Funk And Wagnalls

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Text on Button Look that up in your FUNK & WAGNALLS
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The word "that" is underlined. The text is blue and the background is yellow.

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Isaac Kaufmann Funk founded the American publishing company called Funk & Company in 1875. The company changed its name to Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877 when Adam Willis Wagnalls became Funk’s partner. The company initially published religious books but shifted to reference materials in 1890 with its first Literary Digest. The company is most well known for A Standard Dictionary of the English Language and the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia. The dictionary was first published in 1894 and continued to have revised editions until 1943. The encyclopedia was first published in 1912, and continued to be published throughout the 1970s. Customers could purchase volumes of the encyclopedias at their local grocery stores. Funk & Wagnalls Company was sold in 1965 to Reader’s Digest.

As a well known publisher of encyclopedias, the phrase, "look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls," referred to someone condescendingly using a large word in conversation that the other person would have to research to learn the meaning by using their encyclopedia.

Catalog ID AD0314

Middy and Westy Fun Club

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Text on Button MIDDY AND WESTY FUN KLUB MEMBER 1951
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Illustrations of a boy and a girl on the upper right side and black outlined text on teh left side and bottom on a yellow background. 

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The Middy and Westy Fun Klub was a club that was associated with the Midwest Dairy Corporation. The Midwest Dairy Corporation, at its most productive, covered the country from the Great Lakes region all the way to Mexico. In the Monroe Star, May 17, 1950, there was a brief article announcing the purchase of Gold Creameries by the Chicago based Midwest Dairy Corporation. This article also explains that the dairy had farms in 10 states prior to the purchase. Middy and Westy were “the Midwest Quality and Flavor Twins” that not only served as a marketing tool, they also functioned as the representatives of the Fun Klub. Although it is difficult to find information about the Klub itself, two articles were found where Middy and Westy were mentioned. In the Hope Star newspaper on March 22, 1951 Middy and Westy appear to announce a give away of two Schwinn bicycles. The Arkansas based paper explains that one “prize coupon” will be issued for every five Midwest Dairy Corporation bottle caps or carton tabs. The prize coupons all go into a drawing for the Schwinn bikes. Middy and Westy also appear in an article in the Daily Register (Harrisburg, IL) on April 4, 1950 for an Easter egg coloring contest. 

Catalog ID CL0272

Four Leaf Clover

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A illustration of a dark green four leaf clover with a lighter green and white center. The clover is surrounded by white, light green, and dark green sections.

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Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID AR0110

Foster Farms

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Text on Button SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CHICKEN FOSTER FARMS
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A symbol in the center of the button shows an illustration of a chicken and the company's name and logo on a dark and light red background respectively. The blue text arches over and under the symbol as a border, and there are two red stars on the left and right. The background is white.

Curl Text LPIU 241-L
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Foster Farms started initially in Modesto, California when Max and Verda Foster bought land in 1939. The farm began their farming endeavor by raising turkeys. The business grew throughout the 1950s and continued to have a commitment to raising the highest quality chickens that they could. The company continues to operate on the principal of raising and selling high-quality poultry to this day. In the 1960s the company outgrew their facilities in Modesto and decided to move to Livingston, California where it continues to reside today. An article in the Bakersfield Californian, that ran on February 17, 1971, explained Foster Farm’s new campaign:
Support Your Local Chicken!” The advertising line was created “to make housewives very much aware of the fact that Foster Farms chickens are fresher because they’re delivered to the store daily, in competition with out-of-state chicken which may be several days en route.” (pg. 30) The slogan was intended to be a more creative way of saying that the Foster Farms chickens are “fresh.”

Catalog ID AD0321

Ancient Order of Foresters of America

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Text on Button ANCIENT ORDER OF FORESTERS OF AMERICA LIBERTY, UNITY, BENEVOLENCE & CONCORD F. of A.
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Illustration of a deer's head in the center with black text around it, then two American flags on either side and an eagle above with black text on the top and bottom edges on a white background

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AMERICAN PEPSIN GUM CO.
BUTTONS MADE BY
THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO
NEWARK, N.J. 

JULY 17, 1894

APRIL 14 1896

JULY 21, 1896

Curl Text PAT. July 21, 1890
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Founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 15 August 1889, the Ancient Order of Foresters of America (AOFA) had nearly one hundred and sixteen thousand members six years later.  AOFA broke from the Ancient Order of Foresters, which it claims has its origins in thirteenth century England.  In 1896, the AOFA changed its name to the Foresters of America.  AOFA was one of many fraternal organization between the end of the US Civil War and the end of WWI.  Fraternal organization membership totaled around thirteen percent of the US male population.  

Sources

Google Answers: Identify F.of A.. (n.d.). Google Answers: Identify F.of A.. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=290853

San Francisco History - Societies (1890). (n.d.). San Francisco History - Societies (1890). Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgsoc.htm

US Population: From 1900. (n.d.). US Population: From 1900. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.demographia.com/db-uspop1900.htm

Catalog ID CL0212

Ford Bristol Street Motors

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Text on Button Ford BRISTOL STREET MOTORS
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A blue older Ford fire engine illustration seated on top of orange text. The background is white.

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Bristol Street Motors is the name of a chain of car dealerships that are located throughout England. They specialize in selling Hyundai's and of course Ford's. Bristol Street Motors was founded over a hundred years ago in Birmingham, which makes them one of England's oldest retailers of motor vehicles.

Catalog ID AD0293

First Security Bank

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Text on Button First Security 1983 FIRST SECURITY
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An illustration of a blue alien with extended antennas that is smiling and looking straight ahead. Text arches above the image with a square shaped symbol on the top left. The smaller text and date are across the bottom of the alien image.

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First Security Corporation was a banking holding company that had branches and subsidiaries throughout much of the western United States. The main branches were First Security Bank of Utah, N.A., First Security Bank of Idaho, N.A., First Security Bank of Oregon. The bank specialized in real estate loans for much of its history. In 2000, First Security Corporation was bought off by Wells Fargo, and the company ceased to exist.

Catalog ID AD0319

Fer Sure

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Text on Button FER SURE, FER SURE
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Pink text encircled by a red border on a black background. 

Curl Text 1982 THOUGHT FACTORY MADE IN U.S.A.
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"Fer sure, fer sure" is a typical "Valspeak" phrase from the 1980s. Other phrases include, "bag your face," "grody," and "barf me out." 

"Fer sure, fer sure" are lyrics from Valley Girl by Frank Zappa and his daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. The song was released as a single off of the 1982 album, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. 

Sources

Valley Girl (song). (2019). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valley_Girl_(song)&oldid=886….

Catalog ID IB0042

Farm Bureau Pet and Hobby Club

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Text on Button FARM BUREAU MEMBER PET and HOBBY CLUB
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Illustration of a dog in the center with red uppercase text across the top edge, black text across the bottom edge and red uppercase text across the bottom of the dog.

Curl Text ADV. SPEC. CO. INDPLS
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Unique to Indiana, the Pet and Hobby Club was created by the Women’s Department of the Indiana Farm Bureau.  With membership open to children 10 and under, the program included education about health and safety on the farm as well as home economics.  As the meetings for the Pet and Hobby Club took place at the same time as the IFB county meetings, the program also sought to encourage the attendance of young farming couples with children.  In 1995, the program was renamed “Little Farmers.”  

Catalog ID CL0176

Evanston Public Library

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Text on Button FOLLOW ME TO THE LIBRARY EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Image Description

Two black footprints surrounded by black text. The background is yellow.

Curl Text GEO Lauterer Corp. Chicago IL 60603
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Located in Evanston, Illinois, the Evanston Library has three locations: the Main Library, the North Branch and the Chicago Avenue Branch and serves a population of over 73,000.  Patrons also have access to the catalogs of 22 other public libraries associated with the Cooperative Computer Services (CCS) consortium.  The Evanston Library Association was founded in 1870 and opened its headquarters on the 2nd floor at 613 Davis Street in 1871.

Catalog ID AD0299