My name is Christian Willis, and I collect Hemingray insulators as a hobby. It all started when I was about 10. On a whim I asked my dad to take me antiquing, so he drove me up to the Orange Circle. I only had $3.00 to spend, and the only thing I could find priced for that amount was a weird green glass thing. I thought it was cool, so I bought it. Little did I know...

Intrigued, my father and I went to our local library to research these odd pieces of glass. Before long, we were in touch with Carol McDougald of Crown Jewels of the Wire Magazine, and from there the National Insulator Association.

We discovered that there was an annual insulator show held in Bakersfield, CA, which we attended for the first time in 1992. I became a member of the NIA shortly afterwards.

Also in 1992, I displayed my humble collection at the same local Laguna Niguel Library that I had researched what insulators were. I would display there again in 1993 and 1995. My 1995 display made the front page of the Laguna Niguel News.

I attended my first National insulator show in July of 1993 in Denver, Colorado. By this time I had decided to collect only Hemingrays.

In 1995, I displayed my collection for the first time at the Western Regional show in Visalia, CA. Also that year, my father and I also began attending the annual Cayucos show.

In 1996, I displayed my collection again at the National show in Long Beach, CA. It was there that I met Bill Meier, Bob Stahr, and Shaun Kotlarsky, all fellow Hemingray specialists.

Also in 1996, I began to draw the monthly Laugh Lines comics for Crown Jewels of the Wire, which I still continue to do today.

I have since displayed my collection again at the Cayucos Show both in 2000 and 2005.

Currently my wife and I (and usually my dad) attend the annual Cayucos, Tulare and Merzoian Tailgater shows, with plans to begin attending other new shows as well.

Since 2003, I was also the committee chairman, newsletter editor, and webmaster for the Central and Southern Counties Insulator Club of California. I also joined the NorCal Insulator Club in 2004. Since then, the CSCIC and NorCal clubs have merged to form the single Golden State Insulator Club for the entire state of California. The club has asked me to also be the webmaster of that web site as well, which I have gratefully accepted!

Christian E. Willis
NIA #5185

My first insulator,
a Hemingray 42.
(What else?)