Austin man brings vintage pens back to life

AUSTIN, Texas — Dan Zazove is a retired attorney who lives in Austin. He spends his time restoring vintage pens. His fascination with old writing instruments goes back decades.

“My father was a salesman and he won an award. The award he won was a Parker 51 pen and pencil set. I really loved those,” said Zazove.

He’s now part of the Austin Pen Club. Members share a passion for all kinds of pens. The group includes Zazove’s friends Craig Bond and Doug Haugen. Some of Haugen’s pens date back to World War II. They were designed to write and save lives. The pen’s clip is shorter so it wouldn’t attract attention.

“They needed to have the pen covered by the flap of the pocket so that the clip didn’t reflect and give your position away to the enemy,” said Haugen.

Zazove’s own pen collection isn’t as large as it used to be. Nowadays his passion is keeping the art of writing alive with every pen he repairs. 

“It’s pausing, and thinking and organizing your thoughts in a way that you cannot get writing on a computer. It’s very rewarding when you’ve restored a pen for somebody and they say, ‘I’m going to give this to my granddaughter. She’s very excited to have grandpa’s pen or grandma’s pen,’” he said.

Zazove knows the ins and outs of each pen he restores. He knows the history, what it’s made of, even who might have used it. His job is to keep the pens in top-top shape for the next generation.

“It fulfills me so I’ll keep doing it for people. I enjoy it very much,” he said.