ton from the 1982 Nashville gathering. Said Rothberg, “STTMCA was an impor- tant trade association!” The ‘90s The ‘90s: it was a decade of jarring, sometimes incongru- ous motifs without a theme to tie them coherently together – the Persian Gulf War, the coming of age of Generation X, the sudden popularity of tattooing, the O.J. Simpson case, AOL diskettes in your mailbox, goatees, Seinfeld, the rise of anti-government mili- tias, the Oklahoma City bombing, Princess Diana’s death in a car crash, Quentin Tarantino movies, the Dotcom bubble, fear of Y2K. And so much more. As a small association, the NTCA was able to grow its influence thanks to the generous support of its volunteer leaders – far too many to thank everyone individually. From industry leaders who traveled around the country helping NTCA educate an industry hungry for installation knowledge, to board and executive officers and associ- The convention program from the 1985 convention printed in Western Tile Directory – and photos of convention speakers in the day. Clipping courtesy of Tim McDonald, Merkrete/PAREX USA. NTCA president Bob Roberson (l.) and CTDA president Phil Stalcup cut the rib- bon at the opening of the Tile Expo, the precursor of the Tile and Stone Exposition which became Coverings. The NTCA Workshop crew in the 90s. Joe Tarver is second from left – who else can you name? Selfless volunteers, distributor hosts and manufacturers who supported the program with materials and experts were the perfect example of the industry working together for the good of all. Celebrating 70 years 84 TileLetter | September 2017