SCA - College of Arms
P.O. Box 742825
Dallas, TX 75374-2825
(214) 276-2129
CompuServe 74107,1446
November 29, 1994

Unto the members of the College of Arms and all others who may read this missive does Shayk Da'ud ibn Auda, Laurel King of Arms, send Greetings!

The November Laurel meeting was held on Saturday, November 19, 1994 and consider the following letters of intent: Middle (7/13), Atlantia (7/17), Calontir (7/18), West (7/19), An Tir (7/21), East (7/22), Caid (7/23), Meridies (7/25), and Outlands (7/29). No packet was received for the Drachenwald letter of July 22, and these submissions have had to be administratively returned. Original commentary on these LoIs should have been in the College's hands no later than September 30, 1994. Responses and rebuttals to commentary should have been in the College's hands no later than October 31, 1994.

The December Laurel meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 17, 1994, to consider the following letters of intent: East (8/5), Outlands (8/11), West (8/11), An Tir (8/13), Caid (8/20), Calontir (8/21), Trimaris (8/25), Meridies (8/25), and Atlantia (8/27). Original commentary on these LoIs should have been in the College's hands no later than October 31, 1994. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than November 31, 1994.

The January 1995 Laurel meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, January 14, 1995, to consider the following Letters of Intent: Middle (9/12), An Tir (9/14), Atlantia (9/14), Caid (9/19), Outlands (9/20), Calontir (9/24), and West (9/25). Original commentary on these LoIs must be in the College's hands no later than November 30, 1994. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than December 31, 1994.

The February 1995 Laurel meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, February 11, 1995, to consider letters of intent dated and mailed in October 1994. Original commentary on these LoIs must be in the College's hands no later than December 31, 1994. Responses and rebuttals to commentary must be in the College's hands no later than January 31, 1995.

Not all Letters of Intent may be considered when they are originally scheduled on this Cover Letter. Date of mailing of the LoI, date of receipt of the Laurel packet, or other factors may delay consideration of certain Letters of Intent.

ROSTER CHANGES AND CORRECTIONS

Please remove Marten Bröker (Laurel staff) from the mailing list for non-commenting.

Dragon asks that you add to your roster and mailing list Praerie Pursuivant, Paul Wickenden of Thanet (Paul Goldschmidt), 507 South Cottage Grove, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 367-1108. He also requests that you add Oaken Herald (who is already on the Roster) to the mailing list, and remove Targe Herald from the mailing list.

Star asks that you add to the roster and mailing list Bordure Herald, Ragnar Larsson (Fred Larson), 9108 Salsbury Lane, Oklahoma City, OK 73132; (405) 720-8832.

There have been a number of Roster changes recently. Enclosed with this LoAR is the most recent Roster and mailing list. Please look it over carefully.

OTHER CHANGES

It is with no small regret that we note the passing of Harold Breakstone, the first Laurel King of Arms of the Society, who died of a stroke in early October.

THE MODEST PROPOSAL

Sufficient confusion and upset exists to revise the implementation of the Modest Proposal. Beginning January 1, 1995, armory submissions on external Letters of Intent need be returned only for conflicts against registered SCA armory and non-SCA armory on the initial implementation list. Thus, full implementation of the Modest Proposal will begin at the May 1995 Laurel meeting (the one at which January LoIs will be considered). The initial implementation list will be mailed out to everyone on the College of Arms mailing list, and will also be made available electronically on the Internet and CompuServe's Living History Forum, around the end of December 1994.

Potential conflict calls against other non-SCA armory may be noted in the LoIs or made in commentary; discussion of such potential non-SCA conflicts will necessarily involve discussion about the importance of the non-SCA armory and whether it should be protected by addition to the initial implementation list. Armory on the initial implementation list and any later additions will be added to the Armorial and Ordinary.

LAUREL BIDS

Three different bids have been received for the position of Laurel Sovereign of Arms when my current warrant expires at the end of June 1995. I will summarize them as briefly but accurately as I can here. If you have any questions whatsoever about any of the bids, you are encouraged to contact the individuals directly.

Master Thorfinn Hrolfsson, Hund Herald. Master Thorfinn proposes a restructure of the workflow of the Laurel office, with a U.S.-based "Remote Office" for storage of files; collation, copying and distribution of all LoIs and commentary (only one copy of each LoI and LoC would be mailed from the originator to the Remote Office; distribution to the College would be from the Remote Office); copying and distribution of LoARs; sending to Laurel the current files of new submissions (distributions of LoIs and commentary would occur three times each month); and filing submissions when they return from Laurel; and operation of an Internet node to replace/minimize where possible the physical transfer of paper. The position of running the Remote Office would be a paid one. The position of Clarion Sovereign of Arms would be reinstituted to counter-sign all decisions of Laurel to assure consistency and continuity of decisions and precedents. Mistress Jaelle of Armida (Argent Snail Herald) has agreed to initially assume this position. Greater utilization of electronic distribution is proposed through the establishment of a Laurel Internet e-mail/ftp site. Initial expenses would include a computer upgrade, purchase of a flatbed scanner, OCR software, and a modem, office rental, installation of phone lines, storage site rental, and salary, but it is expected that cost savings from the current copying and distribution system would offset these.

Mistress Jaelle of Armida, Argent Snail Herald and former Triton Principal Herald. Mistress Jaelle has stated no particular plans to change the overall operation of the Laurel office, as the other two bids do. She has stated that "I am strongly opposed to the Modest Proposal" and that "if I become Laurel, and the Modest Proposal is implemented in the form that I currently expect it will be, I will reverse it."

Baron Da'ud ibn Auda, Laurel King of Arms, and Master Talan Gwynek, Palimpsest Herald, have made a joint bid. Under this bid, the submissions processing workload of the Laurel office would be divided, with Baron Da'ud maintaining the administrative responsibility and making the armory submissions registration decisions and Master Talan making the names submissions registration decisions. They expect minimal changes to the current paperwork flow except within the Laurel office itself, where e-mail would play a greater role. Both are proponents of the Modest Proposal and would retain it.

The Board of Directors will be making a decision regarding the Laurel office succession at their January 1995 meeting. Like the decisions made by Laurel, the choice of the Board of Directors will not be made in a vacuum. Please write to them and discuss your preferences of the various bids, and tell them why you prefer one over another. Your input on this decision is important, and they need to hear from you. Because I am one of the candidates this time, I will not, as I did three years ago, call the principal heralds and Laurel staff to give those who didn't write the Board with their opinion a chance to put in their two cents' worth. Therefore, if you have an opinion about any of the candidates or proposals, I urge you to write to the Board before the deadline for their January meeting, December 30, 1994. Letters should be sent to Renee Signoretti (P.O. Box 360789, Milpitas, CA 95036-0789) for distribution to the Board before the meeting, or write the members of the Board individually.

NAME CHANGES/RETURNS (or, The "Authenticity Police" Really Do Listen)

I appreciate those who have talked with me in the last few weeks regarding the apparent higher level of authenticity required for names, especially in certain languages. I had not realized ... partly because it hadn't appeared to be an issue of especial concern in the commentary. I have attempted in this LoAR to "lighten up a little".

All decisions made at the Laurel meetings are based on the commentary. If Laurel appears to be listening to some more than others, it has to do with the quality of their commentary, the arguments they put forth, and the lack of rebuttal commentary. Decisions are not made by Laurel in a vacuum. All decisions are based on all of the commentary received. I hope that there will not be even the feeling that "There's no point in my commenting on this because Da'ud only listens to Talan.", as I have recently heard expressed at second-hand. I am sorry that that perception exists (and I know that both Talan and those attending the Laurel meetings can testify that I don't consistently follow Talan's suggestions, much less "only" his)[1]. Everyone's commentary is important, everyone's commentary is read, and everyone's commentary is given attention. I hope that I demonstrated adequately during my previous tenure that I was approachable and listened to everyone. I don't believe that I've changed significantly in approachability or ability to listen in the ensuing time period. I apologize if anyone thinks that I'm not approachable or that I don't listen this time around.

GARDEN ROSES (or, "That Which We Call a Rose By Any Other Name ....")

The commentary is in, with a clear majority of commenters in favor of adopting Baron Bruce's proposal that we continue to accept garden roses in SCA armory, but simply blazon them as roses. As a consequence, we will immediately and henceforth blazon a rose, whether the default heraldic rose or the garden rose, as a rose.

Commentary was nearly as strong in favor of banning garden rosebuds from armory. Consequently, we will accept whatever garden rosebuds may be in LoIs issued before December 1994, but no further registrations of this charge will be made.

FTPW (or, Didn't We Just Do This Last Month?)

Enclosed is the latest price list from Free Trumpet Press West. As always, please copy and distribute as widely as possible.

MISCELLANY

In a letter to "The Independent", 20th July 1994, a reader referred to the possibility of arms being devised for Kellogg College and suggested that the Welsh connection should be included - "namely the red and green cockerel prominent on the Corn Flakes package."

The story is that Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was changing from selling Corn Flakes in sacks to boxes when he met the famous global itinerant Welsh harpist Nancy Richards.

She connected Kellogg with the Welsh for cockerel (ceiliog), and he responded by putting the bird on his new boxes, in the red and green colours of the Ddraig Goch (Red Dragon) of Wales.

From The Heraldry Gazette, September 1994, p. 4

[See, heraldry is everywhere, even on cereal boxes! You simply can't get away from it.]

Until next month, I remain, as ever,

Your faithful servant,

Da'ud ibn Auda

Laurel King of Arms

[1] It should in all fairness also be noted that Talan gives documentation in his commentary supporting far more many names than he finds serious problems with names, and his commentary has often allowed us to register a name that, but for his commentary, would very likely have been either modified or returned.