Tom Reilly & Family Biographical Information

[esquirecomics]

As I mentioned in the San Francisco pedigree thread, to the extent possible I will make an effort to further the history behind the Reilly pedigree, particularly with respect to identifying the biographical background of Tom Reilly in particular. I cannot promise immediate results, but I will do what I can.

 

I realize there is already some basic information posted on other threads, but it would be helpful to me if those with information can add their knowledge to this specific thread. Please keep the discussion focused to Reilly and his family history and avoid tangential conversations.

 

It would also be helpful if the relevant information can be sectioned off from text, such as in bullet point fashion (like I did below). This will facilitate my ability to check back to the postings if I need to do so and lift the pertinent information.

 

Some specific information that would be helpful:

 

* any known age of Tom Reilly at a given time, i.e., "death", or date of birth/"death";

 

* hometown or possible street address;

 

* branch of military service, rank;

 

* names of family members and their addresses (and in what year);

 

* names and contact information for those dealers/collectors who "found" the Reilly collection (if hesitant to post this info on the threads, just PM me); and most importantly,

 

* recounting of conversations had with Reilly family members and/or friends.

 

I will update this thread with any information that I find.

 

Mark

Esquirecomics.com

[BLBcomics-migration]

Mark,

 

based off my conversations with Mr Arnheim, i believe that was his name, who was the doctor who brought the first third batch into the UC-Berkeley ASUC Building Sunday Easter week end of 1973, i have been guessing for 30 years now Tom Reilly was approx 15 in 1939 and by early 1942 when he enlisted, he would have been 18.

 

but this was always a supposition on my part.

 

I remember where the Reilly family lived as being Piedmont

 

when we got that first batch, the first third books were in Moraga, just thru the Caldecott Tunnel leading out of Berkeley on the way to Walnut Creek/Concord

 

Tom's parents died late 1972, December sticks in my brain - never learned their names

 

When i remarked to Mr Arnheim how exquisite the books looked, especially from 1942 on-wards, it was at that point he told us the tale of how Tom died in a kamikazee attack in late 1945 and his parents preserved his bed room just like he left it when he went off to war - this was actually a fairly commmon occurence, is my understanding, with quite a few parents whose son perished in the war, and never moved.

 

The players in the finding of the Tom Reilly original first third portion were:

 

John Barrett - deceased

Robert Beerbohm - who? -

David Belmont (then of Rochester New York and placed ads in Marvel classifieds)

Jon Campbell - deceased

Bud Plant - who? -

Mike Manyak - got the Timely portion and left building

Scott Maple (he worked for us at the Berkeley con, then I hired him to work in the store)

he works for the state of Calif now in Sacto

Nick Marcus - - got the Timely portion and left building

 

the only x factor person who may or not participtated was Bob Selvig, now long out of comics, now living in the Minneapolis area, whom i haven't talked with since he left the Los Angeles area a couple decades ago, whom i am told did not participate then

 

There was a 3rd party: maybe David Belmont remembers

 

more as the memory is jogged

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

 

These are ALL the players - there are no others

[esquirecomics]

David Belmont (then of Rochester New York and placed ads in Marvel classifieds)

 

Does anyone have contact information for Belmont? E-mail address, phone number? I understand he may be selling books on e-bay.

[BLBcomics-migration]

where are the "other" Tom Reilly history experts?

 

robert beerbohm

 

[1962]

I will tell you that the Tom Reilly history issue is a tough one. Approximately a year ago when I was doing research to locate the Church family I was also doing research to locate any information I could find out about Tom Reilly. I came across several Tom Reilly's who served in WW 2 and died in 1945, but none of them went into the service out of California. I am sure the information is there, but I simply did not dig hard enough because I was concentrating more on the Church family at the time

 

When dealing with the Reilly's did you ever visit the home where the collection was stored?

[Forbush-Man]

I will tell you that the Tom Reilly history issue is a tough one. Approximately a year ago when I was doing research to locate the Church family I was also doing research to locate any information I could find out about Tom Reilly. I came across several Tom Reilly's who served in WW 2 and died in 1945, but none of them went into the service out of California. I am sure the information is there, but I simply did not dig hard enough because I was concentrating more on the Church family at the time

 

When dealing with the Reilly's did you ever visit the home where the collection was stored?

 

 

[esquirecomics]

I will tell you that the Tom Reilly history issue is a tough one. Approximately a year ago when I was doing research to locate the Church family I was also doing research to locate any information I could find out about Tom Reilly. I came across several Tom Reilly's who served in WW 2 and died in 1945, but none of them went into the service out of California. I am sure the information is there, but I simply did not dig hard enough because I was concentrating more on the Church family at the time

 

When dealing with the Reilly's did you ever visit the home where the collection was stored?

 

I believe Bob has already left for the San Fran show, but I did ask him this. He did not, but apparently one of his colleagues did. I should know more next week.

[Rip]

Most of this is repeat info, but I found this info from CBM 32

Tom R was drafted into service in 1942... was killed during a Kamikaze attack in 1945. As a result, all titles in the collection ceased once his parents found out about his death, sometime in 1945. Stricken with grief, Reilly's parents sealed up his room until his father died in December 1972, at which the comics were split up among the relatives.

 

I hope this helps a little

[esquirecomics]

Most of this is repeat info, but I found this info from CBM 32

Tom R was drafted into service in 1942... was killed during a Kamikaze attack in 1945. As a result, all titles in the collection ceased once his parents found out about his death, sometime in 1945. Stricken with grief, Reilly's parents sealed up his room until his father died in December 1972, at which the comics were split up among the relatives.

 

I hope this helps a little

 

Is there any attribution for the information?

 

Thanks for posting.

[Rip]

The article doesn't have one source as it covers all major Pedigrees but the info was put together by Matt Nelson. It also goes into more detail, mentioning the same players that Beerbohm mentioned.

Many of the books weren't stamped untill after Tom R left to war. Many of the keys don't have the stamp. Mentions the G stands for Gilboy the name of the distrib. for the store,

[garthgantu]

Mark,

Tom died in a kamikazee attack in late 1945 and his parents preserved his bed room just like he left it when he went off to war - this was actually a fairly commmon occurence, is my understanding, with quite a few parents whose son perished in the war, and never moved.

 

Interestingly, the best original owner collection I ever got my hands on (I've seen better, of course, but not purchased better) was from a similar circumstance from the early part of the Vietnam War. Son died in battle, parents shuttered his room and didn't touch it for almost 20 years. The books were very early '50s to late '50s, and not of pedigree quality in terms of condition, for the most part. But walking into the deceased's room was pretty weird, especially given I was 13 at the time...

[BLBcomics-migration]

I will tell you that the Tom Reilly history issue is a tough one. Approximately a year ago when I was doing research to locate the Church family I was also doing research to locate any information I could find out about Tom Reilly. I came across several Tom Reilly's who served in WW 2 and died in 1945, but none of them went into the service out of California. I am sure the information is there, but I simply did not dig hard enough because I was concentrating more on the Church family at the time

 

When dealing with the Reilly's did you ever visit the home where the collection was stored?

 

Hello Guys, I'm back from California & Wondercon. I found it to be a, well, wonderful experience.

 

- being gone 3 weeks, I have a pile of mail to go thru as well as 100s of emails to wade thru but will get up onto these threads every day for a while until March 12 when i head back to Los Angeles for the Wizard show in Long Beach to be held March 18 19 20.

 

The info from CBM 32 to Matt Nelson was supplied by me a decade ago.

 

Some months later in CBM 41 or 42 did a follow-up letter coupled with a side bar from Bud Plant, my copies are not handy right now but i will dig out the box later today. At the time these exchanges took place re the Reilly collection, i had been recently transplanted to Nebraska, recovering from a tumor cut out of my back and needing peace & quiet to heal properly.

 

At the end of the 1990s, i had rediscovered my master list i had made up in the late 1970s and sent a copy to Gary Carter, who never ran it. So it languished until the queries re Sensation 54 came at me last month.

 

Jon Campbell and I visited the house back in 1973. He was in the process of becoming the 4th partner in Comics & Comix. Jon Campbell passed away last year. John Barrett passed away a couple years ago. Twould have been better if all these conversations had come up a few years ago so more of the players in this passion play could have participated.

 

I wish i had asked more questions of the Arnheim branch of the family, but we had comic book stores to run more than 30 years ago, and i was just 21 at the time this all took place. I am doing the best i can to resurrect what i remember. As comments are raised, my memory gets jogged.

 

The last thing i am trying to put out there is mis/dis-information.

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

 

[BLBcomics-migration]

Most of this is repeat info, but I found this info from CBM 32

Tom R was drafted into service in 1942... was killed during a Kamikaze attack in 1945. As a result, all titles in the collection ceased once his parents found out about his death, sometime in 1945. Stricken with grief, Reilly's parents sealed up his room until his father died in December 1972, at which the comics were split up among the relatives.

 

I hope this helps a little

 

All of that info was supplied by me to Matt Nelson about a decade ago now. I did a follow up letter in CBM 41 or 42 with a side bar from Bud Plant i asked him to supply at the time.

 

What ever is in Gerber about the Tom Reilly collection is 100% wrong except he got the name correct. There are people from back then (such as Scott Maple) who remember it as the Arnheim collection.

 

Here is an email from Scott which came in while i was out to Wondercon:

 

Hi Mark,

I may not be as helpful as you are hoping. I was basically little more than an observer when the books were brought in to the Berkeley shop. John Barrett and Bob Beerbohm were the main players there in the store when one-by-one, book-by-book the books were sorted and graded. It was Eastrer time, 1973. The collection was always referred to as the Arnheim collection, never anything else to my memory. Even though my passion at the time was All Stars, I know I bought a Green Lantern #3. I probably purchased a few All Stars, but I'd have to look mine over to verify that based on condition and memory .

 

Specifically what runs were included and when they began/ended, I'd defer to Beerbohm -- Bob has an amazing mind for that level of detail -- I do remember Captain Americas, Green Lanterns, More Funs, Adventures and All Stars. I can't say I remember Fawcetts, but I was a die-hard DC fan so I may not have been paying attention to much else. Also around that same time we had a Big All American, but I can't say for sure if it was from the Arnheim collection.

 

One impact the collection had on the store that I do remember was that, as a result of the collection, we had a separate, secure "Golden Age" room built in the store -- the collection was that significant. Overall, the collection was amazing to behold, I wish I could be more specific. The highlight for me was simply seeing the all those incredible comics stacked on a table!

 

Sorry I couldn't be of more help,

Scott

 

******************

 

I will be talking with my old friend again soon, hopefully i can jog more of his memory on this fabulous collection i wished i had saved every book of

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[Harvey Dude]

Rebort,

 

Keep the stories coming, I find the history behind these books very intriguing. The more I read about Reilly, the more I regret passing on his Flash comics that were offered to me in the eighties.

[tth2]

The more I read about Reilly, the more I regret passing on his Flash comics that were offered to me in the eighties.