![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/scarc\/files\/2013\/09\/hello-my-name-is.jpg\")
<\/a>We have all worn these from time to time. They are usually scribbled on with a sharpie with your name, sort of readable, and maybe a title or hometown. By the end of the conference or event, these name tag stickers are usually torn off your jacket, folded in half and stuck in a pocket, only to be found months later\u2026<\/p>\n<\/a>VFW Encampment badge, 1938<\/p><\/div>\n
Perhaps the \u201cgolden age\u201d of name tags has gone the way of cheap convenience in recent times. SCARC\u2019s recent accession of the Governor Douglas McKay collection (MSS McKay) contains a wealth of artifacts and ephemera that highlights the elegance of personal identification of decades past. Convention attendees of the 1930s and 40s would sport some of the most decorative nametags to their gatherings. These badges were something you kept as a remembrance of attending that special meeting, convention, or in McKay\u2019s case \u2013 the 15th<\/sup> Annual VFW Encampment.<\/p>\n AFL Labor Convention, 1950<\/p><\/div>\n Douglas McKay was the 25th<\/sup> Governor of Oregon, 1949 through 1952. His political career dates back to the 1930s in Salem, Oregon where he was Mayor and State Senator.\u00a0 All of these activities necessitated his attendance at meetings, special events and political conventions. The McKay artifacts represent this career in a tangible way.\u00a0 Some of the name tags include his title, Governor, but most are simply typed with his name. And yes, no scribbled sharpie names, they were typed, <\/em>on a good ole\u2019 Underwood or Royal manual typewriter.<\/p>\n During World War I, McKay served with the American Expeditionary Forces (the US Army) in Europe, where he\u00a0advanced to the rank of First Lieutenant.<\/p>\n<\/a>