Blair Frodelius began writing Oz Club Secretary Fred Meyer in 1975. Today he emails The Ozmapolitan Express to IWOC members, and maintains The Daily Ozmapolitan and OzProject from an office lined with Oz material.
Collection favorites include a copy of The Book of Hamburgs that was handmade for him; Father Goose’s Yearbook with its original owner’s daily entries; a Laughing Dragon his wife found at a flea market; and a near mint, first edition Patchwork Girl that was a 16th birthday gift.
“If I had to choose a favorite Oz book it would be Patchwork Girl. It has so many memorable characters and a surprise ending. I relate to Ojo more than any other Ozian. I still enjoy a simple lunch of bread and cheese.
“I did the dealer circuit for quite awhile,” he adds. “I regret trading A New Wonderland for late edition Thompson titles, and a copy of Wonderful Wizard in a dust jacket promoting the Larry Semon film for a copy of Army Alphabet. I didn't know better; such is life.”
“My favorite memory was a breakfast with Meinhardt and Marie Raabe. I finally connected with someone who introduced me to Oz, and I realized the Raabes were not that different from myself. I left feeling like I’d made new friends.
Blair's is a father of six – one daughter’s middle name is Ozma. A musician living in Syracuse, NY, Blair’s an avid mixologist and cocktail historian currently developing a selection of Oz cocktails for the IWOC 2010 National Oz Convention
Blair has provided Oz displays to libraries, given Baum and Oz talks, written reviews for the Bugle, won costume contests, helped with the Chittenango Ozfest, Ozmania!, Oz-Stravanganza, Wonderful Weekend of Oz and the 2009 IWOC convention in Kansas. He attended Club events at the Eric Carle Museum and Munchkin Conventions over the years.
