1607-1675 35 Howard Kleinberg Fonds Arrowhead
RR #3 , Box 87
Centreville, MD 21617
August 29 , 1992
Mr . Howard Kleinberg
14520 S.W . 79 Court
Miami , Florida
33158
Dear Mr . Kleinberg ,
I recently received your book about Miami . Thank you.
I was , however, disappointed that you did not refer to or cite
my late husband, Charles Edgar Nash' s 1938 book , "The Magic of
Miami Beach. "
After our telephone conversation, I would like to clarify some
misconceptions about the "Magic" which you may have . This is oral
history - I am the primary source . No where else is this written .
There is NO mystery about the disappearance of either the
photographic plates and notes that Mr . Nash generated in writing
the "Magic . " These were destroyed in transition after Charles
Washington Beck, the founder of Beck Engraving Co . , died in 1939.
When these plates and notes were destroyed, not only did a part of
Mr . Nash die, but so also a part of Miami Beach' s history was
destroyed . A sad loss for us all .
To clarify other misconceptions , enclosed are copies of three •
letters that you may find interesting . The "Magic" was not
intended to be an historical document . It was intended to
incorporate oral history that Mr . Nash harvested, with library
research he performed into a lay reader ' s introduction to a once
lovely site , Miami Beach.
The first of these is a copy of a 1937 letter written by
Charles E. Nash to his grandfather , Charles Washington Beck . It
documents the oral contract that Mr . Nash had with Thomas J .
Pancoast , the then president of the Miami Beach Chamber of
Commerce. The rest of the letter is self-explanatory. As you can
see, Mr . Nash had both the approval and the blessings of Pancoast .
The second letter is from Mr . Nash' s cousin, Warren Kelly, who
early on encouraged visiting Miami Beach to the Beck' s and Nash' s .
His letter is for your information. It mentions the Miami News ,
Herald.
The third letter is from Mrs . Charles M. Lum to Mr . Nash and
me . This letter is sent to you to provide further documentation of
Mr . Nash' s personal contact with the Lum' s (see after p. 32 ) .
It is a loss to correct historical perspective, when your
otherwise fine work does not cite Mr . Nash' s book. I trust you
will correct this error in any future publications .
I look forward to your response .
Sincerely,
(-) 014u=
Elizabeth Jane Gessner Nash
(Mrs . Charles Edgar Nash)
•
cc : Major Howard Gessner Nash, Ret .
Dr . Julia Nash Murphy
Mr . John Smiley Nash
Mrs . Florence Nash Rieken
Historical Association of Southern Florida