What That Thingamabob Was

In a sidebar to the article “Behold the Obi-Wan Undies” (by Mary Melton, June 13), you depict a number of endangered items that might become future collectibles. In the case of one, it appears that the name has become extinct before the machine.

The gadget you call the “foot measure” (and shouldn’t it have been “foot measurer”?) is, in fact, a Brannock Device. It was invented and patented by Charles Brannock in the late 1920s.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go resurface an ice rink on my ice-smoothing riding thing.

Bill Prady

Encino