Coming in the Winter BULLETIN: The General Meeting Turns 85
Woodrow Wilson had just ended his two-term presidency and Warren G. Harding was a month away from his inauguration as the 29th president of the United States when 60 men gathered in Detroit, Michigan, in February 1921, to commence the first of what would become 85 annual meetings, across a span of 95 years, between The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
The cooperative association between ASME, the National Board, and other vital industry partners continues to thrive. This year when General Meeting attendants gather for the Opening Session in Kissimmee, Florida, on May 9, they will be part of an historic 85-year achievement of professional collaboration, standards development, and industry fraternization established to uphold safety in the boiler and pressure vessel industry.
The origin of the General Meeting and its evolution across 85 years is the topic of the winter 2016 BULLETIN cover story. Here’s a sneak peek:
Concerned for disparate codes and standards employed throughout the country, Ohio Chief Inspector C.O. Myers called a meeting in December of 1919 of North America’s chief inspectors to discuss creating an organization that would bring together all jurisdiction officials to create a connection through which codes and standards could be assimilated among the various jurisdictions. And thus was created The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.
Given the success of the Ohio inspectors’ convention, Myers launched an effort to gather all key North American constituent groups at one meeting, including all jurisdiction inspectors, American Society of Mechanical Engineers boiler code officials, and influential boiler companies and organizations.
The first General Meeting in 1921 was a three-day event which convened at 10 a.m. at the Hotel Statler in Detroit on Wednesday, February 2. Detroit was chosen as host city because of its central location that allowed participation of industry professionals traveling across the country. Fifty-six people in attendance included members of the upstart National Board and the ASME Boiler Code Committee. Among the jurisdictions represented by National Board members were: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Chicago, Erie (Pennsylvania), Kansas City (Missouri), Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle, Allegheny County (Pennsylvania), Ontario, (Canada), and New Glasgow (Canada).
Also included is an ASME perspective on the anniversary through a conversation with ASME Project Engineer Manager, Standards & Certification, Joseph S. Brzuszkiewicz.
The winter BULLETIN will be available in February. To subscribe to the BULLETIN, click here. Subscription is free. Current and past issues of the publication are available in PDF format, in the the online archive here.