DWAYNE ANTHONY

"Bea Lines" is in California this time, for an interview with Dwayne Anthony of San Bernardino. Dwayne and his wife Ofelia are two more good examples of the enthusiastic young people our hobby is fortunate to have. Dwayne is the insulator collector in the family, but Ofelia goes along with it. We'll hear more about that soon, but first let's dig into Dwayne's personal history a little.

First of all, I must mention that Dwayne was elected at the 1992 national show as the NIA's president, an office he will hold until 1994. This happened after this interview was almost completed, so congrats to Dwayne; a very good choice!

Dwayne was born in Euclid, Ohio, on September 28, 1957. His parents moved to Southern California shortly after that, and he has remained in the area ever since. He worked part-time through high school for his parents' landscape and nursery business, then went full-time out of high school, obtaining his state contractor's license at age 21. He has been self-employed since then, and has been the owner of Anthony's Landscape & Irrigation for the past 14 years.

Dwayne met Ofelia in 1979 at a local nightclub, and he says, "It was genuinely love at first sight. We were both putting bad marriages behind us and weren't looking for any serious relationships at the time, but love had a way of altering our plans and we dated for five years. We married on May 12, 1984, exactly five years to the day from the date we met. Our wedding was held in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest in a natural setting of pine trees and blue skies."

Although Ofelia does not collect insulators, she does appreciate their alluring beauty and is very supportive of Dwayne's interest in them. She has even picked out a few favorites from his collection. She collects old poison bottles, fruit jars, and piebirds -- ceramic figures used in the baking of pies to vent steam, reducing boilover of the juices. She works full-time as a key data operator for Patton State Hospital. They have two children, Cherie, 16, and Natasha, 13.

Some of the beauties in Dwayne's collection. 
Top, left to right: CD 263 Columbia, green with olive amber swirls; CD 257 Hemingray, electric blue; CD '260 California, peach. Bottom: CD 200 California, SCA; CD 257 Hemingray, ice aqua with purple swirls in ears; CD 199 Prism. deep yellow green.

More beauties.
CD 120 CEW, yellow olive; CD 143 Montreal, emerald green; CD 123 E.C. & M., cobalt; CD 162 H. G. CO., yellow amber; CD 120 NN (Hemi style). purple. Bottom: CD 134 CEL, olive green; CD 145 NN "Grand Canyon", deep lavender; CD 130.1 Cal. Elec. Works. cobalt: CD 149 NN. yellow green: CD 134 T.H.E. amber.

Dwayne says his interest in insulators was first sparked in 1984 while four-wheeling and rockhounding in Utah. Not being able to resist the glistening of a Hemi-blue No. 19 on a very low crossarm, he says, "I liberated it from its pin. It was at this point that the curiosity began. Shortly thereafter, I purchased a rock and mineral collection that included a small collection of insulators in several styles and colors. Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since. When I first began to collect seriously, I attempted to put together a 'one-of-each-CD' collection. I soon abandoned the idea when I found myself leaning toward all the beautiful colors found in certain CD's, especially the signals and beehives.

"The Take" from the hat-hunting trip in Wyoming.
Top center: M & B UPRR, bubbly ice blue (back skirt missing), Bottom: Left; CD 131.4 unembossed L.G.T., aqua with olive glop in dome. Center: M & B UPRR, powder blue. Right: UPRR brass lock housing from early railroad car.

"I primarily collect scarce and rare color in all CD's up to small power. I try not to limit myself totally to this category though, since there are so many interesting aqua pieces out there to collect. I go with the simple philosophy of, 'If I like it and I can afford it, I buy it!' Ofelia and I share interests in the collecting of old poison bottles and colorful fruit jars. In my spare time I enjoy bottle digging, rockhounding, and hiking (especially when hunting insulators.) I also enjoy woodworking and lapidary work.

Another favorite.
CD 257 Hemingray "Mouse", aqua with milky swirls.

"I have two recent acquisitions that I would consider to be my favorites; my CD 130.1 Cal. Elec. Works in cobalt blue, and a CD 735 Mulford & Biddle U.P.R.R. in powder blue. I recently acquired the Cal. Elec. from a collector in Alaska and was thrilled to add it to my collection. It had been my number one 'want' for the past four years. The Mulford & Biddle 'hat' is a favorite in a much different way. A very good friend and long-time collector from Colorado invited me on a 'hat-hunting' trip to some choice locations in Wyoming. Since I had previously hunted several locations for Cal. Elec.'s and E. C. & M's with no luck, my collection lacked that much-desired 'self-collected' insulator. Within a period of five days of serious hunting, and a guide with 23 years of hat-hunting experience under his belt, I was fortunate enough to find my first truly 'self-collected' and desirable insulator. This little hat will always hold a special place in my collection and memory."

Dwayne currently has about 140 insulators in his major collection, and another 100 or so scattered throughout the patio and backyard. Because of the lack of display space, he's become more concerned with quality, not quantity. Due to the recent and constant earthquake activity in his area, he has built safer, more "earthquake-proof" display cases. Incorporated into their design are clear Plexiglas dowels to hold each insulator in place. The use of clear dowels won't interrupt the transfer of light from base or backlighting. And what is his main "want"? That would be a CD 126 Brookfield in purple to display alongside his many colorful CD shapes.

Ofelia and Dwayne Anthony.

Dwayne is a hard worker for the insulator hobby, having set up numerous colorful and impressive displays. He won the NIA Best of Show plaque and the Crown Jewels Most Educational plaque for the beautiful display he named "Colorquake", which contained rare and colorful pieces of general glass. Both awards, won at the 1991 western regional show in San Luis Obispo, were certainly well-deserved, and Dwayne has a right to be proud of those achievements. He doesn't stop at displaying however, as he has served as president of the Southern & Central Counties Insulator Club, and was involved in the hosting of the above-mentioned western regional in San Luis Obispo. And as brought out earlier, he is the NIA's newly-elected president, an office he is serving with the same enthusiasm and ability that he has given to every other endeavor for our hobby. He says that along with all of his other efforts, someday he would like to host a national show.

To sum up his interview Dwayne continues, "Ofelia and I hope to someday move away from the hectic atmosphere of the city and spend more time traveling and attending shows. For the time being, we are most concerned with raising our daughters into a happy and successful life of their own. I'd like to add that there are no social events that I look forward to and savor as much as the insulator-related shows I attend throughout each year. It is always such a gratifying experience to be able to temporarily put aside the hustle and bustle of the real world and get lost in a world where only colors, embossings, and drip points are of any great significance. I also enjoy the camaraderie I have experienced with collectors across the nation. With very few exceptions, I have found insulator collectors to be a friendly and sincere bunch, always willing to open their homes to another collector for the purpose of discussing and viewing their most prized possessions -- INSULATORS!"

Well, those of us who are privileged to know Dwayne and Ofelia feel the same way about them... they are friendly, sincere, dedicated, hard-working, and are two people we find it a real pleasure to count as friends.