Our History
April 2011
Dear Scull Craft calendar customers:
As we move into the third year of the calendar production here in Marquette, we continue to learn more about the actual process of printing them with both its rewards and problems.
First, let me share a note from a lady in Minnesota who truly summarized the entire reason for doing what we do:
Jill Woodbeck wrote, “Thank you very much for continuing a wonderful tradition. I grew up with these calendars and 56 years later it’s a comfort to have such a ‘constant’ in a world of change.” Thank you Jill. That note does summarize our reason for doing what we do.
Another lady pointed out that we mis-dated a Jewish holiday (and heard about it from several other nice calendar customers). She said it best, after I pointed out that it was to my knowledge the first mistake in the almost 20 years that Priscilla and I have been “proofing” the calendars, “It just goes to show you that nobody is perfect”. Thank you Ann.
I would ask our friends of the Jewish faith which format you want us to follow. When we say “Rosh Hashanah” do we place the name on the actual “day” of the holiday or on the evening before as some prefer? Let us know your preferences.
On a different note, there has been a problem reported with a few of the calendars separating. This was caused by a defective new piece of equipment purchased by Lake Superior Press, used for the actual crimping of the metal binding on the multiple sheets that make up the calendar. While it has not been a big problem for some of the people who received a bad binding, it is to us.
We can replace your 2011 calendar or alternatively, add a free calendar with your 2012 order for anyone who has had the pages separate because of a bad binding. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused anyone. One creative lady who first informed us of the offending calendar said she simply sewed the pages together. Another lady said she used a paper punch and a ribbon to put them together just like her old “cord” calendars. There are some creative Scull Craft calendar users out there and we applaud you.
Some good news: there is no price increase in the Calendars for 2012. We have been able to hold the line on paper costs by buying early. However, the oil and gas demands around the world have increased shipping charges by UPS, Fed Ex and the postal service which has caused a slight increase in our costs.
Another exciting project that I am working on, is getting a book that was written about David Scull, Priscilla’s father, and a man that I greatly admired, reprinted as it was originally published in 1985, with all of the original editing mistakes included. (It might be kind of fun to see how many you find if you read the book.) I really liked David. He was passionate about his work with his Quaker Friends, not just at Langley Hill Friends Meeting, but around the world. What he has to say in his writings, which Chuck Fager was so able to capture in the book, is now available again at a very modest cost. It was exciting for me to read it again and I think you will find it that way too. Please see our web site for more details, Scullstudios.com or call us about &A Man Who Made a Difference&, The Life of DAVID H. SCULL.
Your 2012 order form should be easier to read this year, but as in the past, if you have any questions, please call us and we will try to answer any questions you may have. (I enjoy talking with our customers.)
Life is good here in Marquette. Priscilla and I want you to know that we enjoy continuing the 75+ years of the Scull family tradition of producing quality engagement calendars for what we now call the Scull calendar family.
Thank you all for being part of this.
~ Priscilla Scull Chappell
~ Lou W. Chappell
Dear Visitor,
As we approach the 75th anniversary of Scull-Craft Calendars, we have lots to look back upon, and lots more to look forward to. Come to think of it, this aptly describes the reason the calendar business got started in the first place. My Grandfather, David Elam Scull, and my Grandmother, Mary Scull, first created the model for the calendars back in 1928; she used them to help keep track of family events and 'doings,' appointments and important dates; he reproduced them by hand as Christmas presents for friends and relatives during the Depression.
In 1934, my Grandmother came up with the notion of printing and selling the 'engagement' calendars they had been giving away, as a way to supplement the family's income. My father, David Hutchinson Scull, helped keep the fledgling enterprise going from the company's headquarters: his parents' kitchen table in Takoma Park, Maryland. The first customers were women's groups and churches, who used them as fund-raisers.
The particular format of the calendar my grandparents designed proved to be a classic: the calendars made it easy to see at a glance what was coming up in the future, as well as maintaining a permanent record of what had taken place in the past. It could hang by the telephone or sit on a desk; it could be stored in a bookcase or file cabinet for future reference or as an historical journal. Production was labor-intensive back then, but also visionary: the calendars were made on paper that took—and saved—ink pen or pencilled notations and was environmentally friendly because it was not coated paper as many calendars were, and still are.
Today, we use recycled as well as the non-coated paper. We don't make them by hand anymore but rely on the wonderful technology of digitally-captured images and modern printing technologies. We have added Earth Day, daylight savings time, United Nations Day and Martin Luther King's birthday to the holidays we mark each year.
But despite some minor changes, the basic Scull-Craft Calendar looks pretty much the same as when it was first hand-drawn by my Grandparents. The qualities that made it so popular back then have been preserved, pretty much unchanged. And that's why the calendars are still successful and sought after, almost seventy-five years later. They are simple, easy to use, and don't require batteries, or a nimble thumb, or a magnifying glass.
We have received wonderful feedback from customers over the years, with comments about what they like about the calendars, how long they have kept them, and the creative uses they have found for them: keeping track of the kids' activities and social obligations (one customer color-codes the activities for each child) or family medical histories; recording planting and blooming dates in the garden from year to year; as a journal of trips taken, birds seen, or memorable golf courses played (although some of us would rather not remember the scores!); noting people they have met and organizations they have belonged to. The calendars become a virtual written diary of our lives and our passions, a repository of our daily comings and goings, as well as a way to organize our busy lives. Like photographs, they prod our memories. But unlike photographs, calendars also tell us where we have to be next Wednesday.
For many years, the calendars were produced by Turnpike Press, the family printing business located in my parents' hometown of Annandale, Virginia. After Turnpike Press was sold, the production was 'outsourced' and eventually ended up being in Burnsville, North Carolina, under the steady stewardship of Paul Cope, of World Around Songs. Paul Cope, with the long distance assistance and counsel of my Dad's long-time business partner and Friend, Ralph Rose, has overseen the production and shipping of the calendars for the past twenty-five years, but 'the times they are a'changin' and Scull-Craft calendars have had to adjust to the times and the financial realities of our economy.
Based on Paul Cope's recommendations and evaluation, we decided that production and fulfilment of orders have to be consolidated under one roof. With Paul's suggestions, guidance and patience, we are now going to be producing the calendars here in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula, on the southern shores of Lake Superior in Marquette. The Scull family has long had ties to Michigan: my Grandparents once lived here in Michigan and my Granddad Scull used to travel to the U.P. on fishing expeditions.
Before my father died, my husband, Lou Chappell, promised him that we would try to maintain the Scull-Craft calendars as long as we could. We reiterated that promise to Ralph, who passed away this March at the age of 95. I plan to continue with my law practice here in Marquette and Lou is 'coming out of retirement' to carry on the calendar traditions and will utilize his communications and marketing background (TV and radio) plus his State of Michigan employment experiences to help with the process, with our new headquarters in our law office building at 375 N. McClellan. (If you are ever in the area, we hope you will stop by and see us.) A working web site is being developed as you read this. We are going to try to use the internet to expand the calendar sales and to keep in touch with you, our loyal current customers.
But rest assured: the features that made Scull-Craft calendars successful in the past will not change. With input from you, our customers, we may modify something once in a while. For example, we are already planning to change the old metal binding to a more pliable material because several customers noted that the metal sometimes got crushed in shipping and made turning the pages difficult. And to keep production costs at a minimum, we have reluctantly had to make changes in the variety of bindings offered and in fulfilling special orders. But the good news is that there will be no increase in cost for the 2010 calendars.
And so here we are, having come full circle, in more ways than we care to consider: the economy reminds us that unlimited growth has a down side; the importance of protecting our natural resources and limiting our impact on the earth has never been more critical; our desire to stay connected to one another, to our past, to our far-flung families, to the things that are important in our lives, has never been stronger in this age of Twitter, Blackberries, and digital photographs; and our need to organize our busy lives, keep track of dates and events and obligations, and remember our family's comings and goings, becomes even more necessary as our lives get more, not less, complicated.
We would love to hear from you, our best source of feedback, about all the ways in which you have put the calendars to good use, and any ideas you might have for reaching out to new groups or individuals or purveyors of our calendars. We need your help, your advice and your support in this area too.
We will be making the transition all this year, and hope you will be patient and understanding as we get the hang of the operations. We are trying to make the move as seamless as possible by transferring the toll-free telephone number and other contact information to Marquette, sending out the rate cards, and fulfilling the orders as promptly as possible.
Thank you for all of the years of allowing Scull-Craft Calendars to be a part of your life. We look forward to serving your needs for a long time to come.
With kindest regards,
Priscilla Savory Scull Burnham and Lou W. Chappell
