DECA history

The second national conference, held in St Louis, Missouri, in 1948, saw the adoption of the constitution and the official name, the Distributive Education Clubs of America, designated DECA, and the acceptance of 17 charter member states. As a result of this preliminary meeting, the national organization was launched, and the first Interstate Conference of Distributive Education Clubs was held in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1947.

The second national conference, held in St Louis, Missouri, in 1948, saw the adoption of the constitution and the official name, the Distributive Education Clubs of America, designated DECA, and the acceptance of 17 charter member states.

The first State Leadership Conference was held in 1949 at the Denver YMCA. The Conference lasted one-half hour and cost $1.25 per participant.

DECA was officially incorporated in Virginia in 1950.

The same donor made possible the employment of DECA’s first full-time staff person, and the first executive secretary of DECA was employed in July, 1953.

In 1957, donors to DECA made it possible for DECA to add a Member Service Division to its national headquarters plus the employment of a member service director.

In addition, a National Leadership Training Conference for the DECA National Officers was begun during 1958.

By 1960, the National DECA staff expanded to include not only an executive director (formerly the executive secretary) and member service director, but also a public relations director and publications director.

In 1980, in commemoration of National DECA's 30th anniversary, Virginia DECA state officers presented a 50-year time capsule for burial at the National DECA Center.

In 1984, Virginia DECA contributed $20,000 to the national building fund and the center's conference rooms were renamed theVirginia Rooms.

Doctor Betty Heath-Camp was elected as AVA Vice President in 1987, and began her term as a member of the DECA Board.

James Horan retired in 1988, and James A. Gray, Jr., then DECA Association Advisor, was named as the state's third State Supervisor.

Virginia DECA celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 5 - 7, 1993, at the George Washington Inn inWilliamsburg, Virginia.

In 2004,Virginia became the largest state association in the country, with more than 11,000 members.