[Joe_G.]

He did have a great card collection that was largely donated to the Detroit Public Library. Shortly after I wrote the Tomlinson Studio article for Old Cardboard (fall 2007), Ernie contacted me asking if we could meet. He is such a fan of baseball history. Long story short, my wife and I met with Ernie and Lulu for dinner and I took some of my favorite pieces including some Tomlinson cabinets (since afterall, that is what prompted him to contact me). After a wonderful dinner of conversation, I began sharing some items with him. Part way through, he looked up at me, and with a big smile and glimmer in his eye asked if I had any Old Judges. Unfortunately, I didn't take any of them with me on that trip. I then explained how I had already studied his collection in great detail at the Detroit Public Library where he has his collection of 98 Old Judges including an exceedingly rare copy of Flynn (one of three documented examples). He recalled with great detail the items he had collected in his youth and donated to the library some 40-50 years earlier.

As we neared completion of the Old Judge book, Ernie was asked if he would be willing to write a Foreword and boy did he. It is beautiful from the first word to last, a true writing talent. My favorite part reads as follows:

"I collected these in my youth and derived great enjoyment from them. In this book, they remind me of those collecting days and how much enjoyment they afforded me. Reading this book, I felt young again."