Every adult has a signature. Many people once practiced penmanship, hoping to create a stylish and unique written moniker. However, that individual scrawl is seldom elevated to a status beyond a simple recording of a first and last name. Only in rarified circumstances does a signature become celebrated as an autograph.
The Waynesboro Historical Society sponsored an “Autograph Show and Tell” event on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Oller House gathering brought together society members and other Waynesborians to share stories and artifacts that celebrated the aura of the autograph.
The term autograph comes from an ancient Greek origin combining “self” and “write.” Research suggests the popularity of collecting autographs began during Roman times and then evolved over the following centuries.
In America, early autograph seekers began collections in the 1810s, and a prized early signature of George Washington showed special interest in historical figures. Then, as Americans customarily did with other collectibles, they elevated the autograph genre to new heights as the country developed into a world power.
By the 1870s, autograph books were popular, and companies sprung up that specialized in selling signatures. The growing popularity of sports and the invention of radio, movies and television in the 20th century added many new celebrities to popular culture. This grouping supplemented earlier desirable autograph subjects like politicians, artists and explorers.
Why do people collect autographs? One theory is that they give common citizens a tangible connection to people who have accomplished something extraordinary. Another belief is that autographs tie collectors to specific historical events and other cherished memories.
The rise of notable autograph specimens is often unpredictable. The everyday signature of anyone, once unknown and awaiting their 15 minutes of fame, may be looked upon later with awe after some incredible deed or infamous act. Like all human keepsakes, the unique aspects of an autograph, such as its rarity and varied delivery devices, can make them highly prestigious and valuable.
The Historical Society event showed how every American town has a connection to history through its local collections. People proudly showcased their autographs in the Oller parlor, from signed letters and photos to football helmets. What made these autographs more compelling were the stories behind the signatures.
Nancy Frame is a devoted WHS member and initiated the autograph event. As the daughter of the late Bob Ringer, one of Waynesboro’s noted historians and collectors (a WHS research room honors Ringer’s contributions), she grew up with a family tradition of preserving mementos.“My Dad collected autographs and many historic photographs,” Frame said.
When Nancy was a teenager in 1969, she read a Record Herald newspaper article about the 50thwedding anniversary of retired President Harry Truman and his wife, Bess. She mailed the entire front-page clipping to Truman in Missouri, requesting his autograph. As a humble and kind public servant, Truman obliged. Frame was thrilled and has kept that aging section of newsprint, along with the envelope it arrived in. It is signed, “To Nancy Jo Ringer, Harry S. Truman.”
A few years after Harry Truman died, Nancy’s sister sent another newspaper article to Bess Truman (along with a birthday card) for the occasion of her 92nd birthday. The former First Lady also returned the paper with her autograph, attached with a thank you note.
One of the pleasures of housing a historical museum like Oller House is that many sources donate items continuously. A framed note with a signature from 42nd President Bill Clinton was discovered leading up to the autograph event. Another framed piece was a signed letter from renowned author Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), who won three Pulitzer Prizes, one for a biography of Abraham Lincoln and two for his poetry. A black 1937 autograph book was also found, including a page filled with signatures titled, “People I Know.”
No matter which genre of fame an autograph originates from, the person who first collected it showed their unique fascination by preserving it. On the flip side, a signature can hint at the writer’s personality, as handwriting experts have analyzed autographs for centuries. Some signatures are perfectly legible with flawless penmanship. Other autographs are indecipherable, with squiggly lines and artistic flourishes that often combine letters or use only initials.
The most popular autograph category at the WHS event was sports figures. These various signature samples were notable for their ties to local history. Others were newsworthy leading up to this year’s Super Bowl.
Bill Wilhide grew up a Washington Redskins fan. The Waynesboro native was once honored to meet the team’s now-retired Head Coach, Joe Gibbs. Gibbs won three championships while coaching at Washington. Bill treasures a signed photo of himself with Coach Gibbs, who let Wilhide try on his 1991 Super Bowl Championship ring. He also signed a miniature Redskin helmet for Bill, displaying his unique stylized signature. Gibbs later founded a successful NASCAR racing team, to top off an impressive sports career.
Wilhide brought an autograph book to the WHS event, considered a treasured possession. Wilhide is also a NASCAR fan, and he has attended many races. However, when his son, Cody, began a career with Toyota, which led to an executive marketing position in Texas, Bill enjoyed his ultimate autograph thrill.
Special access through Cody’s work brought Bill to a Toyota-sponsored event where he met many standout NASCAR drivers and secured their autographs. Later in 2019, Wilhide traveled to the legendary Daytona 500 through his son’s connections, where he experienced more thrills – standing on pit row and meeting other famous racers at trackside. “Talk about a dream come true,” Wilhide said.
Today, those NASCAR and family memories rekindle every time Bill shares his autograph collection, which includes one of recent Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, a Joe Gibbs Racing team member.
With her family’s collection, Nancy Frame also enjoys sports autographs. Three signatures she preserves, highlighted at the WHS event, had historical prominence from different eras. The oldest and most impressive was a Jim Thorpe autograph. Thorpe was known worldwide as a tremendous athlete, the first man ever to win an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon and pentathlon, achieved at the 1912 Summer Games. Earlier in life, he attended the Carlise Indian Industrial School in central Pennsylvania.
After his retirement from professional football, Thorpe visited Waynesboro in 1941 to speak at a YMCA banquet. Someone at that event had the foresight to ask Thorpe to sign the program. That 84-year-old autograph is now protected under glass. After his death, Thorpe was crowned the greatest athlete from the first half of the 20th Century and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A scenic Pennsylvania town was also renamed “Jim Thorpe” in his honor.
Another autograph that Frame shared was from Charles “Rip” Engle, a former Waynesboro High School football coach. Engle went on to an illustrious head coaching career at Penn State. Matt White penned a more recent sports celebrity autograph. This Waynesboro baseball pitching phenom earned a record $10.3 million signing bonus in 1996 (the largest Major League bonus given to an amateur player) by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Nancy Frame takes special pride in this autograph of White’s since she taught him in elementary school and was his neighbor.
A WHS collectible with an uncertain local origin was a signed photograph by entertainer/comedian Joey Bishop. Bishop (1918-2007) was born in New York City and raised in Philadelphia. He was a famous “Rat Pack” member along with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. No one at WHS’s show and tell knew if Bishop ever visited or performed in the area.
Local author John Poniske also attended the WHS event, offering his modern signature when someone purchased one of his historical novels. As Poniske’s writing fame grows, his autograph could one day rise to the stature of Carl Sandburg’s signature.
Near the event’s conclusion, as people discussed collected autographs and the stories behind them, this chat initiated other tales about past meetings with acclaimed personalities. Some wished they had approached a starlet or an athlete with a program or a ball to sign. However, others were content to have unique experiences with personalities recorded solely in their memories.
Even in the digital age, the intrinsic value of an autograph is rooted in our culture, making them prominent keepsakes. No matter if the famous signature is affixed to a scrap of paper, a letter or an object, it will likely become someone’s treasured memento. These hand-written communications, often only two words in length, are remembrances of individual identity, deemed significant during a fascinating era of history.
