Have you wondered … about the Headquarters office?

PSA Journal, July, 2004 by Jean Timmermeister

It was seventeen years ago that the Photographic Society of America (PSA) moved from a 3-story brownstone in Philadelphia, PA, to Suite 103 at Centre 3000 on United Founders Boulevard in the northwest section of Oklahoma City, OK (OKC). Stories abound about the big move of PSA--to this very day!

Vast numbers of files were brought to OKC, stashed in various rooms of the Society's new office and basically, today, in 2004, many of these files appear to still be in "stash mode." Added to stacks of paper, rows of shelves full to the ceiling and file cabinets filled 'to the gills'--is the usual dust and mess. President Dick Frieders recognized that the condition of the PSA offices was one which was neither good for our staff members nor made a good impression when people visited. The management of the building at 3000 United Founders Boulevard had never painted the PSA office in the 17 years nor cleaned the carpet! With the help of Operations Manager Kara King and Financial Services and Membership Coordinator Sharon Saunders (after advance arrangement for the building management to paint), Dick Frieders, taking time away from his business in Illinois, then readied the offices by moving furniture, shoving boxes, removing pictures on the wall and much more. By actual count there were 19 chairs, in various stages of poor condition (broken arm rests, tired upholstery, failed pneumatic system, etc.) none of which matched any other! Worse yet, he found a coffee pot that was barely functioning.

A quick look at the pictures in these pages will show members what a little clean up and paint, together with a lot of perseverance, will do!

The Annual Board Meeting was Saturday, April 17th in OKC, with Board of Directors members coming in from around North America. Some Board members came in early to help with clean-up of the files and of the 'library' that just sits gathering dust, to sort through the abundance of old Journals way beyond any logical supply, and to 'dig around' in material which hasn't been touched for ages. Admittedly, your PSA officer volunteers barely made a dent in the volume of work needed to clean up HQ.

New to the walls at HQ offices are photos of past presidents, plus an enlarged view of our contemporary logo. Gone is much of the clutter of many years. Note the views of the Operations Manager's office, as well as the Financial Services and Membership Coordinator's office.

The PSA office is open from 8:00 am through 4:30 pm (except Fridays when it closes at noon), and if you are in the Oklahoma City area, why not call ahead and tell a staff member you are coming by to see the HQ of our Society? And, with a decent coffee pot, you might even get a cup of coffee while there.

The Photographic Society of America

3000 United Founders Blvd., Suite 103

Oklahoma City, OK 73112

(405) 843-1437