Death of Toby Raphael

[John Hunter]

I just received word of the death yesterday of Toby Raphael, former
conservator in the HFC Division of Conservation. He had just recently been
diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson's Disease. He died in his sleep.
Services have not been announced but are expected to be private, though
there may be a public memorial service before Christmas. I'll post any
further information as it comes in.

John Hunter

[TOM VAUGHAN]

Oh, goodness! Thank you, John, for letting us know.

My most important recollection of Toby came before I became chief of the
Branch of Conservation Laboratories. I was supt. of GRKO and went to
Harpers Ferry for some reason. While there, I took a tour of Shipley
School, the condemned elementary school in Harpers Ferry that then
housed the conservation labs.

I wandered into Toby's lab on the first floor and introduced myself,
interrupting his work on a ripped flag. Knowing nothing about what I was
saying, I tried to make casual conversation with Toby by asking him if
he was going to be repairing the rip.

Toby was aghast, responding that this was the Treasury Guards flag.

In essence, my response was, "So?"

He then explained to me that the T-Guards were the predecessors of the
Secret Service and that the flag I was looking at was THE flag that was
draped over the presidential booth at Ford's Theater the night Pres.
Lincoln was shot. When John Wilkes Booth leapt from the box to the stage
after the dastardly deed, his spur caught in the flag, causing the rip I
was looking at. And, no, the rip would NOT be mended!

This is perhaps my foremost "piece of the true cross" experience; it
brings shivers to my spine when I think of it and it never fails to move
people when I tell it to groups. And Toby was a key part of it.

Tom Vaughan