIAM RYAN, SEATED RIGHT.

THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN JULY 4TH, 1945 . THIS WAS AT LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA DURING RYAN'S TRANSCONTINENTAL TOUR OF 1945, WHERE HE ANTICIPATED OVER 9000 MILES OF TRAVEL . HIS STOP HERE WAS SPONSORED BY THE LANCASTER CHECKER CLUB, WITH FERNIE MOFFETT ACTING AS MASTER OF CEREMONIES, AS RECORDED IN RYAN'S "AMERICAN CHECKERIST" MAGAZINE.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 218EZ
"RYAN BLINDFOLD EXHIBITION PHOTO"

SHOWN IS THE GREAT WILLIAM F. RYAN GIVING A BLINDFOLD EXHIBITION. THIS WAS TAKEN JULY 4TH, 1945 IN LANCASTER, PA. THIS WAS THE FIRST STOP IN RYAN'S TRANSCONTINENTAL TOUR OF 1945.

WILLIAM RYAN WAS ONE OF THE RARE INDIVIDUALS WHO COULD PLAY SEVERAL BOARDS AT ONE TIME, WITHOUT SEEING THE BOARD VISUALLY.

ALSO INCLUDED IS THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE PHOTO, WHICH LISTS THE PLAYERS PRESENT.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 219EZ
"NEWELL BANKS PROMOTIONAL POSTER"

SHOWN IS AN UNUSED NEWELL BANKS POSTER. THESE WOULD BE USED TO ADVERTISE UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS WHICH HE WOULD GIVE WHILE ON HIS TOURS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

ON THESE TOURS, BANKS WOULD GIVE SIMULTANEOUS EXHIBITIONS OF CHESS AND CHECKERS, OFTEN AT THE SAME TIME, WHILE BLINDFOLDED.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 220EZ
"RADIO CHECKER BOARD"

SHOWN IS THE RARE RADIO CHECKER BOARD, WHICH WAS COPYRIGHTED BY NEWELL BANKS. THE EXAMPLE SHOWN HERE IS NUMBERED, BUT THERE WERE ALSO BOARDS AVAILABLE WITHOUT NUMBERS FOR OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT PLAY.

INCLUDED IS A SET OF EXTREMELY RARE WHITE AND RED CATALIN CHECKERS. THESE CHECKERS PROBABLY HAVE NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY, AS THE WHITE PIECES HAVE YET TO TURN TO BUTTERSCOTCH AND/OR YELLOW, AS CATALIN IS KNOWN TO DO WHEN EXPOSED TO LIGHT .

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 221EZ
"WISWELL EXHIBITION PHOTO;1949"

SHOWN IS A PHOTO OF TOM WISWELL COMPETING WITHOUT SIGHT OF THE BOARD AGAINST PENNSYLVANIA CHECKERIST ELLIOT BAKER, WITH FERNIE MOFFETT ACTING AS THE INTERMEDIARY, MOVING THE PIECES ON BEHALF OF WISWELL.

THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN 1949 DURING AN EXHIBITION WISWELL GAVE WHILE ON A TOUR STOP IN PENNSYLVANIA.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 222EZ
"BOLAND'S FAMILIAR THEMES; SIGNED"

SHOWN IS A COPY OF BEN BOLAND'S BOOK "FAMILIAR THEMES IN THE SCIENTIFIC GAME OF CHECKERS", SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, AND SIGNED ALSO BY THE OWNER OF THE BOOK, FERNIE MOFETT.

THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1938.

FROM KEN LOVELL'S BOOK, "DRAUGHTS BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY".....

"MR. BOLAND'S BOOKS ARE HELD IN HIGH REGARD. THIS, HIS FIRST PUBLICATION, IS UNUSUAL IN THAT IT REALLY DOES CONTAIN SOMETHING FOR ALL CLASSES OF PLAYERS ."

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 223EZ
"NEWELL BANKS ; RIPLEY'S FLYER"

SHOWN IS A FLYER CONTAINING THE NEWELL BANKS ENTRY INTO THE "RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT" PUBLICATION, WHICH RAN IN THOUSANDS OF NEWSPAPERS WORLDWIDE. THIS PARTICULAR ENTRY, DETAILING SOME OF NEWELL BANKS AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WAS PUBLISHED

IN 1954.

THE IMAGE SHOWN IS A DIGITALLY EDITED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL FLYER, WHICH IS OWNED BY ERIC ZIMMERMAN.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 224EZ
"BANKS CHESS AND CHECKER EXHIBIT PHOTO"

SHOWN IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE LEGENDARY NEWELL BANKS, DURING A SIMULTANEOUS PLAY EXHIBITION , WHICH INCLUDED CHESS AND CHECKERS.

BANKS WAS ONE OF VERY FEW PEOPLE IN HISTORY TO HAVE ACHIEVED MASTER STATUS IN BOTH GAMES. THE DATE OF THE PHOTO IS UNKNOWN.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 225EZ
"WISWELL CHESS AND CHECKER EXHIBIT PHOTO"

SHOWN IS TOM WISWELL GIVING A SIMULTANEOUS PLAY EXHIBITION, WHICH INCLUDED BOTH CHECKERS AND CHESS. WISWELL, WHO WAS FREESTYLE WORLD CHAMPION CHECKERS PLAYER, ALSO PLAYED CHESS, BUT NEVER ACHIEVED NATIONAL FAME AS A TOURNAMENT COMPETITOR.

THE DATE OF THE PHOTO IS UNKNOWN.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 226EZ
"1956 CEDAR POINT TOURNAMENT PHOTO"

SHOWN IS THE GROUP PHOTO TAKEN AT THE 1956 CEDAR POINT ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT AT LAKESIDE, OHIO. IT WAS AT THIS TOURNAMENT THAT UNANIMOUS VOTE DECREED THE NAME WOULD CHANGE TO THE LAKESIDE CHECKER ASSOCIATION.

ALSO INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBIT IS THE TOURNAMENT RESULTS, AS PUBLISHED IN ELAM'S CHECKER BOARD.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 227EZ
"RYAN-WILSON PHOTO;1945"

SHOWN IS A PHOTGRAPH OF WILLIAM RYAN, SEATED RIGHT, IN CROSSBOARD ACTION WITH ED WILSON, SEATED LEFT, TAKEN IN JULY OF 1945. THIS WAS AT HIS STOP IN LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA DURING HIS TRANSCONTINENTAL TOUR OF 1945.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 228EZ
"FERNIE MOFFETT PHOTO;1948"

SHOWN IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF LEGENDARY PENNSYLVANIA CHECKERIST FERNIE MOFFETT, SEATED LEFT,TAKEN IN 1948.

THE PLAYER SEATED ON THE RIGHT IS UKNOWN.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 229EZ
"WILLIAM SCOTT PROMO CARD"

SHOWN IS A PROMOTIONAL POSTCARD SENT BY WILLIAM SCOTT TO HIS FRIEND FERNIE MOFFETT IN 1995.

"THE GREAT SCOTT" WAS A VERY WELL KNOWN AND LOVED PERSONALITY TO THE PLAYING FRATERNITY, CONTRIBUTING PROBLEMS TO MANY PUBLICATION, AND GIVING PROMOTIONAL EXHIBITIONS WHENEVER AND WHEREVER HE COULD.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 230EZ
"GROUP PHOTO: BANKS, MOFFETT, KLINE, LOOKINGNBILL"

SHOWN IS A GROUP PHOTO, MOST LIKELY TAKEN AT A PENNSYLVANIA EXHIBITION BY NEWELL BANKS, AS THE OTHERS IN THE PHOTO WERE ALL WELL KNOWN PENNSYLVANIA CHECKERISTS. THE DATE IS GIVEN AS APRIL 25, 1954.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN

EXHIBIT 231EZ
"ANTHONY KOZENSKI HOME PHOTOGRAPHS"

SHOWN IS A SERIES OF PHOTOS FEATURING MANY TIME PENNSYLVANIA STATE CHAMPION, AND LONG TIME PROMOTER AND BOOSTER OF THE GAME, MR. ANTHONY KOZENSKI. THESE WERE TAKEN DURING A VISIT TO THE HOME OF HIS FRIEND, FELLOW PENNSYLVANIA CHECKERIST GARY ZIMMERMAN.

THE GAME LOST A GREAT PATRON WHEN MR. KOZENSKI PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 24, 2009.

SUBMITTED BY E. ZIMMERMAN