Jeanne Malone deserves the Trustees' Award of the Musical Box Society
International for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Automatic
Music.  For nearly 40 years Jeanne Malone has been involved in the roll
cutting business at Play-Rite.  She works directly with nearly every
aspect perforating on a daily basis.  She is one of the few women in
the world who recently spent a career lifetime in mechanical music.
And, incredibly, in her early 90's she was still at it!  That is why
I am sad to hear that she is in the hospital.  All of us who own
pneumatic roll operated instruments owe here a debt of gratitude.

Over the years I have enjoyed the recuts produced by Play-Rite.
The following is a list of just some of the rolls recut under the
watchful eye of Jeanne:  Mill Violano Rolls, G Rolls, A Rolls, O Rolls,
NOS Rolls, OS Rolls, Wurlitzer 125 Rolls, Wurlitzer 150 Rolls, Wurlitzer
APP Rolls, Wurlitzer 165 Rolls, Popper Rolls, Hupfeld Helios Rolls,
Hupfeld Pan Rolls, Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina Rolls, Weber Maesto Rolls,
Weber Otero Rolls, Wurlitzer Pianino Rolls, Wurlitzer Pian-Orchestra
Rolls, Wurlitzer Paganini Rolls, Bursens Rolls, Piano Rolls, and on and
on!  What an incredible output!

Several years ago I spent an afternoon with her.  Ken Caulkins took
me over to see her and the perforators.  In talking to her, I became
immediately impressed at her dedication to mechanical music!  First,
I asked her to play the family's Wurlitzer 165 band organ which she
happily obliged not with just one selection but a whole roll of music.

Next she took me on a full tour of the perforators.  She is intimately
knowledgeable with all aspects of perforator operation.  The perforators
are massive originals from years ago.  She is a literal encyclopedia of
knowledge on them.  The hours of difficult patient tedium she spends
with them is almost unbelievable.  In order to maintain quality there
are a lot of operations that have to monitored at once.

I asked why she has not hired someone to do her work.  She said she
could not find someone with the patience, time, or interest to learn.
I left her home very impressed with her skill and dedication to an
often unheralded part mechanical music, that of perforating rolls.

Since then I have thought that she more than deserves the highest
award of the Music Box Society International, the Trustees' Award for
Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Automatic Music.  In the past
I have mentioned this to highly placed individuals in MBSI without
music success.

When I look at the list of former recipients of the award, I see the
name of the late Edward Freyer, another person who made rolls.  There
is Lloyd Kelly who made Regina discs.  And there are also a number of
people who were involved in the hobby by selling books, reprints,
recordings, or were dealers or were "for profit" museum owners.

This coming weekend the officers and trustees of the Musical Box Society
International meet for their semi-annual spring meeting.  I hope that
they take some time to recognize the years of effort Jeanne Malone has
given to the field of automatic music.

And to Jeanne, I deeply wish you a speedy recovery and all the best.
Thank you for all your tireless years of effort in the perforating
field!

Tim Trager