OAF

If you got the link from me and are wondering "what the ????" just keep on reading. Even though you may not have any memories of OAF.. I think you will find our group worth knowing about. And perhaps you have OAF member qualities.
OAF originally was a group of a dozen Oklahoma hard-core comic book fans. Paul McSpadden organized the first meeting in his parents garage one March Saturday in 1967, and OAF was born!! Matt Curtis offered to be the news editor and immediately published the ditto news-zine; named after the organization; OAF. Issue #1 was dated March 1967 and was issued monthly. Each issue would announce the dates and location of the next garage meeting, (it rotated to various members homes) and the rest was filled with fan art, articles on old/new comics or movies, want or sale lists, letters, and the like. Members sent in their contributions on ditto masters and the editor would print, collate, stamp and mail whatever had arrived in the last month. Most issues were 30 or more pages. The OAF zine grew dramtically, eventually with a circulation of over 100 !!
Meanwhile, OAF the club, sponsered annual nostalgia/comic book conventions; hosting movie & comic book greats BUSTER CRABBE, SPANKY MCFARLAND, AL WILLIAMSON, LB COLE, BERNI WRIGHTSON, LUM & ABNER, WILL EISNER, JIM HARMON, RA LAFFERTY, GEORGE EVANS, GEORGE TAKAI, JOHN BYRNE, MICHAEL GOLDEN, JIM STERANKO, BRETT MORRISON, ALEX TOTH,and many others in OKC and Tulsa during 1970-1982. As we entered the 1980's, VCRs, computers, and the proliferaton of comic book stores supplied the needs of the new collecting audiences and OAF became less active. By 1985 OAF was in hibernation just like Captain America. But the bond was there for so many of us who collected, traded, and loved the old momentos of the past. We stayed in touch and and continued to collect. The internet reconnected us in 1997; and now in 2007 we upgrade to this Blog and Yahoo group status.
We observed our 40th year with a reunion in Oklahoma City, Saturday September 22nd. Over 50 OAF members reunited for a mini-con which featured 25 dealers tables with Pre 1975 comics, movie paper, books, original art, pulps and etc,
Fans from California to Boston were in attendance including such noteable fans as Bud Plant, Larry Bigman, Charlie Fredgren (Calif), Bob Beerbohm (Nebraska), Grant Irwin (Ark), Jerry Weist (Mass), Roy Bonario, Anthony Smith, Ken Donnell, Dave Clark and Terry Hanks (Houston), Roger Hill & Chris Kettler (Kansas) Buddy Saunders, Mark Lamberti, Brett Weiss, Rick Kelsey, Don Maris, Bruce Shults, Cat Conrad (Dallas area) and many others.
We held trivia contests and had a sensational show & tell segment where OAF members spoke about their favorite collectible.. We watched Betty Boop Cartoons, sang OAF Lang Syne, paid respect to OAFs who had passed on and even celebrated the 40h birthday of OAF and Squa Tront with birhday cake for everyone! We even had a documentary crew filmng the entire weekend interviewing OAfs about their collections and interests.

The incredible success of this Nostalgic Reunion is one of the reasons OAF will be hosting a TWO day convention for fans & collectors who enjoy the comics, artists, books,posters and overall popular culture from 1900-1970's.
If you remember the Good Old Days, then you belong with us at our next reunion-convention or at our Yahoo group.
We are going to have another reunion/convention for collectors who enjoy pre-1975 collectibles!

Mark your calendar ! OCTOBER 3 and 4th 2008. OKLAHOMA CITY !!

Watch for details here at the OAF blogspot or at our new Yahoo group :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFCON

Now here are some pictures from the 40th Anniversary Reunion: