The PFA Turns 20

From VexTab #49, by Ted Kaye (& John Hood)

It’s been 20 years!

The Portland Flag Association had its roots in the local organizing committee for the 28th annual meeting of the North American Vexillological Association. The organization itself was conceived at a sub-meeting of NAVA 28, held in Portland, Oregon, in October 1994. It was originally envisioned as a regional group for “Cascadia”, with quarterly meetings hosted by members in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

The first regular meeting was held in Seattle in March 1995. However, as the logistics proved overwhelming, soon after that it was reduced to the “Portland Flag Group”, since all members lived in or around Portland.

By 1999, the Harry Oswald (who had chaired the NAVA 28 committee and had a personalized license plate reading “NAVA 28”) was doing his best to keep the rabble in order. He kept the mailing list, recruited members, sent out meeting notices, and edited a one-page newsletter summarizing each quarterly meeting. That May, John Hood debuted a full-color two-page newsletter (Issue 1 of The Vexilloid Tabloid).

In January 2001 we agreed to identify ourselves as the “Portland Flag Association”; in 2010 we adopted a flag. In August 2013 we joined FIAV, the International Federation of Vexillological Associations.

We now have over 30 members, meet bi-monthly, and publish the Vexilloid Tabloid six times a year.

(For a more, see portlandflag.org/history.)