washington chapter history
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In 1950, the Chapter hosted the first Northwest Regional Conference; the British Columbia, Oregon, and Oregon State University Chapters were co-sponsors.
Charlie Anderson, first chapter chairman, was general conference chairman. Registration was $6.50 ($10.00 for couples); sessions were held downtown and at the University of Washington. Leon Morel Sr.’s talk, “An Artist in Bronze,” was featured at the dinner.
Attendees at an early conference in Canada showed such enthusiasm for partying that the hotel asked them never to return.
Attendance at the Regionals, held annually and revolving between Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland, was in the several hundred range. More recently attendance has decreased, reflecting the decline in the foundry industry both in the Northwest and nationally.
Early conferences mostly broke even financially. In 1988 the Washington Chapter held Tabletops, giving presenters the opportunity to discuss their wares after their talks. This led to the very financially successful booths that have made the conferences the primary source of revenue for the Chapter.
The Regionals have also kept alive the Apprenticeship Contest, once also held at the national level.
In 1985 the Chapter started the Grand Champion Molder contest, reviving the cup, saucer, spoon as a single casting, the traditional test of a journeyman molder’s skill. In 1997 the Washington Regional was moved to Tacoma and held there again in 2000. In 2003 it was moved back to Seattle.
A primary mission of AFS is education, and the Washington Chapter has supported education for its members throughout its existence, both through monthly meetings and conferences, as well as symposiums and courses. A sand course, for instance, was frequently offered over the years.
The Chapter also supported education at high school and university levels. The University of Washington in the early years had a well-equipped foundry, and several professors, including Gilbert Schaller, William Snyder, and Paul Ford, were active in the Chapter. The University’s engineering school trained industrial arts teachers, and the Chapter supported Paul Ford’s participation in WIAA (Western Industrial Arts Association) meetings.
In 1967 the Chapter initiated a scholarship for a student in the University’s mechanical engineering department who also worked in a foundry; Ken Sandell, who was working for Washington Iron Works, was the first recipient. This scholarship program continued into the 1970’s.
In 1978 the University became the region’s FEF (Foundry Educational Foundation) accredited school when the program was discontinued at Oregon State. The University’s program ended in1983 with the retirement of Paul Ford.
In 1987 the Chapter began its association with FEF asking the foundation to administer an annual scholarship for a student in the foundry program at Central Washington University. This led to supporting the application of Central to be recognized as an FEF accredited school; this was eventually accomplished with the assistance of the Oregon AFS Chapter. Bob Mortenson and Jason McGowan have represented the region on the FEF Board.
In 1988 the two chapters helped to purchase a gas-fired aluminum furnace that greatly assisted the program at Central. Over the years at the urging of Central’s foundry professor, Bo Beed, many chapter members have contributed classroom time, materials, and surplus equipment to the university. A number of Central’s foundry program students have entered the industry and become active chapter members.
The Chapter has continued to provide significant financial support to the Central Washington foundry program under Craig Johnson, Bo Beed’s successor. The Chapter also supplied textbooks to participants in the foundry apprenticeship program that was held on Harbor Island under the auspices of South Seattle Community College.
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