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Dash to DeKalb IV

2025 H.A.S. Convention

By Matt Short (PF-1161)

Planning for “Dash to DeKalb IV” is coming together nicely as the annual convention returns to Northern Illinois University for the first time in over a decade, running from Thursday, May 1 through Sunday, May 4. Click here for a registration form, which can also be completed online with a credit card at https://tinyurl.com/yc7auhj.

Programming will begin on Friday morning with a tour of NIU’s Rare Books and Special Collections, where recent purchases made through the Huber Endowment and donations from Bill Gowen and Didi Johnson will be on display. The tour will include the Alger Repository, the American Popular Literature Collection, the Edward Stratemeyer Collection, the Edward T. LeBlanc Collection, and the Albert Johannsen Collection. Afterwards, we’ll head over to the library’s new Book Lab for a demonstration of our printing press before moving to the lower level of the library for a tour of the Digitization Lab.

NIU was chosen as the official repository of the Horatio Alger Collection in 1994, and with over 4,000 volumes, it is the largest collection of Alger’s works held by any public library. In addition to first editions, we also have many reprints, serials, manuscripts, letters, and original illustrations. The repository will be open and available to attendees for the duration of the convention during the library’s regular business hours, including additional hours on Saturday morning. Other collections will be closed, but if there’s something specific you want to see, please contact me at mshort@niu.edu, and we can arrange to pull materials in advance.

A panel of former Alger Fellows will follow the tour, some of whom will be attending their first convention. Fellows will be asked to reflect on their time working in the collections at NIU and share more about their current research, which I hope will provide insight into the wide range of scholarship supported by the Alger Fellowship over the last twenty years. NIU will cover registration and accommodation for four Fellows.

Box lunches on Friday will be provided by Einstein Bros. Bagels, located right next to the main meeting room on the lower level of the library in the Staff Lounge. A variety of lunch options are available; visit the “Deli Favorites” section of their website for details.

The book sale and auction will begin on Friday afternoon and continue Saturday morning, featuring a generous donation from Bill Gowen of over 100 Alger titles from his personal collection. I also plan to offer a selection of Alger duplicates from NIU’s collections to benefit our endowments.

Friday evening’s dinner will be at the Junction Eating Place, a railroad-themed country diner just across the street from the university. The Junction, a DeKalb institution for over 50 years, serves Greek and American cuisine. I’ve been assured of a quiet private meeting room on Friday night, so conversation should be easy.

As many of you may know, DeKalb is home to several historic homes associated with the barbed wire industry. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, we’ll be touring the Ellwood House Museum, situated on ten acres of parkland in the heart of the city. Originally built for barbed wire baron Isaac Ellwood, the estate was home to three generations of the Ellwood family from 1879 to 1965. Tours of the Ellwood House last about one hour, and explore the rise and importance of the barbed wire industry, the lifestyle and aesthetic choices of the Ellwood family, and the experience of servants who lived and worked on-site. The tour is included in the price of registration.

The banquet on Saturday night will be held in the Sky Room in Holmes Student Center, the highest point in the county. Dinner will be catered by NIU Conference Services, featuring a buffet of breaded chicken breast with lemon sauce, Caesar salad, green beans, baby red potatoes, and chocolate cake.

Mark Van Wienen, a professor of 19th- and 20th-century literature at Northern Illinois University, will be the keynote speaker. His varied professional interests include 20th-century American poetry, war literature (especially of World War I), and the railroad in literature and culture.

DeKalb is located approximately 60 miles from O’Hare Airport, almost a direct shot along I-88. If you’d like to coordinate with other attendees on pick-up/drop-off, please complete the registration ASAP and we’ll try to connect riders with drivers. Several attendees will have SUVs and can serve as chauffeurs, but cars may fill up quickly.

A block of rooms in the Hotel at Holmes has been reserved for attendees at the special rate of $79/night. The hotel is located in the Holmes Student Center, right across from Founders Memorial Library, where most of the convention will take place. The hotel will reach out a week before the convention with complimentary parking permits, which will be valid starting at 4 p.m. on the day of arrival. Breakfast isn’t included in your stay, but a Starbucks is located within the Holmes Student Center and there are several dining options within walking distance.

I’d like to thank the committee helping organize this year’s convention, including Carol Nackenoff, Rob Kasper, Bob Sipes, Bob Petitto, and Jack Bales. By now an expert on convention hosting, Jack has been especially generous with his time and advice. We hope to see many of you next May. Stay tuned for more updates.