It is a pleasure to thank the many people who have made this book possible. At the heart of this project, of course, is the proud and resilient City of Buffalo, with its archives and local historians, and its friends and families.
The staff at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library first introduced me to the Pan American Scrapbooks (before they were digitized) and to all the collections of the Grosvenor Room. Thank you, Charles Alaimo and Carol Pijacki, for your cheerful and patient support. At the Buffalo History Museum, which, as the former New York State Building, is a memorial to the Pan-American Exposition, Cynthia Van Ness reigns as Queen of the Archives, and she is as astute and knowledgeable as she is tirelessly helpful.
Independent scholar Susan Eck, with her remarkable website, has been hugely generous with her knowledge of all things Pan-American. From traipsing around the city looking for signs, to digging up old maps, to forwarding new materials, she has offered wonderful assistance. She deserves a gift basket as big as a house.
Mark Goldman, “Mr. Buffalo,” deserves special credit for not only introducing me to Jumbo II and his almost-demise but also for reintroducing me to the history of the city. Buffalo’s vibrancy in the twenty-first century owes a lot to Mark’s passion and commitment.
I thank Professor Michael Frisch, too, for insightful conversation and guidance and insight into the meaning of the Pan-American for Buffalo today.
For help with the history of Annie Taylor, I appreciate the good work and help of Dwight Whalen and the inspiration of Monica Wood.
For their assistance and advice, I am also grateful to Melissa Brown, Sandy Starks, Stanton Hudson, Steve Bell, Mary Rech Rockwell, and Brent Baird. Leslie Zemsky, one of the brightest lights of contemporary Buffalo, deserves buckets of roses.
And then there are the Gurneys: Susan and Nancy—the sisters I never had, who have offered me a home away from home, wherever they are, for seemingly forever, and who have been my most loyal cheerleaders. Jackie and Bill Gurney and Elizabeth and Sam Gurney are old friends whose kindness knows no bounds. Elizabeth provided introductions that only a dedicated Buffalonian, with a deep pride in her city, could offer.
At the other end of New York State, in Manhattan, two important people pushed this project to the finish line: Literary agent Jennifer Lyons deftly shepherded the work to its resting place with W. W. Norton, and senior editor Amy Cherry, with her seasoned eye and incisive pen (not to mention exuberant handwriting), improved the narrative tremendously. Any infelicities that exist are solely attributable to the stubbornness of the author. Working with Norton’s Remy Cawley was also a distinct pleasure, and copyeditor Kathleen Brandes deserves heartfelt applause for her astute and painstaking work.
Closer to home, Bates College generously granted me research support and travel funds to Buffalo and the United Kingdom, and departmental colleagues provided encouragement and cheer. Will Ash needs a medal for his patience, not to mention his skilled work with images. Students Madeleine McCabe, Hallie Posner, Hannah Gottlieb, Alicia Fannon, Anna Whetzle, and especially the traveling Rebecca Merten deserve many thanks. I am also grateful to my hometown public libraries in Yarmouth and Freeport, Maine, which provided me with soft chairs, hot tea, and, best of all, quiet.
Finally, my family. My ninety-two-year-old mother, the witty and clever author J. S. Borthwick, provided line-by-line editorial advice. Asked how they would like to be acknowledged, my children offered the following: My son Nick wants to be recognized as intelligent and loving and the favorite son. My son Malcolm wants to be recognized as intelligent and loving and the favorite son. My daughter, Louisa, would like to be honored as the favorite child. My daughter-in-law, Julie, too modest to write her own credits, merits recognition as one of the warmest and most spirited people I have ever known.
My husband, Rob Smith, provided life support on this project from day one. From New York to Georgia to Michigan to London, he helped me sleuth out stories of Pan-American characters, and he read drafts with good humor and insight. His steady encouragement, not to mention patience with curmudgeonly moods, deserves my deep and heartfelt gratitude.