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to the Insulator Collectors' PagesI was born in Austin, Texas in 1956. We moved to Fort Worth, Texas when I was around 1 year old and I have lived there ever since. I have been married for 15 years to my wife, Donna and have two wonderful children, Clint and April. I have worked for the past 15 years at my family owned wholesale bakery called Mrs. Baird's Bread. I have done every job in the plant from handling hot pans to running the production department.
I am an avid fisherman. I build all of my own rods and look for every opportunity to get to the lake and catch a hawg, or just get out and enjoy the outdoors. I also like to hunt, mainly waterfowl, and seeing a flock of geese or ducks buzzing a group of decoys as the sun rises is some of the most memorable experiences that I have of the outdoors. We moved out to the lake about 5 years ago and although we live in a large city we feel like we have found a little piece of heaven out here.
I entered the insulator hobby back in the early 1970's while riding my motorcycle along the railroad right of way. I noticed how the insulators would sparkle on a bright sunny day. I also noticed the different shapes and colors. Well it was not long before I would prop my motorcycle against the pole and remove the ones that did not have a wire attached. I became a closet collector because every time I brought one home that is where it would go right in the closet on the shelf. Shortly after that I ran into a person at the local flea market who had colors that I had never seen before for sale. I remember paying $20.00 for my first mint cobalt signal! How times have changed.
One of the best things to happen to me in this hobby is getting to meet so many nice people and hearing of their stories as a collector whether it is a pioneer of the hobby or a new kid on the block. I have been fortunate to have acquired so many nice pieces from my friends both old and new in this hobby. I have learned that in order for this hobby to continue to grow that I must continue to return the favor. That is why I only keep about 200 pieces in my personal collection. One of my greatest pleasures is to be able to find an insulator that someone has been searching for years and to see the expression of joy on their face as they are able to finally add the piece to their collection.
After a lot of thought and encouragement from my friends I finally decided to put a catalog together for everyone to enjoy. I have spent many years thinking about this and in the fall of 1998 this project hit the hobby with my "No Good" Insulator Sale. With the help of Bill Meier this catalog was a success. This was the first insulator catalog with colored photos to hit the Internet. I look forward to working with Bill in the future to improve on this concept and supply you with a top quality catalog.
I enjoy talking with other collectors and I would like to hear from you. So, if you have something for sale, have a particular want or need, maybe I can help.
Written by Ross Baird,
Last updated Monday, January 11, 1999