A story that reflects the theme of "all the great folks I meet" at York:
Back in the late 1980's, I came out of one of the halls to unload the items I had bought from my aching arms into my truck.
An older fellow was standing next to a VW bus holding a set of jumper cables. Being the astute guy that I am, I said "Need a jump?" and the VW owner said "Ja, if you please, dat vould be great." Turns out he was a member from Germany who would come over every April and October with lots of German and other European trains to sell and trade. I wasn't really interested in Marklin or other brands from Europe, but he did have some really interesting items, as I would later find out.
I jumped his battery, and he offered to pay me. I declined. He said, well, let me buy you dinner tonight. I said "Sure" and later that afternoon we met at a wonderful German restaurant outside of town. He was greeted very warmly by the owner, who was an old friend of his, and the two of them carried on a lengthy conversation in German. (Turns out, he borrowed the VW from the restaurant owner every time he visited, and stayed with his family near York.) My host ordered, and paid for the meal.
I saw him at a few meets in later years, but then he was gone, probably passed away. I knew his name back then, of course, but have forgotten it in the ensuing years. (EDIT: I think it was Henry/Heinrich) It's one of those little stories that means nothing much now, but is a fond memory, none the less.
