Librarians, writers, artists and teachers who love The Wizard of Oz have found their way to The International Wizard of Oz Club. So have doctors, lawyers and ministers, computer techies, housewives, students and orthodontists. From a member who patrols the US Canadian border in the far northwest – and yes, she wears an Ozzy Guardian of the Gates costume to Oz conventions -- to a 93-year-old midget in Florida (better known as MGM’s Munchkin Coroner) fans across the country and around the world share their common love for Oz through the conventions and publications of the Oz Club.
The vast majority of us are Oz collectors, which is no surprise considering that an Oz collector started the Club back in 1957 -- Although our Club founder was a man -- a young man – full of surprises. Justin Schiller was 13 years old when he heard about an exhibit of books by L. Frank Baum opening at Columbia University. Justin went to visit. It was soon clear to the astonished curator that Justin’s own collection included treasures so rare they justified an addendum to the program. Who knew a kid in New York would have things previously undiscovered by more professional scholars of Oz?
Angelica Carpenter