In the fall of 1978, I received a call from the head of the music
department at one of our local universities.  His message was cryptic,
"Could you come over here and work on a piano for us?"  I explained
that I worked ONLY on player pianos, and gave him all the reasons.
Since I did work for ALL the music companies in town, I did not
compete with them for "straight" piano work.  "This IS a player",
he said.

I walked into his office and he ushered me into one of the teaching
studios.  The grand was closed, and when I lifted the lid, I saw it
was a Mason & Hamlin.  I pulled out the drawer, and it was a "B".

"I want you to remove that,"  he pointed to the drawer.  "The
instructor and students are complaining that it hits their knees."
For the next I do not know how many minutes I tried to talk him out
of it.  He was adamant.  I knew that if that drawer got taken off,
it would NEVER get back on.  Finally I lied, I told him that it would
have to be put on its side, and that the lyre would have to come off,
and that to do that it would have to come to my shop, and I was REALLY
busy...  etc...  I really outdid myself.  Finally he agreed that that
would be too much trouble and the drawer stayed on the piano.

I asked him if they wanted to sell the piano, offered to give him a new
piano of his choice.  "We cannot sell it, it was donated to the
University by one of the alumni."  For the record I wrote down the
serial number and went back to the shop.  The number was S/N 50220 and
I will save you the trouble of looking it up... 1940.

In October of 1983, the local Baldwin dealer called me and said that he
had gotten the bid to change out all the pianos in the practice and
teaching studios at that University.  Did I want that Mason & Hamlin?
"Yes, I do!" I hung up the phone, and in less than 10 minutes had the
piano sold to a customer who was looking for a Mason & Hamlin.

We restored it, and it is still in the third owner's hands.

Ed