National Depression Glass Association
Preserving America's Glass Manufacturing Heritage
Menu:
Home PageAbout Us
2010 Convention
Past Conventions
The National Collection
Make a Donation (Glass or Cash)
Membership Application
Photos of Members' Glass
News & Views Newsletter
Articles on Depression Glass
Rainbow Review/Glass Review
Glass Company Advertisements
What is a Glass Show?
Glass Reference Books
Glass Collecting Clubs
Directory of Glass Dealers
MEMBERS-ONLY Pages
History of the NDGA Organization
The following is the history of the National Depression Glass Association as taken from past issues of the News & Views newsletter.
In the summer of 1974, after much planning, three meetings were held:
- St. Louis, MO - June 14-15, 1974
- Atlanta, GA - July 27-28, 1974
- Euless, TX - August 10-11, 1974
The St. Louis organizational meeting was planned by the Ozark Depression Glass Club and was chaired by the Rev. Leslie Wolfe. During the meeting, the name "National Depression Glass Association" was selected, and officers and Board members were elected. The decision was made to hold an annual meeting in July, but no arrangements were made at that time. The founding Board Members were:
| Tammy Brooks - Oklahoma | Ellis Powell - Louisiana | Melba Fry - Missouri |
| Betsy Knight - Illinois | Charles Smith - Maryland | Fern Angus - Missouri |
| Iris Slayton - Texas | Jim Leffler - Illinois | Joyce Mefford - Illinois |
| Luther Kolstead - Michigan | Pat McGrain - Missouri |
The next meeting, July 27-28 in Atlanta was also fruitful. The organization selected Washington D.C. as the site of the first annual Convention, sponsored by the Southern Depression Glass Collectors Club and co-sponsored by the Del-Mar-Va Club. Nora Koch was selected as General Manager of the Convention and Chuck Smith was picked as Show Manager.
The third meeting, in Euless, TX, was an open meeting for all members. The site of Washington, D.C., was ratified and plans were set in place for a newsletter, membership cards and a copy of the By-Laws to be sent to each member.
It wasn't until 1999 that the National Glass Collection was started, but since that time the collections consists of well over 1,000 pieces of glass, plus paper goods and even some etching plates. The goal of the organization is to eventually acquire a museum to house the collection.
The following table lists the four major office holders of the NDGA from the first year through the current year. These people gave of their time to serve in this all-volunteer organization, and deserve recognition from all of us.
Jim Garrison
J.R. Johnston
Melanie Hildreth
Bert Kennedy