The PCA TX Annual Meeting weekend began on Friday, February 18 at the popular LongHorn Steakhouse in Buda, Texas. As this was our first in-person gathering since last June, everyone enjoyed both the good dinner and the opportunity to catch up.
Saturday morning, twenty-one members and three guests began browsing weights and visiting with L.H. Selman [L.H. Selman] dealers Ben Clark and Paul Berlanga in the Conference Room at Cabela’s in Buda.
At 10:15 AM, Vice President Anissa Cooke called the meeting to order.
Treasurer and Membership Chair Jan Whitley reported the balance in the Sunny Lu Peer Memorial Scholarship Fund and that membership stands at 72 individuals representing thirty-five cities and nine states.
Carl Carter presented Librarian Terri Taylor with eight notebooks filled with PCA TX articles, news clippings and photographs compiled by the late Fran Van Winkle who served as PCA TX Historian.
Jan Whitley read the report by Webmaster Sam Terry, who could not attend the meeting. He continues to add both new links and past meeting reports to the website.
Newsletter Editor Carol Ann Luby reported that she is always seeking educational articles about paperweights and articles about members’ experiences in the paperweight world.
Nominating Committee Chair Al Bates presented the 2022 Slate: Mike Taylor, President; Anissa Cooke, Vice President; Jan Whitley, Treasurer; Claire Terry, Secretary. A motion to accept the slate by acclamation passed unanimously.
Guest Joan Parsley, daughter of glass artist Johne Parsley, gave a presentation on her nonprofit, Great Lakes Paperweights, Ltd. Its mission is to preserve the history of art glass and its first project is a website for collectors of Parsley weights [Great Lake Paperweights].
President Mike Taylor thanked Guest Dealers Ben and Paul for coming to Texas and for all that the Selman staff does to assist collectors. He also gave a short presentation on his paperweight background. His grandparents were collectors and his first weights were inherited from them.
After the lunch break winning names for the Door Prizes were drawn.
Guest Dealer Ben Clark spoke of his fondness for Texas and recalled the events at our January 2010 meeting in Galveston, which was the first regional group meeting he attended. He spotlighted recent Selman activities and introduced an exciting new video featuring weights from their upcoming auction. Selman Sales Manager Paul Berlanga, who joined Selman five years ago, spoke about his background which includes twenty years in the used and rare book business and owning a fine art photograph gallery. He also shared auction stories, including the setting of a new record for a David Graeber weight.
Saturday evening, members gathered at Casa Garcia’s Restaurant for a festive dinner with margaritas, Tex-Mex and fond farewells.
