History of Lake States TAPPI

By John R. Peckham*

Revised and updated by H.S. (Doug) Dugal and Alan Button.

Little did Dr. Theobald Bentzen, Chief Chemist of the Whiting-Plover Paper Co., realize what he had set in motion when he floated the idea of a "Wisconsin Paper Technologist Club" in early 1930. A meeting held at the Hotel Menasha on October 17 and attended by more than 50 men (plus President Max Krimmel and Secretary "Mac" Mac Donald of National TAPPI) resulted in a request for a "Wisconsin Section of TAPPI" charter! When it arrived, it was for a Lake States Section (LST) and Upper Michigan and Minnesota had been appended.

Early meetings were confined mostly to the Fox River Valley, and for years the Hotel Conway in Appleton was the chosen site. Meetings were held on the second Tuesday of the month, and dues were set at $1 per year. By 1933 the new section boasted 133 members. In their first decade a solid membership basis and a reputation for informative speakers were established. Good coverage of their accomplishments was provided by the official TAPPI publication, then the Paper Trade Journal.

The year 1943 saw the beginning of a competition for young paper scientists, which in 1955 became known as the C. J. West Meeting and later C. J. West Memorial Competition (Named after Dr. West who was editor at the Institute of Paper Chemistry from 1936 until his death in February 1953. He received the TAPPI Medal in 1937). Between 1943 and 1955 our records do not reveal the success of the idea, perhaps because of the wartime when meeting continuity was at the mercy of travel restrictions. Winning authors at the C.J. West Competition were given small cash stipends by the Section. We have come a long way since then. For example, the 1987 five cash prizes ranged from $50 to $200. Also the winner was authorized to go to the TAPPI Annual Meeting. In 1990, because of a lack of industry participation, the C. J. West competition was cancelled.

The 20th year anniversary of our founding was celebrated in Wausau on April 10, 1951, where Allen Abrams, perhaps the most influential of our promoters, spoke on "The Next 20 Years." The fifties were especially exciting for the Section: a social meeting was inaugurated, a special meeting featuring internationally famous Borje Steenberg drew over 300 members and guests, and regular meetings fanned out over the state as far as Madison and Milwaukee.

Now a leader in TAPPI, the LST of the 1960's introduced an Educational Committee, and state high school students were made aware of the careers available in the pulp and paper industry. Minnesota, with the help of the Executive Committee, split off a separate District in 1965 (it is now the Minnesota Section). Lake States Reflections were first published in 1967. The seventies were exuberant times - the two-day meeting was started, past chairmen were honored in 1975, and Student Chapters were established at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the Fox Valley Technical Institute (now know as Fox Valley Technical College, FVTC). LST took over the membership lead of all TAPPI Section in 1975 and granted its first Life Membership in 1979.

The decade of the '80's began with a heavy celebration of our Fiftieth Anniversary, again in Wausau. Specially designed mugs and lapel pins went to all who attended. A new student chapter was also established at the Institute of Paper Chemistry, IPC (now known as Institute of Paper Science and Technology) which moved to Atlanta, GA in July 1989. LST-PIMA ties were strengthened. LST and North Central PIMA have held joint meetings for many years. In 2008, PIMA was integrated into National TAPPI.

LST membership levels continued to rise for many years, but have declined in recent years as the paper industry has had a general contraction. LST information and meeting announcements still go to an audience of nearly 1,800.

The LST Executive Committee works hard to provide interesting, timely and quality programs year after year. Our technical sessions have been well attended and many times have attracted people from out of our region. This would not have been possible without help from our membership and support from the pulp and paper industry.

* Note: John Peckham died September 7, 1986, age 72.