Compiled by the 50thAnniversary Committee Hank Bruce, Carolyn Christian, Linda Flemins & Jane Goodnight
As we approach our 50th anniversary as an organization, the Orange County Wine Society has started a committee to pull together the history of the organization over the last five decades.
The committee has been researching, documenting and collecting historical information including a complete list of the board members since 1976, the various mega-tastings like the Wine Classic and Wine Extraordinaire, statistics on the various years of the OC Fair Wine Competitions and The Courtyard, timelines and milestones of the organization and much more.
To collect personal accounts of the organization, the committee started the Vintage Member Luncheons. These events have been both successful and incredibly fun. Our ultimate goal is to produce a history of the organization’s first 50 years.
The luncheons feature various stations where longtime members can view old videos taken by our own Charley Owen, view and identify photos from early events, share their own stories with interviewers and contribute to idea boards for things like 50th anniversary events and keepsakes. All of this is designed to trigger memories of the early years.
OCWS members who have attended the Vintage Member Luncheons have had a great time sharing memories of bus trips to Temecula and Paso Robles and cruises to Mexico. Being together with other vintage members in this social setting has greatly facilitated our ability to gather information that is not documented elsewhere. Believe it or not, a few of our original members such as Jane Goodnight and Judy Brady are still active. And the memories that attendees shared made it seems like only yesterday.
Here is a taste of some of the things that were shared…
- Charley Owen always had his video camera with him, but no one ever saw the videos, so there was a rumor they didn’t exist (thankfully the family donated the videos to OCWS and we are preserving them for the future!).
- Attendees who watched the videos, marveled at the younger and thinner versions of themselves on the screen.
- Wine glasses from previous events had various logo designs, many of them designed by OCWS member and artist Marjorie Trout who passed away recently.
- The OCWS Recipe Book was published in 1992 and it was not as popular at the OC Fair as hoped, so many were given away to members years later.
- Members had fond memories of our competition judges and their antics, such as Kent Rosenblum and his endless supply of Sven and Ollie jokes.
- Attendees shared stories of the various winemakers who presented at the OCWS anniversary tastings, which have been held every five years.
- Attendees brought historical items for others to view: glasses, awards, award booklets (before WineCompetition.com was created), posters and more.
- In the early days at the OC Fair (late 1970s), OCWS was required to serve food with the wine tastings and the organization had a yellow submarine next to our wine booth that made sandwiches.
In addition to sharing memories, attendees are treated to a gourmet lunch and wine.
Invitations are being sent out based on the member’s join date. The first two luncheons included those who joined between 1976 and 2000. We are currently in the process of planning our third luncheon. If you are invited to a luncheon but unable to attend, you will be invited again until you are able to attend one.
To allow all members to attend these luncheons, we are limiting members to attending only one luncheon. Watch your email for an invitation in the future as we include more recent members.