June 19, 1997
NAWCC National Convention in Atlanta GA
Meeting Report
by Hans Dahlke
The President’s Column
Judging by the response of our membership to our first official meeting as Chapter 174,
I would have to say that we are off to a good start. Both the business and lecture
portions of our meeting generated active participation and interest by those in
attendance. The excellent presentations given by our two speakers were very well received
and went a long way toward making the evening a total success. It was nice to see many of
our members continue to hang around after the meeting to just talk and socialize.
One item of business that was discussed, which I feel is of particular importance, is
the acquisition of a scanner and digital camera along with an appropriate computer. It is
our expectation that the National organization would purchase this equipment (with a $500
donation from our group). It would then be maintained by the library and available to any
NAWCC member. Clint Geller is presently working with Bob Ravel to provide a more detailed
proposal than what was presented at our meeting in order to address specific concerns that
the National has regarding the purchase and use of this equipment. The implications of
having access to a scanner and digital camera are great. It would be much easier to
photograph, store, and disseminate pictures of rare and unusual watches. Printed material
such as serial number lists could also be easily recorded, stored, and distributed. Hence,
more people would have access to a much wider range of information than might otherwise be
available. This improved accessibility would in turn open the door for many useful
research projects. Since our chapter is concerned with the efficient transfer of
information and the promotion of useful research projects, we need to start taking
advantage of the digital revolution to better facilitate these functions.
One item of business that was not discussed at this meeting, but will be discussed in
future meetings, is the subject of chapter research projects. Currently, the E. Howard and
Keystone Howard database projects discussed in this newsletter are well under way.
However, we would like to identify additional chapter research projects. If you have ideas
for additional projects, please let us know about them.
Our next meeting will be held at the Florida Regional in Fort Lauderdale next February.
Our scheduled speaker for this meeting is David Penney. This is a talk that I am sure you
will not want to miss. David’s presentations are always very interesting and well
received. If you are planning on coming to this meeting, you would be wise to make your
hotel reservations as soon as possible. This is the busy season in Fort Lauderdale, and
hotels fill up quickly. You can call the Florida hotel network at 1-800-953-8818 to make
your reservation.
Craig Risch, President
Ch. 174 President Craig Risch, left, receives the charter from National President David
Morgan
Minutes of Chapter 174 Meeting
June 19, 1997
NAWCC 1997 National Meeting
Atlanta, Georgia
The Inaugural Meeting of Chapter 174, Pocket Horology, that took place on June 19,
1997, at the NAWCC National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, was attended by approximately
50 members and guests. New NAWCC National President Paul Morgan was on hand to present the
new charter to our chapter. The meeting was enjoyed by all who attended, including several
persons who joined the chapter at the meeting. [As of September 1, 1997, our membership
stands at 74]. After a short, efficient business meeting, two well received scholarly
presentations were given by chapter members Kathleen Pritchard and Michael Edidin.
Highlights of the business meeting and synopses of the presentations follow.
Business Meeting
The Bylaws (only slightly revised from those distributed last February) were approved
by unanimous consent. The Bylaws define the responsibilities of the officers and safeguard
democratic process in our Chapter. (Those Chapter members who have not received a copy of
the Bylaws at a meeting, or in a previous mailing, may obtain one by writing or calling
the Chapter Secretary, Clint Geller, at 6347 Ebdy Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217; Home
phone/evenings: 412-521-8092).
The Founding Committee Coordinator presented a slate of officers and called for
additional nominations from the floor. Hearing none, he requested and received a motion to
accept the slate, which passed unanimously. The Founding Committee’s work having been
completed, the meeting was then turned over to the elected President. Chapter officers,
who will serve until the NAWCC National Convention in 1999, are as follows:
President: Craig Risch, CA
Vice-President: Greg Frauenhoff, IL
Treasurer: Desmond Lundy, BC, Canada
Secretary: Clint Geller, PA
Archivist: Bob Breiner, NC
In accordance with the Bylaws, in addition to the five elected Executive Board members,
the chairs of all standing committees (appointed by the President and approved by the
Board) also are seated on the Executive Board. Currently, there is one standing committee,
the Newsletter Committee, and its Chairman is the Newsletter Editor, Hans Dahlke.
A Chapter logo was presented and approved by the membership. This logo appears on the
Newsletter and on your mailing envelope.
Chapter member Ron Price volunteered to create and maintain a web page for Chapter 174
on the Internet.
Clint Geller presented a draft proposal to be made by Chapter 174 to the NAWCC National
Council to procure electronic image recording and processing equipment to support ongoing
horological research within Chapter 174 and elsewhere. Technical details of the equipment
to be obtained and their capabilities were provided by Tom McIntyre. A motion was passed
unanimously to pledge $500 from the Chapter treasury to support the purchase of this
equipment by the National Headquarters. [Update: Clint is developing a detailed
implementation plan governing the use and maintenance of the equipment and the resulting
databases to address possible concerns of the National Council and other involved parties.
Clint is proceeding in consultation with fellow Chapter 174 members Tom McIntyre, Craig
Risch, Doug Cowan, and Bob Ravel. The detailed plan will be presented and discussed at the
February Chapter 174 meeting in Ft. Lauderdale].
The meeting concluded with two outstanding presentation by Kathleen Pritchard (How an
American Woman Came to Write an Encyclopedia of Swiss Timepiece Makers) and Dr. Michael
Edidin (The boys at Tony Beck's place - The Watch Case Engravers' Union and the Strike of
1901).
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How an American Woman Came to Write an
Encyclopedia of Swiss Timepiece Makers
By Kathleen Pritchard
[Kathy Pritchard has been a member of the NAWCC for over 20 years and has been active
in many areas, notably The Answer Box of the Bulletin. She has recently published an
eight-pound, two-volume encyclopedia on Swiss Timepiece Makers, available through the
NAWCC]. |
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The Watch Case Engravers’ Union
and the
Strike of 1901
By Dr. Michael Edidin |
Return to Ch 174's Home Page.
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