Tom Dunn

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Tom Dunn was the founder, editor, and publisher of The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, which was a journal of vast pipe experiences submitted for publication by collectors and pipe enthusiasts around the globe. Tom Dunn founded The Universal Coterie of Pipe Smokers in 1964 as a means of exchanging information about pipes across the entire world. Most of his issues in the first decades were hand-cranked on a mimeograph machine, and Tom typed the contents on his manual typewriter.

It comprised letters written to him by pipe smokers about their experiences, their understanding of the history of brands, their delight in excellent tobacconists, their fun at pipe gatherings, the publication of pipe books, personal tobacco reviews, and pipe makers and companies contributed as well. Anything and everything concerning pipes and the people who enjoy them was found in the pages of The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris.

Tom called his publication an "irregular quarterly," but it was a lot of work and sometimes appeared only once or twice a year, other times more often. No one complained though everyone wanted more. There was no cost for the journal; one needed only to request it to be added to the mailing list. It was a source of information, inspiration, and camaraderie across the entire pipe community, lasting until Tom's death in 2005. In recognition of his work, Tom was named a Doctor of Pipes in 1998, the first year that the prestigious award was granted. It's conferred to two individuals by the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club every year at their pipe show to applaud at least 20 years of helping the hobby.

The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris was an essential element in collectors and enthusiasts finding each other. Contact information for new members of the Coterie was included in each issue. There was no internet back then; everything was conducted by mail and phone, but collectors now found other collectors. Trading, selling, and buying special pipes between individuals became possible. The publication helped people refine and add to their own special pipe interests. Written by Chuck Stanion, and courtesy, Smokingpipes.com.