Happy Anniversary
Posted in OAImages News by John E. Pannell on January 25th, 2007 at 5:34 pm 
At the beginning of the year, I added a new banner to this site consisting of all 10th anniversary patches. Patches commemorating lodge anniversaries have a long history, starting with the 25th anniversary issue from Unami (L1), intended to be worn as a neckerchief slide, pictured on the left.
If established as an authentic lodge issue, the patch currently listed as the Nentico 12 YX2, from 1942, apparently would be the first anniversary issue issued by a lodge other than Unami. Otherwise that honor would likely fall to the Chappegat 15 L1, a leather patch worn as neckerchief slide, issued for their 25th anniversary in 1948.
The first verified embroidered anniversary patches are the 35th anniversary patch from Unami (R10), and the 10th anniverary patch from Potawatomie 63 (R2), both issued in 1950.
Some of the earliest anniversary flaps were issued for lodges’ 25th anniversary. Some of these were distinguished only by the use of a light grey (aka “silver”) or silver mylar (SMY) borders and are now quite rare.
Anniversary issues proliferated in the “modern era”, often starting with a commemoration of a lodge’s fifth anniversary. For some lodges, like Mantowagan 14, this was their only major anniversary before merging again.
As the Order approaches its 100th anniversary we are now seeing flaps for lodges’ 80th, 85th and even 90th annivsaries. Nawakwa 3 has issued flaps for its 80th (F6) and 85th (F7) anniversaries. Each of these flaps are unsual in other ways.
The Nawakwa F6 is one of two flaps issued by that lodge incorporating a hologram in the design. I do not believe any other lodge has yet attempted to duplicate this feat.
The Nawakwa F7 is one of several flaps issued by this lodge that could be placed into the sneaky non-solids category I wrote about a few months ago. It is also one of the very few flaps whose design is considered complete only when another object is attached to it. A large pin (see the Nawakwa F8) is usually placed over the white twill center of this patch.
So far the only lodge 90th anniversary issues have been from Unami 1.
There have also been a few flaps issued for rather unusual anniversaries. Among the most unusual of these is a flap issued by Papago 494 (S16, pictured at left) for their 39 1/4th anniversary. I have no idea why they issued such a patch and perhaps someone can fill us in.
Shu-Shu-Gah 24 issued a 33rd anniversary patch, R3, pictured on the left. Remembering phonograph records and noticing the round shape of this patch, Bill Mulrenin and I wondered if this is technically a 33 1/3rd anniversary patch. Since the lodge would have been founded at Summer camp, and this patch was issued at an event in the late Fall, the truth can be warped to claim that.
Shu-Shu-Gah issued a 45th anniversary flap (S6), but failed to complete this theme with an issue for their 78th anniversary in 2003.
Awaxaawe Awachia 535 issued a flap for their first anniversary (S6). In an apparent move to emulate their neighboring lodge, Wiatava 13 issued three CSP shaped patches in 2005 to commemorate 32 1/6 Years of Irksome Tasks. How long until they commemorate all those “weighty responsibilities”? 
Chippewa 29 touches upon an old euphemism with a two part set design for the 1996 NOAC. They note it was also the lodge’s 69th anniversary that year, using the logo “69 in 96″. If nothing else, they were clever playing around with numbers.
There have been other atypical anniversary patches issued. Wakpominee 48 issued a jacket patch for their 68th anniversary (J3). Sanhican 2 paid homage to their 68th anniversary on an event patch. Often these are also “death patches”, issued due of the impending demise of a lodge.
More lodge anniversary patches can be seen on the National and Special Events Patches page. Also there are links to the patches issued by the various lodges for the Order’s 75th anniversary in 1990, which can arguably be considered issues for the 75th anniversary of Unami lodge. This is one of those “back burner” pages I’ve been building intermittently. The site’s database does not yet correctly code all the various anniversary patches, but this should be a good start for those interested in these patches.
(Editor’s Note: This entry was extensively revised on January 26th and 27th.)
John,
The Shu Shu Gah R3 was issued for the 33rd Anniversary of the lodge. In those
ancientolden times there was a thing called a record player. Different types of records were played at different speeds (think Beta and VHS or Blu Ray and DVD) but on the same turntable. One of the speeds was 33 RPM. The patch after all was a round.Bill
Well, if the Nentico YX2 is a real issue, it’s older than the Unami 35th. It’s a felt-on-felt eagle with superimposed “XX” for twenty, which would have been 1942; the Unami 35th wasn’t until 1950.
All of these lodge numbers … only a few days after highlighting the fact that lodge numbers are no longer in use?
You gotta hire an editor, John.
I’m glad Chris caught on to the apparent contradiction in my last two entries. I did that very deliberately.
Both entries together obliquely state what I think of the whole “lodge numbers” issue. Notice the first entry didn’t criticize the writer, only pointing out that he and the editors seemed to not get the “memo from on high” about the use of number. It was funny (meant as: “ha ha”) to se them used after folks were so careful to avoid them last Summer.
I can flaunt any such style guide at will. My own style guide here has no such aversion to the use of historic lodge numbers.
BTW, this post will have more changes made to it tonight and tomorrow. I’m expanding it to include a few more things I want to cover. I needed it online for another reason, but now I have a reprieve and more time to finish it.
Are you volunteering to be my editor, Chris?
I hear you maintain a neat Wiki…