65 YEARS OF ASQ SECTION 0905

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA

 CELEBRATION 2010

1945-1949 

How ASQ Section 905 Got Started

During the Second World War, the Office of Production, Research, and Development of the War Production Board began sponsoring quality control classes at various universities. The first lengthy course was at the University of Buffalo in November 1943. In April 1944, two months before D-Day, Purdue University Extension at Fort Wayne, started classes in Elementary Statistical Quality Control under Keith Ross. "It was pretty elementary alright. We haven't taught that kind of math since the 1960's," said Lowell Dusseau and Barb Bulmahn IUPU statistics Professor.  Advanced Statistical Quality Control and one more just before the end of the war followed the class.

The founding meeting for what was to become Fort Wayne’s section of the SOQCE was held at the Purdue Center and attended by 23 of Keith Ross’s students on November 8, 1945. As a result the Society for Quality Control-Northeastern Indiana was informally organized.

In Chicago, home of the Society of Quality Control Engineers, on December 5, 1945, an organizational meeting was held with seven Fort Wayne members to ratify the formation of the Society for Quality Control Northeasten Indiana section (SQCNEI). The group included members of the Purdue classes as well as others primarily from the electrical products industry, such as Magnavox, General Electric, and Bowser.  A total of 23 people joined.

Two months after the founding of the Fort Wayne section, in February 1946, 253 members of 17 quality-related societies formed The American Society for Quality Control.  On April 10, 1946 Fort Wayne’s affiliation with the ASQC was approved by its (15) charter members and by June of 1947 the FW section had grown to 43 members. The first national president was Dr. Walter Shewhart, the Director of Quality Assurance of Bell Telephone Labs.  The 17 quality-related societies had sprouted from the classes organized during war.  For example, the courses at Buffalo lead to the ASQ section at Buffalo.  The Indianapolis section also arose from Purdue's classes and at about the same time as the Fort Wayne section.

 

Dr. Walter Shewhart, Director of Quality Assurance of Bell Telephone Labs
in an undated photograph of approximately the 1920's

 

The first national president was the Director of Quality Assurance at Bell Telephone Labs. The 16 quality-related societies had sprouted from the classes organized during the war. For example, the courses at Buffalo lead to the SQCE section at Buffalo. The Indianapolis section also arose from Purdue's classes at about the same time as the Fort Wayne chapter. Initially, with only a relative handful of members (23), nearly everyone in the Northeastern Indiana section lent a hand to the programming.

At the same time, the dinner programs at SQCNEI began. Topics included "Management Points of View Relative to Quality Control," "Use of Statistics in Forecasting Demand," "Quality Control in the Chemical Industry," and "X and R Charts and their relationship to Particular Problems.  Deere & Co., Federal Products Co., Delco Remy, International Harvester, General Electric, Perfect Circle, and Magnavox sponsored the speakers for local member meetings.  The influence of the electrical equipment, automotive, and truck dominated the early chapter.

The pioneering sections began the tradition of the Midwest Technical Conference in the very first year of ASQC, 1946. On a national scale, about 2000 attended the first Annual Technical Conference and second Midwest Conference in 1947. At that conference Walter Shewhart was named ASQC’s first honorary member. He had begun the concept of control charts in 1924 with an interoffice memo at Bell Labs. Those Labs also had luminaries such as Harold F. Dodge, Harry G. Romig, and John Tukey. Two years later in 1949 the First Shewhart Medal was awarded.

 

 

The impetus for the founding of ASQC came from the war effort. The drivers of quality in the war effort were founders in the electrical equipment industry such as Bell Labs with Shewhart and later General Electric, RCA, and Westinghouse.  One of the General Electric team was Keith Ross, who led the founding of SQCNEI on that December day in Chicago.

 

 

1950-1954

The Section continued the course that that had been developed in the first five years: monthly meetings and All Day Conferences. During this period, the Northeastern Indiana Section attracted Armand Feigenbaum for his first presentation in 1953. “Does Quality Matter?” One indicator that it does help a company prosper and survive is that of the firms providing leadership in 1953-54, at least 40% stayed in northeast Indiana and retained the same name as they had nearly 50 years ago. Salisbury Axle Works became part of Spicer Manufacturing which was renamed Dana, and Magnavox stayed and was acquired by Hughes who was merged with Raytheon in the late 1990s.

Topics at the All-Day Conference began transforming from the military support early in the decade like “Sampling Inspection As Used By The U.S. Navy", to a more industrial orientation like “Ford’s Interest in Statistical Quality Control”, and “Industrial Control Charts Using Compressed Limits.”

The News Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN) abetted the 1950 All-Day Conference by publishing cartoons and company articles for the eight Saturdays leading up to the Conference. Phil Nuff of International Harvester drew the cartoons.

                                   

 

The role of a quality manager and engineer has broadened during the 1980’s and early 1990’s. The expectations are that the skill set includes human relations and “soft” management techniques. The section was way ahead of the curve with Conference topics and Meetings offering topics such as “Quality Control and Human Engineering”, “The Foreman’s Place in Quality Control”, and “Customers Quality Certification.”

The year 1954 featured the first woman speaker at the All Conference, Mrs. Vida Grace Hildyard of Boeing. The year also featured the first spin off section from the Northeastern Indiana Section: South Bend-Mishawaka. Students from Quality classes held in Fort Wayne comprised the early section.

Northeastern Indiana ASQC Section logo as of 1950.  The logo would stay the same through the mid-1980's.

 

1955-1959

Sputnik shattered the calm of the tech­nological world. The American response blew up on the launch pad. Belying that turmoil, the section settled into a routine that would continue for nearly a decade. The Section began its slate of monthly meetings in the fall each year. At each meeting the Section arranged for a speaker to give a talk on various applications of quality-related subjects. The Section concluded each year with the All Day Conference. The conference, presented in conjunction with the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, featured speakers on subjects like automobile manufacturing, air lines, foundries, telephone companies, electric companies - in addition to gauge and instrument displays and a tour of a local facility. The Section officers and committee heads were generally from large, local companies like General Electric, International Harvester, and Dana Corporation.

Although section 905 memberships fluctuated, from a peak of (70) in 1950 it ended 1959 at (48) while averaging (57) for this period.

1960-1964

The monthly meetings and annual All-Day Conferences continued, though by 1964 the conference had moved to September to kick-off the ASQC year. The section hovered around 38-48 members, but everyone seemingly had a job. The number of officers expanded from four to eight. In addition to the existing offices of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer, posts of Jr. Past Chairman, Director Mid-West Conference, Parliamentarian, and Auditing were added. The four existing committees expanded to include Scrapbook, Tellers, Arrangements, and Saddoris Award.

The Saddoris Award was a prize given by the national Section of ASQC to the local Section that excelled in various categories associated with the vitality of the Section, including: membership, attendance, publicity, education, and conferences. The award was, itself, a gauge of quality, and the Northeastern Indiana Section finished in first place in the Midwest (Region 9) in 1964.

1965-1969

In 1965, the section rated number 2 nationally in the Saddoris Award. Richard K. Smith became chairman of the Section and led a jump from 48 to 83 members in one year. The All-Day Conference changed format. The first newsletter, “The Nor’Easter” appeared. The Northeastern Indiana Section celebrated its 20th anniversary. The mayor of Fort Wayne declared the week before the 16th annual All Day Conference to be Quality Control Week, and he opened the conference to celebrate the anniversary. The conference began to include multiple simultaneous sessions, divided into topics of Technical, Management, and Inspection issues, and it was still later divided between Inspection and Quality. Hour-long breaks between sessions were devoted to displays of the latest gauges and quality control devices.

Also in 1965 the Section began to print a monthly newsletter, The Nor'Easter. The section leadership wrote that they intended the newsletter "to serve as a positive means of communication between the Section Officers and the ever increasing membership of the North-eastern Indiana Section of the ASQC." According to the monthly article, The Chairman's Corner in The Nor’Easter, the Section aimed "primarily at long term growth and well-being." Early editions discussed the new “Zero Defects” concepts in 1965.  

The first effort at a subsection arose as the “Wabash Valley” subsection was organized in Peru, IN on August 3rd.  1965. Five of Section 905’s officers and committee chairman attended to provide organizing guidance. All aspects of membership in the Society were outlined by Harold baker, Richard Vogel and Section 905 Chair Richard Smith.  There were 22 local members from 14 industries like General Tire, Bailey Manufacturing and US Gypsum.  Attendance was drawn from Wabash, Peru and Logansport. 

On September 7th. 1965 the newly formed Wabash Valley sub-section held its election of officers at the Elks Club in Peru.  George Ridge past Chair of the Northeastern Indiana Section 905 was the guest speaker.

The 15 Wabash Valley members present at this meeting signed a formal request for recognition and guidance from the Northeastern Indiana Section. The Sub-Section continued holding meetings and they were reported in Northeastern Indiana Section's monthly newsletter the Nor’Easter thru May of 1967. Unfortunately, by September, 1967, the membership had declined and they failed to develop into a full section.

In 1984 the Indianapolis Section started two subsections one in Lafayette and one in Terre Haute and in 1986  ASQC assigned Terre Haute the Wabash Valley section 0919 number.

Section 905 emphasized its education program so its members would avoid, in the words of one article in the newsletter, "personal obsolescence." The Section began to hold informal seminars before monthly meetings to discuss quality issues and would have dinner during the meeting's more formal presentation by a quality expert.

In 1966 ASQC began to certify quality engineers, an important means of granting professional status outside of state licensure.  In 1967 The Section sponsored classes at Purdue University and worked with IPFW to set up a 20 credit hour Quality certificate course in quality control. In September of 1968 eight courses were offered from the IPFW Industrial Engineering department. This attempt to formalize training for quality professionals reflected a national trend.

During this period, the Section was healthy and dynamic. Speakers featured at the monthly meetings came from across the United States. The yearly program increasingly involved social occasions like a "ladies night," dance, or golf outing. They even instituted a management night to which quality professionals could bring their boss. Membership included 80 to 90 quality professionals, and 40 to 50 members was normal attendance at meetings, though double that attended the annual All-Day Conference.

In the competition for the Saddoris Award, the Section again finished second in the nation in 1966 and fourth in 1967. One Chairman explained, "We are not shooting for the top position because of the glory involved, but again, because the Saddoris standing is a gage of the efficiency of Section management

As Membership increased locally and Nationally, there was a push to increase national dues. The National President wrote, "Our fast­ growing membership demands and is entitled to services that cost more than the present dues bring in!" The members voted down this proposal.

 

All the news that fits, we print.

The Nor’Easter published from 1965-1969 as the record of the Section. In the 4-page glossy newsletter sent once a month, stories covering Quality Week in Fort Wayne, Zero Defects operations (the concept was less than five years old at that time), and the section’s annual golf outings.  Included were several sketches, cartoons, and information about the annual all day conferences. 

                        In September of 1968, the 19th all day conference feathered speaker was Monsignor J. William Lester then Chaplain of Fort Wayne’s St. Vincent Villa.  During this period and with some help from local industry, the section reached out all over the country to obtain its dinner speakers. Reading the Nor’Easter newsletters from this time period in Fort Wayne reveals that most locations for the meetings and conferences no longer exist.

During the late sixties the section the membership grew 39% from 83 to 115.  Along with Fort Wayne’s industries, the membership was growing and having good times.  The editors of the Nor'Easter did an outstanding job and the newsletters make for interesting reading. In 1968 the Section presented the first F.R. Guimont award to one of its founders and one of its most active members Mr. George Ridge.

 

Forest R. Guimont trophy

 

1970-1974                                                

The brilliant “The Nor’Easter” ceased publication before the start of the 70’s. The Section Chairman published irregu­lar one-page newsletters, none of which survive today in the section’s archives.

Presentation topics at meetings became more eclectic. While there were still journeyman topics like "Defect Prevention" and "Management's Needs from Q. C.," unique contemporary-minded presentations began to appear with titles like "Baubles, Beads, and Bong," "Employee Motivation," "Metric Madness," and "Know Thyself" (by an Industrial Psychologist). Like the United States as a whole, manufacturing was yielding ground to service industries. The section’s focus shifted somewhat from a dominance of manufacturing to include topics like "Consumerism," "Quality and Human Relations," and "Quality Control in the Service Industry."

The All-Day Conference grew to include six sessions, most of which were divided into five divisions such as the Aircraft & Missile, Automotive, Electronics, Food & Allied Industries, and Inspection. The attendance in 1972 was 284 including 21 ladies, with 38 speakers. Outside of the conference, Northeastern Indiana Section 0905 continued as before, with a periodic tour of a local plant, slate of meetings (at various locations) preceded by discussions, a mid-year ladies night, and an end of the year golf outing.  Membership fluctuated between 83 and 112.


1975-1979

These five years would witness the trans­formation of quality from a control scheme to a strategic imperative. The Big Three came close to becoming the Big Two as Chrysler narrowly avoided extinction. International Harvester was not so fortunate. Also, “Made In Japan” became a hallmark, not a derogatory phrase. The section grew from 109 members to 160, a rate of growth of 50% . 

Sadly, only a very few archives remain of this time. One points up that 0905, having dominated the region in the Saddoris Award during the late 60’s was now 5th out of 6th sections in Region 9 according to the Region 9 newsletter, the ”ASQC Weathervane.”

Dinner meetings were held at the Imperial House, which became Don Hall’s Guest House in the early 80’s. The presentations fea­tured leading edge presentations such as “Economic Austerity in QC Circles”, “Total Quality,” and “The Quality Profit Center.” Keith Ross, founding father, was preparing the historical record for the 30th Anniversary booklet, the first in the section’s history. That complimented the 25-book lending library given by the section in 1979 that was available through the Allen County Public Library. The section reached out to the community and high schools through the Junior Achievement program. This period set the stage for Quality’s Glory Days of the 1980’s.  

The recent discovery of many of the 905 Board meeting records from 1973 thru 1977 indicate the section was very active in all the phases of operations including all-day conferences and the golf outings.

Four or five board members were from the sections founding years. Most monthly meetings brought in speakers from larger companies in the neighboring states and December ladies nights were a big deal.  During the seventies membership held steady at around 110 but in1978, with an aggressive campaign it rose buy (50) and year end balances for most of the seventies were between $400 and $1500.  Scholarships would not begin until the mid eighties.

Some educational activities were promoted thru IUPU as Dr. Keith Ross promoted the addition of courses to the Quality Certificate program.  

 

1980-1984  

Some time in 1980, the newsletter “The Histogram” begins publishing as a single sheet flyer.

In September of 1981 with stagnate membership growth and a cash balance of $156.00 a section board meeting was held at Manco Products to plan activities for the 80-81 Section year.  The meeting was attended by David Braun (Chair), Ed Wolfe, Doyle Myers, and new member Magnavox ASQC-CQE Lowell Dusseau were topic of the discussion was the Management Plans for the Section.  After the discussion Mr. Dusseau suggested that the section membership would increase if better programs could be provided across the board,  including a course to prepare the members to  take the ASQC-CQE, CQT & CRE exams.  This would provide the funds to support improved programs, conferences and scholarships similar to the Rockford ILL. Section.   For monthly meetings, all effort would be made to get the best speakers; the all day of the conferences would be expanded.  Lowell Dusseau agreed to solicit local industry for funds to purchase videotapes and other materials with the goal set at $2,500.00.  Without hesitation, Magnavox and Tokheim Corporations provided the needed funds.

It was “Morning in America.” The year was 1984 that President Reagan declared “National Quality Month.” Max Dillie noted in the margin of his newsletter that, ” Mr. Rehg said Champion Spark Plug had a QC Circle.” ASQ National notes, ”In the 1980s, ASQ members began to see how quality could be applied beyond the world of manufacturing. Quality, they realized, could make a difference in any organization and touch every person in it.  

 

The Spring Conference of 1984 featured “Productivity-Japanese Style.” This was a series of four one-hour tapes on Japanese Production methods. The keynote speaker was Herman Wilson of Magnavox.  

The section finished 1984 with 184 members and the region had 10 sections.

The section membership stands at 229, an increase of 50 percent. 

The number of CQEs has increased from 12 to 46, and the treasurer reports a balance of over $5,000.00.  Also, the Section has begun a $600.00 annual scholarship program for its members and the section management plans remain unchanged.

 

In 1984 Magnavox Electronic Systems Company receives recognition from ASQC Section 905 for its many years of Support. (Left to Right ) MESC Vice Presidents:  James T. Thompson & Homer T. Kipling & ASQC’s Chair- David Braun, Vice Chair -Bob Seay, Education Chair-Lowell Dusseau  

 

  1985-1989

 

In 1985, Section 905 purchased a commercial set-up display and 4’ by 6’ ASQC section 905 banner which were used in the Glenbrook Mall (Fort Wayne, IN) for Quality Week and All Day Conferences, and etc.  In September the refresher courses are raised to $70 and the section begins a campaign to raise $4500 to purchase CRE refresher course materials. Dana Corporation starts off the fund with a $1000 donation and the first class starts in March of 1986.                             

In September 1986, Shin Taguchi, flew in from Evansville, and replaced Diane Byrne, who was to speak on introduction to (The Taguchi Method) but she become ill. Thanks to Lowell Dusseau (Chair) whom did some fast footwork to bring Shin to Fort Wayne. The Section meeting was held at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom with a new regular meeting record of 106 attending.  Shin, the son of Japan’s automotive quality industry and author of the hot new book “The Taguchi Method “ Dr. Genichi Taguchi’s quality loss function. 

In 1987, 37 people took the CQE exam and 26 passed.  The board had discussions about finding a permanent foundation to support the section's scholarship program.  In November 1997, the 39th All Day conference is held at the new Grand Wayne Center with over 300 people attending and 16 vendor booths were set up.  In 19889, the relationship with Ivy Tech (Indiana Vocational and Technical College) begins as Lowell Dusseau conducts the first CQT refresher course there.  1989 saw the big happening:  Phil Crosby in Fort Wayne.

Mr. Crosby was best known for his book, “Quality Is Free.” He had started the Zero Defect program in the early 60’s.  Zero Defects (ZD) had made some impact during that time. Mr. Crosby formed his consultancy in 1979 and made major inroads on the thinking about quality. His work brought the Cost of Quality into the mainstream terminology.  

 

     

Phil Crosby presenting in Fort Wayne

 

January 1989, Phil Crosby in Ft. Wayne. (L-R) Dave Masanz, Les Flott, Chuck Roe, Lowell Dusseau, Phil Crosby, Hank Gallmeyer, and Doyle Meyers.  

 

Magnavox sponsored Crosby. According to Lowell Dusseau, General Electric had brought him in for a consult, and then allowed the Section to coordinate a major presentation at a special noon luncheon for the section and the public. According to Dave Masanz, “the luncheon was held at the Grand Wayne Center, and well over 900 people attended.” including most of Magnavox Management.

Three months later, John Condon, the president-elect of ASQ was the featured speaker at the monthly meeting.

On a national basis, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was commissioned. As 1989 ends certification refresher courses are increased to $90 and the membership is at 646 and over 236 members hold ASQ Certifications.  The membership growth rate for the ten years from 1981 through 1991 was 375%.

The Section is presenting two $600 scholarships each year and it now has a treasury of $28,000 which is expected to continue to increase. The section has committed to sponsor and hold the 46th Midwest Quality Conference in October 1991.

                               

1990-1994

ASQC Gets a New Logo

By 1990 Fort Wayne was beginning to lose Jobs as International Harvester had left for Ohio and GE sent most of its work to plants in Mexico and many smaller automotive suppliers were moving to the south to support the new Japanese auto manufacturers. However section 905 was in high gear with over $36,400 in the scholarship fund and membership growing.

Introduction of national standard ISO-9000 Quality System Registration scheme became a  source of job security, educational opportunities and growth to section membership. Now many small and medium companies added quality personal and this prompts the section to add a certified quality auditor refresher course to its roster of courses.   All this and the new automotive and national registrations that come along during the 90’s made the 1990’s the golden years for Quality and for most Quality Professionals.   

Barb Buhlman became the first woman to win the Guimont award in 1990.

The year 1991 started off with the section hosting the Midwest Conference at the Grand Wayne center in Ft Wayne. The attendance was over 420 section members, the second highest ever for the Midwest Conference. Unfortunately, it was the last  Midwest Conference held in Fort Wayne.  

Quality was diversifying further, increasingly being directed beyond just manufacturing. Monthly section meetings included Quality at FedEx, Quality with a Shared Leadership Organization, and Customer Service: Measurement and Compen­sation for Excellence.

Computers were really beginning to be found in many applications. Perhaps this is highlighted by the presentation in 1993 of ”The Wonders of Normal Probability Paper,” a dying art in the face of SPSS, Mathematics, Omnitab and Minitab.

In late 1992, out of fear that Indiana would fall behind neighboring States in gaining ISO Registrations the State of Indiana’s Governor established the Business Modernization and Technology Corp.  The state of Indiana was divided into four regions and regional Directors were appointed for each.  In December of 1996 Sec.905’s

Lowell Dusseau was appointed Northeastern region’s second Director and in 1999 the third was John Meier.  Because BMT’s training program was almost free to small and medium sized companies over 250 were guided to the various ISO Registrations however its funding was terminated 2004. 

In December0 1993, the TQM Network entered the quality scene.  Established to promote the principles of quality in the Fort Wayne three County Area, it was an extension of the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and included ASQ member Magnavox’s Chuck Roe as well as future mayor Graham Richard on the founding committee.  Dale Siegelin of Magnavox was its first mentor/leader with Jamie Sullivan as his assistant. Jamie Sullivan went on to become the organization's leader.  In December, 1993, spouse nights are changed forever, when Doyle Myer and Max Dillie retires after providing wonderful woodcarvings and art works for twenty years. 

The section finishes 1994 with a membership of 875 and the scholarship fund has reached $71,000 and the section has awarded seven $750.00 scholarships.  From 1991 to 1995 growth was 55% to 1010 members.  

 

1995-1999  

The future of the section still looks bright but change is in the air as its largest supporter Magnavox does major downsizing when defense spending is cut and the company is sold to Raytheon.  Employment at Magnavox drops from over 9000 spread over eight plants at its peak in 1992, to one plant with a 1000 and only 8 ASQ members were left. This and the many other manufacturing plant relocations closings from 1995 on, resulted in the section membership peaking at 1010 in January, 1996, then stay level until January, 1998, before beginning a long slow decline.   

The Quality profession world was changing rapidly.  As the Histogram and meeting topics indicate, many companies were taking the lead in installing quality systems using ISO 9000; 1994 as their guide. Also three USA automakers and GMAC got together and devised QS-9000 that would be applied on their suppliers but not on themselves.

1n 1996 ISO14001environmental standard was introduced, but it was very slow to be implemented. To recognize the changes, in 1997, ASQC (American Society for Quality Control) changed its name to ASQ (American Society for Quality).

Change came to the section as well.  The first women chairpersons were elected.  In 1996, Ann Thompson, followed in 1998 by Beverly Synovitz were elected chairpersons of the section.  Also, a third woman, Bonnie Marschand earned the Guimont Award.

 

Bonnie Marschand receiving the Guimont Award from Jan Schroeder

 

Besides the Guimont award, other awards have come and gone.  Shortly after the founding of the Guimont award, another award surfaced:  the Edward Oakley award that appears to have been offered only in 1972.  Below are examples of the Chairman’s Award and the Grand Prize, a painting offered by Max Dillie, offered every year during the December meeting.  Within months of presenting Bonnie Marschand the Guimont Award Jan was killed in his home built ultra light plane while practicing touch and goes at a local airport. Approximately two hundred section 905 members attended his funeral visitation. Subsequently, the NTSB assigned section member Henry Gallmeyer to investigate the cause of the crash.  

From its start to the mid nineties, Section 905 has spawned four ASQ Fellows.  Section founders Dr. Keith Ross and George Ridge were the first.  Then in the mid 1990’s Les Flott and Henry Gallmeyer became ASQ Fellows.  Also during the late 1990’s due to lack of willing instructors the section board members decided to transfer the certification preparation courses over to IVY Tech with a revenue sharing agreement.  

During 1996, section management decided to invest $15,000 of the section savings for scholarships in mutual funds with ASQ Headquarters in Milwaukee.  Over the years additional funds were invested and the amount on account with ASQ grew to $85,520 nine years later.

The section finishes the decade with a scholarship fund balance of $62,819 and total membership of 923.  (See Appendix A)

 

2000-2004

A  new ASQ Banner containing the new ASQ Logo (Q) is purchased for use at conferences, and etc. By 2000, most of the old timers had retired or were about to retire and new blood is stepping into the section officer and committee chairman positions.  The Histogram newsletters record that Six Sigma  and Six Sigma Black Belt topics dominated the section’s monthly meetings and/or topical growth for much of 2003.

The section membership by 2005 had declined to 579 members, but in June 2005 has a fund balance of $94,911.45.  ASQ Section 0905 began acting in concert with other area quality-oriented groups, including TQM Network, with whom the section co-hosted five All-Day Conferences starting in 2002. 

               

2005-2009/10

ASQ 905 also paired up with the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society for Materials and Engineers Week in 2005.  Our Regional Director was featured at the September 2005 dinner meeting.

The section was still using the multi-speaker format for their All Day conferences but attendance had dwindled down to thirty-two in 2005-2006 and the 2006-2007 conference was cancelled for lack of attendance.  At the recommendation of John Chalmers, for the next three conferences, single speakers would be selected based on their national recognition as a speaker from the world of quality professionals.  It worked for the next three all-day conferences as the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010 conferences had sufficient attendance to continue the conferences.  The speakers were Donald Wheeler, Forest Breyfegle and Dennis Arter, all authors of technical books on quality engineering processes.

The section has invested in the youth of northeast Indiana. March 2010 marks the 24th consecutive year of providing scholarships to students interested in the various sciences and engineering professions. In 2006, the contributions topped $12,000 spread among 14 students, the highest amount ever. However, the individual amounts have not yet been adjusted for the now very high cost of attending college. The legacy of Section 0905 can be found in its Scholarship Program.  (See Appendix B)

From the beginning ASQ being the only professional group focused on “quality control” to the present day first among equals in quality “systems” and “standards,” ASQ has raised the profession from infancy, through adolescence, to model citizen.

As of June 2010, the section’s membership is down to 410 and the section funds stand at $65,000.00.  

 

Let us hope that the next Celebration Book revisions speak of the next Grand Age of Quality and Northeastern Indiana Section 905’s role in keeping faithful to its mission of promoting the growth of our areas Quality Professionals.

 

Thanks to all those contributors who supplied Old Nor’Easters, Histograms and other key data for this very long and challenging effort.

 

To Dan Templeton for his great first Draft.  

Special thanks to John Chalmers, David Masanz and Mindy Robinson for their many inputs and contributions to this History.

 

To Lowell Dusseau for completing this final Celebration Book 65 Years of ASQ Section Northeastern Indiana ---April 2010 

 

Note: All the newsletters and other data used for this effort have been archived and retained, for those who would have an interest in them.

 

List Of Appendix’s:

A:  Membership Trends   

B:  List of Scholarships awarded

C:  List of Section Chairs

D:  Officers & Committee Chairs.

E:  Year-end Financial data.

F: Notable Events and Highlights