We'll have folks at three pen shows in the next couple of months, starting with the LA show this weekend. Carla Mortensen and Allan Quiat will be at LA to answer your questions and sign up new members. Do stop by the table and say Hi!
From PCA President Lisa Anderson
Winter hasn’t really hit very hard yet here in Wisconsin, so I’ve been itching to travel a bit. We have many pen shows coming up in the next few months, and I highly recommend that if you’ve never been to a show, you should check one out. Visit the PCA website for a listing of shows.
We are planning to have the first 2012 issue of The Pennant out in March, with some really fun & colorful articles planned for your enjoyment.
We are also pleased to announce our new Executive Assistant, Annmarie Hautaniemi, who should be familiar to many of you from her years running The Ink Palette, and from her presence on the pen show circuit.
We are always looking for great articles for The Pennant, including club meeting reports, show reviews, etc. Please let us know if you would like to contribute!!
From PCA Vice President and Librarian John Jenkins
Did you know that a lucky group of PCA members visited the Parker pen archives back in May 1992? At the time, the archives were still in Janesville. The trip was written up in the July 1992 PENnant (this PENnant is available in the PCA online library).
Chris Odgers (then a PCA director and PENnant editor) took a slew of pictures. These pictures have now been added to the online library. About 150 photos are available in two files. Whether or not you are a Parker collector, you’ll surely enjoy the fabulous pens on display.
From New PCA Board Member Danny Fudge
I would like to thank the pen folks who voted to put me on the PCA Board. I hope that I live up to the task of serving each of you well. I welcome your input to ways we can make the PCA work for you. As a new Board member, I am learning the ropes and getting to know the other Board members. When you are only a member of an organization you don’t realize the work that goes on behind the scenes. The Board is very conscientious about needs of the membership and the growth of the pen community. I meet people regularly who ask about what is in my pocket, or who comment on the pen that I use when writing a check or signing my name on other occasions. I get comments like “I didn’t know anybody used pens like that anymore”, or “I haven’t seen one of those in years”, or "I think I have one of those that belonged to my dad or grandmother”. As a pastor, I take evangelism very seriously, but as a pen collector, I think “pen evangelism” has a place in our hobby as well. The PCA has a task to share our hobby with the world. Have you invited anyone to try out your pen lately? Have you invited anyone to take a look at the PCA or given a gift membership to a pen friend? With all of the electronic communication these days, there is still nothing like putting a pen to paper.
Other Items
PCA Board members and staff will be attending a number of the upcoming Pen shows, including Los Angeles (Carla Mortensen and Allan Quiat), Baltimore (Jim Rouse), and Little Rock (Lisa Anderson). Be sure to look us up if you come to any of these shows --- we would love to say hello in person!
PCA continues to offer pens from the collection, previously donated to us by Mr. Nankervis. Watch for our listings on EBay (seller ID pcapens).
