Sixth Time in Tampa

Over 50 people attended the 1998 convention of the American Amateur Press Association, held in Tampa, Florida, during May 14 - 17. Members came from as far away as Paris, France, and Santiago, Chile, to enjoy a relaxing but informative weekend.

Convention chairman Lee Hawes has participated in numerous AAPA conventions and hosted successful Tampa gatherings in 1966, 1971, 1981, 1986, and 1991. He was assisted by fellow Tampa member Fred Liddle.

The first function on opening night, Thursday, May 14th, was dinner at the Valencia Garden restaurant.

Friday morning's session started at 9:30 with a word of welcome from the convention committee and reports from officers (Official Editor Mike O'Connor, Mailer Jack Scott, Manuscript Manager Joe Gardner, Board of Directors chair Les Boyer, and President Dean Rea). Speakers during the day included Dave Tribby ("AAPA on the Web"), Marge Petrone ("Writing for Play...and Plays"), Joanna Fox ("AAPA From an Almost-New Member's Point-of-View"), Jim Anderson ("Olde Mill House Gallery & Printing Museum, Homosassa"), and the team of Len Carrick, Fred Liddle, & Harry Spence ("How to Maintain Regularity...in Publishing, That is"). The traditional visit to a Chinese restaurant (Ho Ho's) was Friday night.

Saturday's presenters included Dean Rea ("How to Introduce Friends to Picas, Press and Printing"), Al Fick & J.Hill Hamon ("Poe-e-try For You and Me"), Don Brady ("Miniature Books"), and J. Hill Hamon ("Writing One's Memoirs, Part II"). In the afternoon Sky Shipley, assisted by his wife Johanna, led a fast-paced auction that raised $820.

The banquet Saturday night included presentation of awards:

• First Annual Sheldon C. & Helen Wesson Award for the Preservation of Letterpress Printing to Rich Hopkins for his work in Monotype University and keeping thousands of matrices. He received the Wesson miniature (2 by 4) press that was carried to various Army camps to publish during World War II. (Lee Hawes' remarks are available on a separate page.)

• Linda Donaldson announced the Past Presidents' Award for Best New Journal went to Ken Rystrom for Sea Watch Press. Runners-up were David and Ruth George for Tantau Avenue Review and Johanna Shipley for Joyance.

• Presidential Citations from Dean Rea:
  • Leland Hawes, Jr. & Fred Liddle...for hosting this and other conventions, by making this trip to Tampa so enjoyable for fellow members and by fostering the spirit of amateur journalism through your longtime participation in this hobby.
  • Barry Schrader...for more than a decade promoting the printing craft and in recruiting members during the annual Printers' Fair in San Francisco.
  • David Tribby...for surveying the field of telecommunications as a potential medium for the practice and enjoyment of amateur journalism, by establishing and updating AAPA's home pages on the Internet and by your longtime service in publishing Ink Cahoots.
  • Dale and Mary Jane Stedman...as photographers of the annual convention entourage--a task requiring a sharp focus, a drill sergeant's skill of troop assembly and the ability to decipher names scribbled on a clipboard to match faces on a photograph.
  • Ginger...by publishing a dog-gone good journal, Ginger Snaps, and by guarding and guiding the otherwise wayward hand of a sometimes dentist, occasional pilot and amateur journalist Len Carrick, I hereby name you as an honorary member with all of the rights that you can gnaw, paw and beg from this merry pack of fellow printers and writers.

• Convention Chairman Lee Hawes announced three recognition awards:
  • Charlie Bush, for attending twenty-five consecutive AAPA conventions.
  • Helen Wesson, for sixty years of participation in amateur journalism. (John Vaglienti's remarks are available on a separate page.)
  • Jack Bond, for sixty-five years of participation in amateur journalism. (Lee Hawes' remarks are available on a separate page.)

The picnic at Fred and Betty Liddle's wound up festivities on Sunday afternoon. Members finished setting type for the convention paper, which Fred will print for distribution in the bundle.

Greg McKelvey took electronic pictures during the convention. Twenty of the photos are available for viewing.