UNDER CONSTRUCTION
FAQ
1. Who are you?
Robert Mathis ([email protected]). I’m a collector of all things OA in Florida*. I’ve been collecting Florida OA items since the late 1970s, first with items created for the annual Section Conferences, then with all of the lodges in Florida*. In 1992, with John Keatley, we began to publish “Florida Collectors’ Newsletter”, a quarterly publication that spread the word about all patches created in the state (even CSPs and camp patches). In the mid 1990s, John stepped back, and was replaced by fellow avid Florida Collector David Weda. From 1992 to 2013, the Florida Collectors’ Newsletter went from being a cutting edge specialized collecting publication with about forty subscribers in the pre-internet days, to a quaint anachronism with old news. So this website is an extension of chronicling OA creations in Florida.
2. Why is this different from the national sites?
While National websites are pretty comprehensive, there are differences in opinions as to what is or isn’t a legitimate issue. What a National website may call one thing is not what we call it in Florida (example, a flap-shaped key ring fob measuring two inches across is not a flap!). And they don’t include items created for Section events, which are an important part of any Florida OA collection.
Also, this website is free. No membership fees, no subscriptions.
3. What’s the big deal about Florida OA stuff, anyway?
There is a uniqueness and innovation in designs and issuance that Florida OA has become known for. For example, beginning in the 1960s, all of the lodges have at one time or another issued activity patches along a theme for a specific year. Emblems issued for activities have become an expectation for attendees, for over fifty years.
The relative geographic isolation of the state also creates a stability with friendships between lodge members, as well as intense inter-lodge rivalries. From central Florida south, all of the lodges have always been in the same Area or Section, since the mid-1940s. Camaraderie and rivalry led into patch designs and ideas on restrictions and issuance, that became a standard across the state, and continues to this day. If a lodge has a great design for their activity patches or flaps, the next lodge wants to create something just as good, or better.
4. What’s up with activity patch sets?
The first real “set” of activity patches along a common theme were from Aal-Pa-Tah 237. In 1961, and from 1963 to 1976, the Fall Fellowship patches featured native American dancers, each with a similar design. The first annual set came from Seminole 85, Fall 1968 to Spring 1969, that also included a “year theme patch”. This is the first of the jacket patches created along with the theme for the weekend event pieces. In the early years, thia was an incentive to encourage members to attend all events. Later, and in other lodges, the year patch became another source of revenue to create a complete set, and led to amazing designs that could not be rendered on a smaller emblem. Part of the charm that is collecting Florida OA.
5. Why the asterisk after Florida*?
This website covers the creations of the OA in what is usually considered Florida, in the Eastern time zone. The Panhandle area, in the Central time zone, is a great part of Florida. Lots of beaches, wonderful people, but several hundred miles from the southern end of the state. There is another lodge in Florida, the part in the Central time zone, Yustaga 385. From 1973 to 1981, Yustaga was part of the “Florida Section”, and hosted the 1976 Section SE-6 Conference. But while there are many collectors of all things from the “Florida Section”, there are very few that include Yustaga. But if that changes, I’ll make room for their collection.
6. Why are some patches listed twice with different classifications?
For many collectors, a non-flap created for a non-lodge event was considered to be an activity patch. Many of those same patches would be considered on oaimages.com to be a lodge issue (with a designation of R, A, X, based on shape or material used). Or an activity. So, whenever there is a possible conflict, it has been listed and numbered as both, with a reference to the other listing. Especially if said piece is part of an activity patch set.
7. Where did the scans come from?
Most are from various collections over the years, or obtained while compiling the Florida Collectors' Newsletter. Many of the Tipisa scans came from the website created by the late Chris Colebaugh, and the work of Howard Gross. Some of the scans of very rare pieces came from a CD created by David Weda and Elam Patterson in 1999, "Digital Sunshine Images". The rest have come from interested collectors that want to share the knowledge.
8. Why does O-Shot-Caw 265 make so much stuff?
Because they can.
9. What about all the things made by the chapters of Tipisa 326?
In their case, it is an excellent reflection of the quality of the programs at the chapter level, and the number of collectors in the lodge.
10. That’s a bunch of books on the Bookshelf.
That’s not a question, but yes. Starting with Rick Obermeyer’s first, “The FloridOA Handbook”, the first attempt to catalogue the issues of Florida, as well as to document some of the history and traditions of the OA in Florida. This was later updated into a much thicker book by Rick and Tico Perez in 1995. Rick also wrote the history books for Tipisa 326, Semialachee 239, the history of the Florida Area/ Section, and the smaller lodges of southwest Florida and the Panama Canal Zone.
11. Who is this Rick Obermeyer of which you speak?
The father of Florida collecting. For many of us that came into patch collecting in the 1970s and 1980s, Rick was a mentor in all things thread. Not just in being an encyclopedia of knowledge, but also setting a tone and a standard for what is considered “fair trading”, teaching us that patches are not the central purpose of the OA program, appreciation of the history and trivia behind the lodge creating the emblems, and the ways to design and create incredible patches.
Robert Mathis ([email protected]). I’m a collector of all things OA in Florida*. I’ve been collecting Florida OA items since the late 1970s, first with items created for the annual Section Conferences, then with all of the lodges in Florida*. In 1992, with John Keatley, we began to publish “Florida Collectors’ Newsletter”, a quarterly publication that spread the word about all patches created in the state (even CSPs and camp patches). In the mid 1990s, John stepped back, and was replaced by fellow avid Florida Collector David Weda. From 1992 to 2013, the Florida Collectors’ Newsletter went from being a cutting edge specialized collecting publication with about forty subscribers in the pre-internet days, to a quaint anachronism with old news. So this website is an extension of chronicling OA creations in Florida.
2. Why is this different from the national sites?
While National websites are pretty comprehensive, there are differences in opinions as to what is or isn’t a legitimate issue. What a National website may call one thing is not what we call it in Florida (example, a flap-shaped key ring fob measuring two inches across is not a flap!). And they don’t include items created for Section events, which are an important part of any Florida OA collection.
Also, this website is free. No membership fees, no subscriptions.
3. What’s the big deal about Florida OA stuff, anyway?
There is a uniqueness and innovation in designs and issuance that Florida OA has become known for. For example, beginning in the 1960s, all of the lodges have at one time or another issued activity patches along a theme for a specific year. Emblems issued for activities have become an expectation for attendees, for over fifty years.
The relative geographic isolation of the state also creates a stability with friendships between lodge members, as well as intense inter-lodge rivalries. From central Florida south, all of the lodges have always been in the same Area or Section, since the mid-1940s. Camaraderie and rivalry led into patch designs and ideas on restrictions and issuance, that became a standard across the state, and continues to this day. If a lodge has a great design for their activity patches or flaps, the next lodge wants to create something just as good, or better.
4. What’s up with activity patch sets?
The first real “set” of activity patches along a common theme were from Aal-Pa-Tah 237. In 1961, and from 1963 to 1976, the Fall Fellowship patches featured native American dancers, each with a similar design. The first annual set came from Seminole 85, Fall 1968 to Spring 1969, that also included a “year theme patch”. This is the first of the jacket patches created along with the theme for the weekend event pieces. In the early years, thia was an incentive to encourage members to attend all events. Later, and in other lodges, the year patch became another source of revenue to create a complete set, and led to amazing designs that could not be rendered on a smaller emblem. Part of the charm that is collecting Florida OA.
5. Why the asterisk after Florida*?
This website covers the creations of the OA in what is usually considered Florida, in the Eastern time zone. The Panhandle area, in the Central time zone, is a great part of Florida. Lots of beaches, wonderful people, but several hundred miles from the southern end of the state. There is another lodge in Florida, the part in the Central time zone, Yustaga 385. From 1973 to 1981, Yustaga was part of the “Florida Section”, and hosted the 1976 Section SE-6 Conference. But while there are many collectors of all things from the “Florida Section”, there are very few that include Yustaga. But if that changes, I’ll make room for their collection.
6. Why are some patches listed twice with different classifications?
For many collectors, a non-flap created for a non-lodge event was considered to be an activity patch. Many of those same patches would be considered on oaimages.com to be a lodge issue (with a designation of R, A, X, based on shape or material used). Or an activity. So, whenever there is a possible conflict, it has been listed and numbered as both, with a reference to the other listing. Especially if said piece is part of an activity patch set.
7. Where did the scans come from?
Most are from various collections over the years, or obtained while compiling the Florida Collectors' Newsletter. Many of the Tipisa scans came from the website created by the late Chris Colebaugh, and the work of Howard Gross. Some of the scans of very rare pieces came from a CD created by David Weda and Elam Patterson in 1999, "Digital Sunshine Images". The rest have come from interested collectors that want to share the knowledge.
8. Why does O-Shot-Caw 265 make so much stuff?
Because they can.
9. What about all the things made by the chapters of Tipisa 326?
In their case, it is an excellent reflection of the quality of the programs at the chapter level, and the number of collectors in the lodge.
10. That’s a bunch of books on the Bookshelf.
That’s not a question, but yes. Starting with Rick Obermeyer’s first, “The FloridOA Handbook”, the first attempt to catalogue the issues of Florida, as well as to document some of the history and traditions of the OA in Florida. This was later updated into a much thicker book by Rick and Tico Perez in 1995. Rick also wrote the history books for Tipisa 326, Semialachee 239, the history of the Florida Area/ Section, and the smaller lodges of southwest Florida and the Panama Canal Zone.
11. Who is this Rick Obermeyer of which you speak?
The father of Florida collecting. For many of us that came into patch collecting in the 1970s and 1980s, Rick was a mentor in all things thread. Not just in being an encyclopedia of knowledge, but also setting a tone and a standard for what is considered “fair trading”, teaching us that patches are not the central purpose of the OA program, appreciation of the history and trivia behind the lodge creating the emblems, and the ways to design and create incredible patches.