HISTORY UPDATE
1991 - 2001

The position of a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee, first instituted for POLY in 1976, is particularly valuable to the Division. Through his direct involvement with the Membership Committee, membership booth at the meetings, membership surveys and promotion, the Member-at-Large provides a direct link between the Executive Committee and the membership at large.

At the POLY 40th anniversary celebration in Philadelphia in 1991, all the past chairs of the Division were presented with plaques in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Division.

Historical listings for the whole period 1951-2001 are provided in the Appendices:

APPENDIX B. Officers

APPENDIX C. Councilors and Alternate Councilors

b. Business Office

At every ACS National Meeting, the Division has a membership table and successfully gains new members through a skillful promotion of membership advantages. Polymer Preprints and POLY symposia proceedings, published by the ACS, are equally promoted by the Business Manager and her associates who are at the table.

Diane L. Morrill was the Business Manager from 1990 to 1995. She lost a long battle with cancer in 1996, yet even during that battle she was working almost till the end. Her pleasant and constant smile, and cheerful voice will be fondly remembered by all who had contact with her.

In 1995, Neta Byerly took over as the Business Manager and capably manages the complex POLY business dealings with skill and confidence. Kathy Linkous is helping in managing the membership booth and also in preparing for publication and display commemorative material for the 50th anniversary celebration. The Business Office is currently located at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA.

Neta Byerly, Business Office Manager

c. POLY in Electronic Age

Thanks to Frank Blum's vision, the Division has continued to provide new technology to the members. In 1993, three electronic mailing lists were initiated: POLYEXEC for the POLY Executive Committee (about 12 members), POLYBOARD for the POLY Executive Board (about 50 members), and POLY for general membership (originally about 100 members in some 7 countries). The first two are being used for administrative communication which speeds up the processes of deciding on and implementing of many beneficial programs, and the third, known as the POLY Electronic Discussion List, to disseminate the news and to exchange scientific information. Now, it reaches some 1500 members or about 20% of the POLY membership. It also includes academic and industrial employment postings, award information, and meeting announcements.

When Internet was still in infancy, Frank Blum single-handedly created a POLY Web site in 1995. Now, it consists of many pages which provide detailed information about the organization and history of the Division, membership benefits, educational activities, meetings, workshops, and awards. The POLY Web site is now accessible as http://www.polyacs.org.

The Past Chairs' Long-Range Planning Committee, formed in 1998, has reviewed trends in areas having current or future impact on POLY. At their recommendation, the e-Poly Task Force, cochaired by Judith L. Benham and Robert S. Moore, has developed a broad electronic communications vision for POLY, justifiably entitled "POLY e-Business: Virtual POLY", which would position POLY in the era of digital-age/Internet communication. This in turn would lead to new strategies for enhanced member services such as electronic participation in workshops by off-site attendees. Based on their recommendations, POLY formed the e-POLY Committee to lead the Division in attaining its electronic communications vision.

d. ACS Governance

		Charles C. Price - ACS President (1965)
		William J. Sparks - ACS President (1966)
		Charles G. Overberger - ACS President (1967)
		William J. Bailey - ACS President (1975)
		Gordon L. Nelson - ACS President (1988)
		Eli M. Pearce - ACS President-Elect (2001)

		Charles Overberger and William Bailey also served as Chairmen of the Board of Directors.

		Frederick E. Bailey - Director, Region I (1990-1991)
		Gordon L. Nelson - Director-at-Large (1992-1994)
		Maureen G. Chan - Director, Region III (1997-2002)
		Eli M. Pearce - Director-at-Large (1999-2001)
		James D. Burk - Director-at-Large (2000-2002)

		Eli M. Pearce - Chair, Science Committee (1994-1996)
		Elsa Reichmanis - Chair, Science Committee (2000-2002)

		Stanley C. Israel - Chair, Nominations and Election Committee (1998-2000)

		Frank D. Blum - Chair, Divisional Activities Committee (2000-2002)

POLY through its Councilors (four since 1978) provides a balanced counsel to the ACS Council, emphasizing the ACS commitment to its members, especially in professional and educational matters.

	The following were the Councilors in the last decade (in alphabetical order):

	 Roger L. Clough 		Robert S. Moore
	 William H. Daly		Eli M. Pearce
	 Adi Eisenberg			Shalaby W. Shalaby
	 Diana J. Gerbi			Jan M. Stouffer
	 Stanley C. Israel		Kenneth J. Wynne 

	Eli Pearce served as Councilor from 1982 to 1998, and Stan Israel has served continuously since 1990.

e. Membership

In 1999, thanks to the initiative of the current Member-at-Large, Kenneth R. Carter, the Membership Committee was reorganized to consist of representatives from academia, industry, government, and non-U.S. polymer community. While re-invigorating activities on recruiting, retaining, and recognition of members, it is focusing on an effort to maintain and analyze membership data, to provide membership communications content, and to provide the leadership in maintaining focus on membership requirements and needs.

The Division membership grew gradually from 414 in 1951 to 1985 when it reached 8,241. In the last decade the membership hovered around 8,000. Figures for years 1998, 1999, and 2000 are 8,109, 8,158, and 8,196, respectively. These include members and affiliates. The number of new members gained at the meetings through the Membership Booth, managed by Kathy Linkous, is most impressive.

In 1999, Frank Blum initiated the "2000 X 2000 membership drive", so called to attract 2,000 new Division members by the end of 2000. This was achieved a few months earlier at the 220th ACS National Meeting in August 2000. The net gain may be somewhat smaller, since in any given year some members do not renew their membership.

f. Publicity

g. Finances

Kathleen Havelka Polymer Division Treasurer

The finances of the Division have been very well managed by the successive Treasurers in the last decade: Bill Daly, Tom Pacansky, Bob Stackman, and Kathleen Havelka. The Division has a considerable amount of investments that continues to provide an important source of income. Bill Daly instituted the first electronic method for the Division to record its financial transactions and setup a process for the Division to make and review investments of its strategic funds. The biggest burden on the treasury has always been the publication of Polymer Preprints, which, however, is expected to be considerably reduced when the electronic version becomes the primary medium, and only a limited number of hard copies are printed. The workshops and biennial symposia have contributed to the increased cash flow in 2000. By the year end, an approximate 5% gain is expected, bringing the total asset value to $500,000.

In a typical year, the income comes from dues, industrial sponsors, ACS allotments, workshops, royalties, advertising, dividends, interests, and grants. Expenses include publication costs of Polymer Preprints and Newsletters, costs associated with meetings and workshops, business office expenses, grants and awards, and the support of POLYED, IPEC, and other committees.

The annual dues for members were increased to $20 in 1995.