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NDGA Annual Convention 2008

The 34th Annual National Depression Glass Association Convention was held on July 19-20, 2008, in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, Missouri. St Charles Center The dates were a little later in the month than most past Conventions, but we had to accept the weekend where the facility had an opening. The last time the National Depression Glass Association held a convention in St. Charles was 1983.

The site was the St. Charles Convention Center (photo at right), a facility which opened in 2005. It is adjacent to the Embassy Suites St. Louis-St. Charles. It is about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis, and only 10 minutes from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

The sponsoring organization was the Gateway Depressioneers, and 0ur Convention Chairperson for this year was Betty Buersmeyer. She and her helpers produced a world-class Convention, one that will be remembered by all attendees.

Special Pre-Convention Event

There was a special side-trip available for attendees and dealers at the 34th Annual Convention. On Friday morning, July 18, the day before the Convention opened, at about 10:30am, we left for the Cupples Museum, located at Saint Louis University. Cupples House

The Cupples House (shown at right) was built in 1890 by Samuel Cupples, who made his fortune in the warehouse business (he had a virtual monopoly on warehouses in the St. Louis area). Saint Louis University acquired the house and in 1973 it was saved from demolition and restored. It is on the National Historic Register. The Eleanor Turshin Glass Collection was the focus of our interest. This is a magnificent collection of Art Glass, from American companies such as Steuben and Tiffany to Daum, Lalique and others from Europe. All of those in attendance were overwhelmed by the beauty of the house itself.

Schedule of Events

The show and sale opened with Early Bird admissions at 8:00am Saturday morning. Early Bird admission is at a premium and there were a good number of folks in line when it opened. General admission to the Convention, Show and Sale began at 10:00am on Saturday and 11:00am on Sunday.

Seminars and Speakers

Our featured authors this year were Danny Cornelius and Don Jones, authors of the book American Pattern Glass Table Settings. They presented a seminar on Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG) and displayed some fabulous pieces from their private collection.

A second seminar speaker was author John Walk, speaking on the topic of Fenton Rarities, Whimseys and Samples. John wrote the book Fenton Rarities 1940-1985 which was released in 2002, and he is a well-known dealer in Fenton and other elegant glass.

The third seminar was presented by Jim and Nancy Finley, collectors from Sedalia, MO. They have been collecting Cambridge glass for over 40 years. They began with Rosepoint. As their massive collection grew they began to branch out. They stayed with Cambridge glass and began to acquire swans, nude stems, the Marjorie etched pattern, Japonica, decorated opaques, bar and smoking items, rare and unusual pieces, and turkeys. As part of their seminar they displayed their collections of turkeys, gave a brief history of the turkey's manufacture, and explained how to distinguish a Cambridge turkey from other glass turkeys.

National Glass Organizations

The NDGA encourages all of the National Glass Organizations to participate in the NDGA Convention, and will provide space (conditions permitting) for any of the National Glass Organizations who wish to attend and staff a table to promote their group. This year we had the Morgantown Collectors, National Cambridge Collectors, Wave Crest Society and the Museum of Glass in West Virginia. Each organization was able to distribute membership information and sell literature and souvenir items at the Show.

NDGA Annual Meeting

The Annual General Membership Meeting was held in conjunction with the Convention. It began at 5:30pm on Saturday. The room was comfortably filled with members, and the meeting lasted about 1½ hours.

Election results were announced, with Ed Staley elected as Vice President, Robert Henicksman as Treasurer and the four at-large Board Members were: Danny Cornelius, Fred Meyer, Betty Buersmeyer and Jack Peacock.

Silent Auction

Silent Auction tables We again had a "Silent Auction", to raise money for the National Glass Collection. The results of this year's Silent Auction were the best ever. Thanks to Dick Ladd and his helpers for an impressive auction which required four tables to hold all the items (click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture). The proceeds from this auction will all be used for acquisitions for the National Glass Collection.

 

Glass Displays

Each year at the Convention, collectors share their personal collections of glass and pottery with the rest of us. It is often the only opportunity that we have to see some of the rare and unusual items that are in private collections. Also on display were the additions to the National Glass Collection acquired since the last convention.

Click on any of the small pictures to see a larger photo. Here is what Convention visitors got to see this year:

Exhibitor(s) Display Title Photograph
Richard Sater 1904 World's Fair items 1904 Worlds Fair items
Raymond & Shirley Wagoner Rare Cherry Blossom Rare Cherry Blossom
Danny Cornelius & Don Jones Early American Pattern Glass EAPG
Betty Buersmeyer Seascape Seascape
Gene Cooper & Brad Allen Morgantown Decor & Freeform Morgantown
Mike Tooley Chocolate Glass Chocolate glass
Don Rogers Cambridge Variety Cambridge
Kent Washburn Orange Glass Orange glass
John & Dovie Fields Blue Fostoria Baroque Blue Baroque
Scott Smith Colored Nautical Duncan Nautical
Kathleen Booth Multi Colored Jamestown Jamestown
Richard Ladd Indiana Glass Cream & Sugars cream and sugars
Dwayne Kuhnert Swanky Swigs Swanky Swigs
Sylvia Bien Delphite Kitchenware Delphite Kitchenware
Ken Sloan Hazel Atlas Kitchenware Hazel-Atlas
Willis Brand Green Parrot Parrot
Len & Enid Waska Wave Crest Wave Crest
Marilyn Kreutz Cobalt Glass Cobalt glass
Sarah Van Dalsem Fire King Jadite Shell Fire King jadite
John Braum & Wayne Alexander     Wildflower w/gold band Wildflower gold trim

List of Participating Dealers

Here is the list of dealers who exhibited at the St. Charles Convention.

Linda & David Adams Las Vegas NV Helen & Gene Allen Overland Park, KS
Rick Bakkum Buffalo MO Dale & Betty Buersmeyer Pacific MO
Penny Reed Des Moines IA Rose & James Curnutt Western Spring IL
Esther Mitchell Little Rock AR Pam Franscella Gurnee IL
Pat & Sharon Ervin Sycamore IL Dovie & John Fields Independence MO
Jim Davis Springfield IL Willis Brand Waterloo IL
Arlene Goldberg Greenwood Village CO Rosemary Trietsch Albertson NY
Helen Jones Berkley Springs WV Donna & Bert Kennedy Balch Springs TX
Carol McEwen Wichita KS Fred & Pam Meyer McKinney TX
Max Miller Houston TX Jack Peacock Winston-Salem NC
Jane & John Schleinzer Aurora IL Penny Renner Elkhart, IN
Cecil & Sharyn Taylor Irving TX Carolyn & Glen Robinson York, SC
Kent Washburn San Antonio TX Leegh & Michael Wyse Corvallis OR
John & Judy Bine Troy MO Janet Wasson Highland IN
Danny Cornelius & Don Jones Port Washington OH Lee & Jean Spalding Wichita KS
Marilyn Kreutz St. Louis MO