When I heard in 2000, that the Federation were to hold the 2001 conference in Atlanta, I got a map out to see if I could day-trip from the conference venue to the University of South Carolina to see the Ross Roy Collection, which I had often dreamed of visiting. I figured this was not practicable so dropped plans for the conference. When I found out a few weeks before the due date that Prof. Roy was taking some choice exhibits to display in Atlanta, then the conference trip was hastily replanned. I had a great time in Atlanta and met many Burnsians from "across the pond". The following January at Strathclyde Conference, I again met one of these enthusiasts, Leslie Strachan from Virginia, and after that we carried on a sporadic email exchange. In spring 2004 at the end on an email, he mentioned that he was shortly going to USC for a couple of days and that Ken Simpson, Gerry Carruthers and all would be there, I replied immediately with "What is going on at USC?" and next I was on the email to Patrick Scott of USC, who I had met in Atlanta, and arranged to get there for their Conference. I flew in to Columbia on a Thursday afternoon, and out for home again on Sunday, it was the best time I had ever experienced in my pursuit of my interests in Burns, I made several very good friends in these few days, and have greatly enoyed email discussions with these several friends since. Now I am in the middle of a great tour that derives from these friendships, in Atlanta with Frank Shaw and his fabulous Burns Library and Collection, (blog on that soon), an outstanding meeting at the Burns Club of Atlanta, ( blog to come), a fabulous Conference at USC which I now rate as my best Burns experience of all time, (and the blog for that will be just as exciting), and now I am in New York meeting another friend tomorrow, and filling my days with more exciting Burns experiences, (New York Blogs soon), all this from a chance remark in an email 5 years ago
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