You may be interested, Jim, to know that, when Bob Thomson made history by being the first person ever to be accepted by Cambridge Univ to read for a PhD without having any earlier academic qualifications whatever, I was one of the Masters of Arts required who sponsored him for such acceptance, and also introduced him to some others necessary, as I was so impressed by his incomparable knowledge of the broadside tradition. He used often to visit our home in Cambridge to chat about folk &c. I think I met him thru Roy Palmer, whom I met because he was folk critic of The Teacher newspaper of which my wife was Literary Editor at the same time as I was folk critic of the Times Ed Supp. Thus do networks happen. Haven't heard much of him since he went to Florida; tho my cousin Valerie who lives in Madison once wrote to say she had met him at a function, and he mentioned, she tells me, having had a folk friend in Cambridge, and named me [not sure how the subj arose], and was amazed when she exclaimed, "Small world - he's my 1st cousin".

This just a drift, Jim; not meant to prove anything; just a mutual acquaintance in Bob.

~M~