Obsession
One of the most profound days of my life was when I discovered, as an adult, that there were actually other "kooks" who had a "thing" for vacuum cleaners.
Most amazingly is how similar our stories are --- almost to a person, our interest started in earliest childhood; we all amuse one another with our stories of going to people's houses and making a beeline for the vacuum cleaner, and we commiserate with one another's heartaches about being teased and ridiculed for this "strange behavior."
In my own case, I got so much teasing and ridiculing about it when I was a kid that I finally just kept quiet about it. I really got tired of people thinking there was something wrong with me, so I just didn't tell anyone about it.
The response I hated the most, and that hurt the most, was when I would tell someone I like vintage and antique vacuum cleaners, and they would just stare blankly at me and ask, "Why?" As if to say, "Why would you have such interest in something so banal and unimportant?"
As I grew older and did not grow out of this fascination I never dreamt there would be other people as fascinated by, and obsessed with, vacuum cleaners as I was.
But then one day in 1990, a new friend came to my apartment for coffee. When he walked into my living room he noticed there were a few antique vacuum cleaners sitting around. He exclaimed, "I don't believe it!" I asked, "Don't believe what?" He replied, "Another nut with a house-full of old sweepers!" I said, astonished, "What do you mean, ANOTHER nut?! You know someone else who likes old vacuum cleaners?!" He said, "I can't believe you've never heard of Stan Kann, that zany guy who's been on the Carson show a bunch of times with his gadgets and antique vacuum cleaners that never work! He's the organist at my church."
I couldn't believe my ears! Another person on this planet who not only is interested in vacuums but who is also a church organist, like me. I was very anxious to meet him. My friend didn't know Stan's number but thought it was in the phone book.
The next day I looked up his telephone number. I phoned him and introduced myself by saying, "Mr. Kann, my name is Charlie Lester. You don't know me, but I am calling because we have something in common."
"What's that?" came the vaguely suspicious reply.
"I have here in my living room a 1937 Electrolux Model XXX, a 1925 Scott and Fetzer Sanitation System, and a 1937 Hoover Model 150 vacuum cleaner."
In his inimitable way, he asked, "Well, what are you doing with all that stuff!?" He was quite surprised to hear from me, and we talked for a long time that first day. He told me about three other people (all in other parts of the country) he knew who also collected vacuum cleaners, and gave me their names and phone numbers. Those four people were John Lucia, Mike Pupek, Alex Taber and George Bourhill (R.I.P.)
I contacted John, Alex, George and Mike; and, as the old cliché goes, "the rest is history."
Gee. This story of how the club got started up again in 1991 is on the old website (vaccc.com). It would be nice if it would be put on this site somewhere!