2001
Willard Carroll
Willard Carroll has amassed one of the largest and most comprehensive Oz collections imaginable. A self-described completist, he has accumulated a vast collection of Oz books, films, original art, and other material covering all categories of collectible Oz. Willard has made much of his collection available to the public through exhibits, media reports, documentaries, and books. 100 Years of Oz and All Things Oz both treat readers to pictures of wonderful, rare material drawn exclusively from his collection.
As a creative writer, Willard authored I, Toto, a whimsical “dog’s autobiography” presenting facts about the Cairn terrier cast as Toto in the MGM film. He also wrote and produced The Oz Kids, a series of animated videos based on Oz and Baum themes and featuring a new generation of classic Oz characters. Willard has been developing a live-action Bollywood production of The Wizard of Oz with an all-Hindi cast.
He has provided images of rare material for inclusion in The Baum Bugle, found and then loaned rare films to IWOC conventions, appeared on the programs of all three major conventions, and generously sponsored the members’ reception held at Indiana University’s Lilly Library during the Club’s Wizard of Oz centennial celebration. His many contributions to Club auctions also have been a welcome source of revenue for the Club.
2001
Michael O. Riley
His authorship of Oz and Beyond brought Michael Riley to the attention of Oz Club members, but he’d long been a supporter of Oz. Michael’s Pamami Press imprint is found on a number of L. Frank Baum books that he personally set, printed, and bound by hand. These high-quality editions are extremely collectible in their own right, and invariably offer collectors what might be their only hope of having a copy of Nelebel’s Fairyland, The Christmas Stocking, Prince Silverwings, or other rare titles. He’s loaned his collection for exhibition at the Castleton State College Library, and served as consultant to the University of Kansas Press in its production of a centennial edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Michael’s Club support includes numerous contributions to The Baum Bugle, appearances on the programs of the Ozmopolitan and Winkie conventions, research-table judging at Club events, and years of service on the Board of Directors Nomination Committee.