LESTER ALLEN'S WONDERFUL SEA SHELLS

 

******************************************

In the 1960's I was a member of the Voicespondence Club, an American based friendship club that provided connections with people all over the world through a members' catalogue. Instead of corresponding by letters, we used tape recordings.

 

I exchanged tape recorded messages with several people over a period of years - Elsie Hall, editor of a newspaper in Davison, Michigan, Eric Sutherland Ross in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, a man who loved to ride a bicycle in Holland, and another man in Malawi, Africa, and a thin, white-haired man in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia named Lester Allen.

 

I had started collecting sea shells in Cape Cod, some from the shore, most bought in stores, but my collection was very small. Then, through the Voicespondence Club where you could meet people who shared similar interests, I "met" Lester Allen - never face to face - but on tape. He must have been in his late eighties at the time and he lived in a rural area with his sister.

 

I would send Mr. Allen a couple of sea shells from my pathetic little collection and he would send me a cornucopia of magnificent shells from all over the world, each one lovingly wrapped in fine tissue and cotton batting and boxed very carefully. I felt guilty about this imbalance of gifts, but Mr. Allen said that he had a very large collection and he was pleased to share these delicate treasures with people who would appreciate them.

 

Over time, thanks to Lester Allen's generosity, my collection blossomed with precious treasures from the seas of the world - pink and cream, beige and spotted, cones and volutes, cowries and scallops - each one a thrill to look at and hold gingerly in my hand. Looking at these jewels of the sea, touching them, had the effect of making one consider God as a possibility. How else could we explain such fragile and diverse beauty - the great art of the oceans?

I started to study the systems of Linnaeus and Lamark to recognize, classify and catalogue the shells, although Lester Allen had done so as well.

After some time, Lester Allen let me know that he intended to divide up his collection and give it away to me and other friends.

 

I couldn't bear to see Mr. Allen's wonderful collection shattered that way, to have all his efforts, knowledge and love disappear like dust in the wind. I phoned him long distance - the first time I had ever done so - and I pleaded with him to keep his collection intact and, when he was really ready to part with it, to donate it to a museum that would show it to the public - and honour his name as well.

And so, Lester Allen donated his great sea shell collection to the Yarmouth Museum.

 

It has been nearly half a century since then, but I was remembering Lester Allen early this morning and I wanted to write this simple piece in memory and sincere appreciation of a very kind and generous man. I hope that Lester Allen's lovely sea shell collection is being appreciated by many people to this day.

************************************