A VAIL MEDAL PIN

The eBay listing for a Medallic Art Company 14K tiny lapel screwback pin turned up last November. The seller didn't know what it was but I knew immediately; the pin is the wearable reflection of this medal...

 

Here is a 2 1/2-inch silver example of The Vail Medal For Noteworthy Public Service. Theodore Newton Vail (1845-1920) was president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) from 1907 until he retired in 1919. He had a long and honored career. His guiding principle was that customer service was more important than increasing dividends. This axiom sums up his career. "Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Theodore Newton Vail invented the telephone business."

The central figure on the reverse represents the "Civilizing Force of Communication" speeding the winged message along the wires. At the right, "Loyalty to Service" upholds the left hand of the central figure, while a third figure, "Devotion to Duty" helps to support the lines of communication.

The medal was designed by Adolf Weinman in 1921, and was awarded to employees for noteworthy acts reflecting the Bell Telephone System's highest traditions of loyalty and devotion to duty. Gold, silver, and bronze medals, struck by Medallic Art Company, were awarded in the hundreds from 1920 to 1984 when the Bell System was broken up. Underneath the image of the medal is an enlargement of the ½-inch gold pin I bought.

AT&T published a log of all Vail Medal recipients from 1920 to 1948 called For Noteworthy Public Service. There are only 15 gold medal winners in that period and only one with the initials "A. L." Anna Lennan was the chief operator of The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, Piedmont, WV. The citation (p43) reads "Piedmont suffered a severe flood on March 29, 1924. Miss Lennan left her home in Westernport, MD at about 6 AM and disregarding the pleas of her family and townspeople crossed a partially submerged bridge over which traffic was prohibited and which was later swept away. Arriving at the office she organized the forces that had reported for duty so that telephone service was satisfactorily maintained."

Anna Lennan's day was fraught with trials, and when ordered to leave she refused. Her desire to maintain service was so great she remained on duty until 11 PM when continued service was assured. The story of Anna Lennan and the gold pin that goes with it was a had-to-have. Since it was poorly listed I won it with little competition. Another case of owning the book made all the difference.

For more information on the Token and Medal Society, see:
https://www.tokenandmedal.org/

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web