Upon our arriving in Philly from Florida it was immediately obvious that the Thompson exhibit "pre-planning" done by Tracie (and the other troops who helped him) allowed for an orderly and smooth set-op. I've observed and/or participated in firearms collector exhibits for over 30 years, but never have I seen an exhibit as professionally presented as that of the Thompson Collectors Association at the NRA Convention in Philadelphia. Having rare and historically-significant artifacts is obviously a requirement for winning a judging award, but the way the items are presented and exhibited is equally important.

The true spirit of teamwork and ingenuity by the TSMG group was clearly in evidence at 6:45am on Friday morning when Tracie discovered the note in our booth advising that we had to place a carpet down under the exhibit!  Exhibitors had been told that all exhibits must be complete and ready for judging by 7:30am Friday morning. (The carpet had been "conveniently" laid next to the exhibit area after the troops bad spent more than four hours on Thursday meticulously setting up the exhibit and retiring for the day.)

After rolling up shirt sleeves and forty-two minutes of clockwork precision teamwork, the nine glass show cases and title sign had been moved out of the booth, the carpet had been installed (don't tell the union workers!), and the Thompson Collectors group was "standing tall" in front of their booth...with 2 1/2 minutes to spare before time for judging!

For this collector from the "Florida swamp lands" who had never had the opportunity to meet the other Thompson collectors who gather at least once a year at Tracie and Donna's place in Ohio, it was truly gratifying to meet everyone involved with the Philadelphia exhibit. The professionalism, willingness to get the job done, and combined knowledge on the history of Thompsons this group exhibited at Philly demonstrated to me why there could be no doubt in the outcome of the judging. When my friend Ron Emrick and I left for Florida, it was comforting to know that we had made many new friendships with an outstanding group of dedicated Thompson enthusiasts. To Tracie and the entire "Philly Contingent" gent" I say thank you for making us feel welcome in your group, and thank you for being able to pull off capturing the highest display award the NRA can give, especially for  "... a bunch of old Thompson Machine Guns!"