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Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 22, 2018 5:40 pm
by daj
Does anyone know if Arthur Ziffer was a member of the NSS back in the 60's?

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 23, 2018 10:36 am
by CaverScott
The NSS Office can look that up.

Email: Manager@caves.org

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 23, 2018 12:14 pm
by daj
Thanks! I will contact them.

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 25, 2018 4:52 am
by trogman
He was a member at one time, not sure when. He was NSS #12586. His number is no longer active.

Trogman :helmet:

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 25, 2018 11:58 am
by daj
Thank you CaverScott and trogman for your help. The reason I wanted to know about Arthur is because I have a Caves of Virginia book that was signed by Henry H. Douglas to Arthur Ziffer. Image attached. Now can anyone verify that the Henry H. Douglas signature is authentic?

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 26, 2018 8:38 am
by GroundquestMSA
Looks pretty similar to my signed Douglas. Of course I value it for the information, not as a collectible, so I've never done any research on the signature.

If Ziffer was an NSS member in the Virginia area in the 60s, then it is likely that his name is emblazoned across the walls of some VA caves. Virginia was the scene of some of the earliest exploration rushes after the NSS came into being, and it was common in the 50s and 60s to smoke both name and NSS number on new discoveries. On my dead computer I have a list of old names collected from VA caves. Many of the men who were sources for Douglas' descriptions are on that list. I thought Ziffer sounded familiar when I saw this thread, perhaps he's on there too.

And now. A short essay on decade punctuation. It can be helpful to write out the word when trying to decide where, if anywhere, the apostrophe goes. Was AZ caving in the sixty's, sixties' sixties, or 'sixties? In this case we are referring to a plain old plural, a group of years. So obviously the possessive 60s' does not apply here, though it could in a sentence like, "The sixties' primary contribution to modern culture was their neckties." Of course this sentence would also make you an ill-informed quarterwit. The most common misusage, and the one daj is guilty of, is to create a contraction. The contraction 60's would be written "sixty's" and could only be used in awkward sentences like, "Sixty's an awful age to be." This is also somewhat insulting to 60-year-olds, who probably have something left to live for. Being a plural with no possessive or contraction then, sixties may stand alone without punctuation. However it is also acceptable to view 60s as an abbreviation of 1960s and apostrophize for the missing characters. Sixties, 'sixties, 60s, and '60s are acceptable

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Aug 27, 2018 7:14 am
by CaverScott
You should email Emily at Speleobooks - She may know. She is like a historian when it comes to books!

http://speleobooks.com/

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Sep 8, 2018 5:45 am
by trogman
Thank you, GroundquestMSA for that lesson on decade punctuation!

I fear the vast majority of people posting on the web nowadays don't care one bit about using correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling. But I'm happy to see someone still does! :clap:

Trogman :helmet:

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Sep 10, 2018 9:53 am
by daj
I contacted Emily about my Douglas signature and here is her reply.

"My copy is signed “Doug Douglas” but the Douglas is the exact signature as yours.

I would say yours is authentic."

Emily

Re: Arthur Ziffer

PostPosted: Sep 10, 2018 9:56 am
by daj
GroundquestMSA, can you post a pic of your Douglas signature?