Black smiley face and black text on bright orange background.

This button is urging voters to support Robert "Bob" Bily for the Illinois' 8th District seat in the 1976 election. Unfortunately, "Bob" only captured 14% of the vote, losing to his like-minded opponent, Democrat Harry "Bus" Yourell, along with Republicans Jane M. Barnes and Herbert V. Huskey.  
 
Upon his retirement in 1985 after a successful career in business, Joseph Robert "Bob" Bily moved to Arlington, Texas. "Bob" died there at the age of 82 in 2005.

This button is a variation on the classic yellow smiley face that is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

Overlapping capital red letters spelling TAFT is written across a white background. The top of the letter characters has sharp points facing downward.

Senator Robert Alphonso Taft, son of President William Howard Taft, was a three term Republican US Senator from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was known for being financially conservative, but his opposition to prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan, and World War II cost him some political support. He sought the presidential office three times, but lost his final GOP presidential nomination to President Eisenhower in 1952. Taft became majority leader in the Senate in 1953 but soon after died from cancer.

Black and white head shot photograph of William Jennings Bryan wearing a bow tie.  Blue background with white stars on upper rim with red and white stripes on edges and bottom of rim, resembling the American flag.

William Jennings Bryan was born March 19, 1860 in Salem, IL and died July 26, 1925 in Dayton, TN.  He ran for president three times unsuccessfully—he lost to William McKinley in 1896 and 1900, and then to William Howard Taft in 1908. Bryan was regarded as a gifted debater and was also known for supporting reforms such as popular election of senators, income tax, creation of a Department of Labor, Prohibition, and womens suffrage. Towards the end of his life, Bryan became involved in the famous Scopes Trial in July 1925. Bryan firmly believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible and assisted in the prosecution of a schoolteacher who was accused of teaching Darwinism.

Photographs of McKinley and Roosevelt are next to one another on a white background with a gold circular border.  Above and behind the portraits is an illustration of a red, white, and blue bow on a gold background.

President William McKinley was elected as the 25th president of the United States in 1896. He then won a second term in 1900 with a new running mate, Vice President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. McKinley was assassinated just months after he was sworn in to office for the second time, and Roosevelt became the 26th president on September 14, 1901. McKinley is remembered for leading the country to victory in the Spanish-American war. 

Purple text centered on button with white background. Blue text on white background on top and bottom of button.

Group Health Cooperatives's 40th anniversary took place in 1985. Based in Seattle, Washington, this private non-profit organization was founded in 1946 by activists who were involved in the farmers' grange movement, union movement, and consumer cooperative movement. The organization sought to provide consumers with affordable, preventative medicine by means of cooperative ownership. Despite virulent opposition by the medical establishment, Group Health Cooperative became the nation's first consumer-directed healthcare organization.

Yellow text on maroon background. Yellow illustration of two mustangs running side-by-side in the center of the button.

This particular vintage button would surely evoke a sense of pride for whomever attended Mundelein High School in years past. Mundelein, a northern suburb of Chicago, is often referred to as 'Mustang Country.' The official name of MHS's mascot is 'Maverick the Mustang.'

White text on green background.

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White text on black background surrounding a white skull and crossbones in the middle of the button.  White text reading "1984" situated to the right of the skull and crossbones.

Ilwaco is a historic fishing town in the Pacific County of Washington state. It is five minutes from the Long Beach area, and is located between the Pacific Ocean and Columbia River. The town had 920 residents in 2018.

In May of 1984, Ilwaco had its second annual Ilwaco Pirate Days event. Fun activities that were available for visitors included “a children’s parade, raft race, chowder feed, pirate’s dance, fire engine rides and a grand land parade.” A chowder is a type of thick soup made with seafood, vegetables, potatoes, onions, and seasonings. A chowder feed is an event which features eating a certain type of chowder. This type of food event is most common in the pacific northwest in the United States.

Four other events took place at the same time this weekend of 1984. There was the opening of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located at Fort Canby State Park. At the Ilwaco port docks, the blessing of the fleet took place, and also the New Heritage Museum of Local History opened in the Ilwaco Convention Center. And the last fun event to take place this weekend was the Long Beach Loyalty Day Celebration. The Long Beach and Ilwaco Merchants Association sponsored all of these events. 

Black text on yellow background.  Black tires and the letters "MMA" rendered to look like a motorcycle driving across the middle of the button.

Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AID) is an outreach group for motorcycle riders. It was formed by Richard M. Lester to help raise awareness among bikers of their rights and to bring attorneys together to represent motorcycle accident victims. This button may have been created to commemorate the year in which the organization was trademarked. The Modified Motorcycle Association (MMA) is a not for profit motorcycle rights organization started by Ron Roloff in 1973. He and Richard Lester were allies in their advocacy for the rights of motorcycle riders.

Illustration of a Native American wearing yellow pants with a red and white stripe across the middle and a red feather in his hair.  He is wearing yellow moccasins on his feet and holding a tomahawk in his right hand and a lock of hair in his left hand. Red text and black text on white background.

Florida State University, and their mascot, a Seminole have a long-standing football program. "Seminoles on the Warpath" is an often used phrase for the team, and is even the name of the published history of the school from 1981. The school also has a Sod Cemetery that they use to bury pieces of sod from the schools they visit and win on away games, which each team visits before big games.