A Tribute to a Special Lady - Georgia Otten

By Frank & Vicki Wollenhaupt

On July 23, 2007, the Miami Valley Study Club and N.C.C. lost one of its family members, and biggest cheerleaders, Georgia Otten. Over the years, Georgia had opened her heart and home to many NCC club members.

Glass collecting came into Georgia's life over twenty years ago. She would always tell you that she and Mac, her husband, were a house divided. She collected Cambridge and Mac collected Heisey. That statement did not mean that she didn't participate with great zeal in both clubs. Georgia's primary focus and first love was Rosepoint but she also loved swans, opaques and flower frogs which she used with great artistic flair.

Elegant dining always prevailed at Georgia's, whether you were having beef burgundy or a bowl of chili. She loved the relaxed atmosphere of dining and the luxury of having a leisurely conversation served along with the meal.

Georgia has left a very large void in our study club. She was the past president of the Miami Valley Study Club and always at the forefront of our projects. She spent countless hours cleaning up etchings for our study club project, the first etchings book. She presented programs not only to our study club but to other local clubs in our area to promote Cambridge glass. She loved making videos and the end result was always very polished and professional. Georgia also did the voice over on our last DVD presentation.

The last project that our study club did was at this year's convention, the contest "Are you Mr. or Mrs. Cambridge Glass?" Georgia and I volunteered to arrange the baskets for the prize presentations. We spent several hours together, arranging the baskets and talking about the upcoming convention. Georgia was looking forward to meeting new people and seeing old friends again.

When volunteers were needed after the great flood, Georgia was there. Georgia and I made a return trip to Cambridge when volunteers were needed to separate the glass after it had been cleaned. When the new museum was ready, Georgia was there to help move in glass. Georgia was one of the first to display her enameled and decorated items in the changing display area of the museum and also did displays in the windows during convention at Pritchard Laughlin. Every year at the convention banquet she would visit each table and list the different Cambridge stems members were using.

Over the years, Georgia wrote numerous articles for the Crystal Ball. Some were funny and some just made you think. The following is a partial list of Georgia's articles that you might like to revisit:

In the words of Mike Strebler "she was everywhere".