The Saturday morning session of the convention got off to a good start as Bundle Stimulus Czar Joe Diachenko reviewed the campaign to stimulate bundle activity. The results have been very encouraging as members heretofore unrepresented in our bundles--and some who have been silent for a long, long time--have caught the spirit, and had interesting journals in the bundles. Joe's presentation also stimulated interest among those present, and an active discussion ensued. Prevalent subjects were: topics that might spark more bundle activity and how to best assist some in the organization for whom printing a journal is a new and completely unfamiliar activity. Joe made the point that if we have a word processing program--and who with a computer does not--it is not that big of a project to put some words onto a paper. This does not need to take the form of a "Gator Growl" or "Oregun." A new journal does not need to pass a qualifications board. Get it started, and it can pursue its own evolution, if the publisher so desires, to something more involved.
The next presentation was by former AAPA President Schuyler ("Sky") Shipley. Sky gave a brief background of the manufacture of metal type, the machines that cast type, the foundries that have been leaders in type casting, and the foundries active in casting today. From that, his discussion turned to his own venture in casting: how he got involved, the current status of Skyline Type Foundry, and the future outlook for type casting. In a nutshell, the future looks very encouraging to keep the art of letterpress alive, and in fact, it is growing.
President Mike O'Connor then took the podium to announce the two winners of the Marge Adams Petrone Limerick Contest. Only one of the winners was present at the time to receive his award: the limerick submitted by Tom Parson took second place. More details to be given soon. Then Mike called on Johanna Shipley, chairman of the Laureate Committee, to give this year's Laureate Awards. More information on this will also be forthcoming.
Following a brief break, the partition between the NAPA's meeting room and the AAPA's room was folded back, and there was a discussion among the combined group. The theme centered largely on the feasibility of having concurrent conventions. One foremost concern seemed to be that with AAPA and NAPA sessions being conducted concurrently, those who hold membership in both groups are forced into a decision as to which sessions they will attend. Both groups could have benefited from being present in the other group's sessions; however, it obviously is not possible to attend two sessions at the same time. From that came some suggestions for "staggering" the sessions--alternating between NAPA and AAPA. (There did not seem to be any serious consideration given to Sky Shipley's suggestion to hold the sessions in the bar so that all would be staggering.) Members of both groups participated in the discussion, and it is hoped that this year's experiment and the resulting discussions will be a significant step toward achieving greater coöperation between the two groups: the NAPA, founded in 1876, and the newer AAPA, founded in 1936.
