The Largest OA Patch Jacket Collection?
The title is probably mis-leading. This is not about OA lodge jacket patches but OA lodge patch jackets. Yes, there are such things. I recently added one to my collection which already may well be the largest in the country. Now I have four. 🙂
Here’s the newest addition. Its from Lodge 110 Michigamea with their rare 1969 NOAC contingent patch on it.
Others that are in this “world’s largest” collection is one from Katinonkwat Lodge 93 out of Ohio:
Lodge 139 Ah-tic from Pennsylvania:
And one from Ahtuquoag Lodge 540:
What is nice about the 110 and the 540 is that they are dated.
Finding out what is even out there is a problem. I had one from Seminole lodge 85 that I let go to a friend of mine who is from that lodge. Other than that, I’ve not seen many. What can you report as existing? My guess is most of these were for contingents or lodge leaders. Probably most were locally made at local sporting goods stores that could do chain stitch embroidery for varsity letter jackets. They generally appear to be from the 1960s. There must be some more after that although I am not interested in ones that are just a patch sewn on a jacket. They need to have some sort of ’embellishment’ to qualify.
As an addendum – this ‘collection’ isn’t just limited to OA jackets. Another interesting one is one from Camp Betz of Pokagon Trails Council in Indiana. I don’t know the year but its felt on felt. Probably from the late 1950s.
on October 2nd, 2007 at 9:44 pm
From Tom Moore’s “The Story of Ahtuquog”, printed in 1987:
“In 1963, Ahtuhquog established an annual outstanding service award named the Tsunga’ni Award. Tsunga’ni is a Cherokee term meaning ‘excels all others’. Except for 1964, it was usually given to one youth member or one youth and one adult member each year in recognition of exceptional service to the lodge. Each recipient was given a jacket with the award name and lodge name embroidered on the back. A Ten-Color lodge honor flap and the individual’s name and award year were on the front. Over the years, the jackets were awarded in several colors including gray, brown, pale yellow, and black.”
“…In 1982, following two successive non-award years, the lodge executive committee voted to discontinue the award.”
An appendix of Tsunga’ni Award Recipients lists John J. “Joe” Monahan as a 1966 adult recipient–this certainly appears to be Mr. Monahan’s jacket.
on October 3rd, 2007 at 11:48 am
Thanks for the info!
on October 3rd, 2007 at 7:49 pm
When I was a youth in Echockotee Lodge 200 there was a few old timers who had this type of jacket.
on October 9th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Mike – thanks for the info. When were you a youth? What was the era of the ‘old timers’? We may be the one’s who resemble that remark. 🙂
on November 13th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
I was a youth in the late 1980’s. I think the jackets were from the middle to late 1960’s