Meet Our Oregon and California Teams

         Garry D. Gitzen

President SFDA Oregon - Garry has been called "The leading authority of Drake on the Pacific coast."  He is the author of: Francis Drake in Nehalem Bay 1579, Setting the Historical Record Straight (2008/r2011); Treasure Rocks of Neahkahnie Mountain (2012); "Edward Wright's World Chart 1599", Terrae Incognitae, The Journal of the Society for the History of Discoveries, Vol. 46.1, p. 3-15, 2014 and Oregon's Stolen History, How California pasted together their Drake story., MS, (2012).  Garry has spoken about Francis Drake throughout Oregon including the Oregon Archaeological Society, Columbia River Maritime Museum and California Map Society. GGitzen@SirFrancisDrakeAssociation.org

           Phil Costaggini, MSCE

VP  - Phil is the author of SIR  FRANCIS DRAKE'S NORTHWEST EXPLORATION: 
AN HISTORICAL DISCUSSION AND SURVEY OF ARTIFACTS AT NEAHKAHNIE MOUNTAIN, OREGON 
Oregon state University, Corvallis, Oregon (1982).  Without his 3-year field study and remarkable 184 page report that documents the Drake survey and navigation markers, the "most important Elizabethan artifacts in North America" of Oregon's history would have been lost to future generations.

 Tom Mock

VP - Treasurer. Tom is a trained anthropologist with an enthusiastic interest in local history.  He has served as the   president of the Nehalem Valley Historical Society and has been involved in many of the societies programs to save our history.

VP - Design & Transportation: Timothy Leonard Calvert 58:  Mis-educated in Oregon, and really mis-educated in Sociology at Lewis and Clark College.  Walked in the wrong direction for 25 years, finally became aware of the many truer narratives that describe history.  Found Gitzen's book "Francis Drake in Nehalem Bay", then found Mr. Gitzen himself.  Interested in using this anomalous event; Drake in Nehalem Bay, to interest people in history.  A firm supporter of the Diffusionist Theory of human occupation/discovery of the world. 
https://anthropology.ua.edu/theory/diffusionism-and-acculturation/#:~:text=Diffusionism%3A%20This%20school%20of%20thought,English%20scholar%20Grafton%20Elliot%20Smith.
Diffusionism and Acculturation – Anthropology
Diffusionism: This school of thought proposed that civilization spread from one culture to another, because humans are basically conservative and lack inventiveness (Winthrop 1991:83).An extreme example of this theory was the idea proposed by English scholar Grafton Elliot Smith. He considered Egypt as the primary source for many other ancient civilizations (Smith 1931:393-394).
anthropology.ua.edu
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  •  Sir Francis Drake Association of                          California
  •  President SFDA of CA  - Richard W. Buchanan
  • Navy Cross Recipient, Vietnam 1965-1966, 1967-1968.
  • 2005-06 National Commander Legion of Valor of the USA.
  • Rich is an avid sailing enthusiast of early exploration, whaling and has navigated both the Atlantic and Pacific
  • Attended Saint Mary's College of California Business School and received his teaching credential from the University of California at Berkeley in 1974.