ASME PHILADELPHIA SECTION HISTORY

Organization

ASME International is currently structured into ten Districts (formerly thirteen regions). Each District is sub-divided into localized senior Sections. The Sections are staffed by ASME members that volunteer to serve the local membership. Sections represent the base support for ASME membership. The structure of each Section consists of local members and a volunteer group of active members that form an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee plans and implements activities and programs that it believes will most benefit the local membership within the means of the Section budget. Sections receive financial and logistical support from ASME International, and report their financial and activity status to the parent organization. Section Executive Committee members are elected to serve for an annual term with a transition date of July 1st. Student Sections are also established for each college or university with an accredited mechanical engineering program within the section jurisdiction. The student sections are organized by a volunteer faculty advisor.

Jurisdiction

The ASME Philadelphia Section represents and serves Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania and all counties in Southern New Jersey.

Charter

The ASME Philadelphia Section is resolved to provide a localized professional organization for ASME members residing within its jurisdiction. To this end the Section endeavors to fulfill the following responsibilities:

• Encourage and facilitate communication and learning between local ASME members
• Promote the mechanical engineering profession and ASME initiatives
• Support local universities with mechanical engineering programs
• Disseminate information concerning local activities and planned programs
• Acknowledge achievements of local members

History

Overview

The Philadelphia Section was created in 1944. The Section continues to serve its jurisdiction with a core of dedicated active members. The Section is governed by a structure of by-laws created at its inception and later updated in 2002 and currently undergoing another revision that is expected to finish before the end of 2009. The history of the Section is generational in nature due to its longevity and its approach of transitioning leadership on an annual basis. The more current history is therefore more detailed in nature.

Leadership

Adopted Section by-laws define the structure of the Section leadership into an Executive Committee of local members. The Executive Committee is led by a Section Chair. Support to the Chair is provided by a Vice Chair, a Secretary, Treasurer, and up to four Directors. The general duties of these posts are defined within the Section by-laws. Members are nominated to fill Executive Committee posts in the Spring of each year. After an election process, the members serve an annual term starting July 1^st. A list of those that served as Philadelphia Section Chair is presented with this history document.

Achievements

During the 1960s the Section facilitated a series of well-attended professional development courses for its members. These course programs generated a substantial income for the Section and these funds have been actively maintained as a Section trustee account. The Section also held a successful revenue-generating course for 18 members in 2006.

The Section has four mechanical engineering landmarks dedicated within its jurisdiction. The engineering landmarks and their year of dedication are presented below:

· Fairmount Waterworks Pump House originally constructed in 1815, dedicated in 1976

· USS Olympia Vertical Reciprocating Steam Engines built in 1892, dedicated in 1976

· Eddystone Supercritical Steam Power Generation Unit #1 built in 1960, dedicated in 2004

· US Standard Screw Threads defined in 1864, dedicated in 2005

Recurring Support

Inception-Present: program meetings and newsletter communications to members; more recently Section-wide email notifications and Community of Practice on-line networks.

1992-Present: Mechanical engineering student project financial support for local universities and colleges [Drexel, Penn, Rowan, Swarthmore, Temple, Villanova, and Widener].

1990-Present: Delaware Valley Science Council financial support for Bachelor of Science incoming freshman scholarships.

1990-Present: Delaware Valley Engineer’s Club Engineer’s Week program participation.

2001-Present: Engineer’s Club Future City competition judging and financial awards for middle school students.

2009: Substantial contributions to the FIRST competition, especially to Team 1640.

Section Execution

Section Officers

Executive Committee is composed of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer that perform Section duties that are specified in the Section By-laws.

Programs

Presentations and tours involving state-of-the-art technologies are most popular with the membership. Meetings historically average an attendance of about 30 members. Advance registration is always suggested and the number of no-shows typically balances the number of unregistered attendees. Rotation of the meeting location helps to involve members from different vicinities within the Section, but this is not a conclusive means of increasing attendance.

Student Section Coordination

A coordination and idea exchange meeting is typically held in early autumn between the senior section leadership and the local student section officers. This meeting informs the student sections about the competition guidelines for available project funding. It also sets the groundwork for a mid-Winter student night program meeting. The meeting is also a forum for the student sections to jointly pursue common interests and to communicate their goals for projects, programs, and tours.

Treasury

In order to keep the Section financially solvent and proactive, a treasury report of Section activity is kept up to date by the current treasurer and reviewed at each Executive Committee meeting for accuracy. The treasury report is established in accordance with the categories defined by the approved budget and is initialized using the funding limits authorized by the Executive Committee.

Financial Audit

A self audit process is conducted by members of the Executive Committee at the end of each term. This process is deemed sufficient to maintain the integrity of Section finances. The self audit is coordinated by the treasurer who reconciles the income and expenses against funding budgeted or approved by an Executive Committee meeting vote. The reconciled report and supporting financial artifacts are presented to at least two auditing members of the Executive Committee for approval.

Reporting to ASME

Several items must be reported to ASME International according to a defined time-table in order to receive annual Section funding. The forms and procedures for required reporting are assembled in a Section Toolbox on the ASME web site:

http://districts.asme.org/leadershiptoolbox/

The main items for reporting are summarized below:

• Unit Operation Budget/Plan and Annual Financial Report provides the previous term financial reporting and presents the budget for the incoming term. This form is completed in late August to meet the September 1^st ASME filing deadline.
• Section Merit Funding Program Form presents a complete review of Section activities and results in a score for ASME funding support. This report is completed at the beginning of the term to meet an October 1^st filing deadline.
• After Activity Reports are entered on-line as a means of crediting the Section for programs or Executive Committee meetings that it holds. This accounting is required for the Merit-based Funding. The set of Activity Reports for the term should be reflected in the final Merit Funding submission.
• Section Officer listing is reported to ASME at the beginning of each term.

Member Development

Starting in 2007 and continuing to the present, the Section has supported an outreach program to practicing young engineers in the area. The outreach is called the Philadelphia Young Engineers organization (PYE). Member development for PYE has concentrated on social activities to get young engineers within the area in contact with one another and build career networks outside of their work organizations. The Section is also supporting long-time distinguished members by working their nominations for fellow grade within the ASME society.

Philadelphia Section Chairs

2009-10 Fred Willis

2008-09 Fred Willis

2007-08 Mark Nicosia

2006-07 LeRoy W. Alaways

2005-06 Kevin Keenan

2004-05 Palavi Lal

2003-04 James M. Tully

2002-03 James M. Tully

2001-02 Gerard F. Jones

2000-01 Nelson Macken

1999-00 Nelson Macken

1998-99 David Bartlett

1997-98 Thomas Monari

1996-97 Dean R. Cave

1995-96 John J. Wolf

1994-95 Melvin Cohen

1993-94 Kenneth Kroos

1992-93 Caren Anders

1991-92 Carl Wiedersum / Caren Anders

1990-91 Steven Gibbon

1989-90 Francis L. Walicki

1988-89 Francis L. Walicki

1987-88 Edward V. McAssey Jr.

1986-87 James H. Daniels

1985-86 Bernard Stelzenmuller

1984-85 Frank K. Gabriel

1983-84 John F. O’Rourke

1982-83 Arthur L. Ross

1981-82 George F. Daebeler

1980-81 Bernard J. Krant

1979-80 Alvin L. Stock

1978-79 Robert N. Hubby

1977-78 Robert L. Osborne

1976-77 Joseph J. Santoleri

1975-76 William H. Coleman

1974-75 George Kotnick

1973-74 Edwin C. Williams

1972-73 Robert H. Hunter

1971-72 Samuel Mercer, Jr.

1970-71 Vincent S. Boyer [also served as President for ASME National]

1969-70 Richard A. Handschumacher

1968-69 Frederick C. Heller

1967-68 John B. Mochel

1966-67 William T. Hirsch

1965-66 Carl L. Newman, Jr.

1964-65 Albert Schade III

1963-64 Wayne C. Astley

1962-63 John C. Spahr

1961-62 John T. Evans

1960-61 Theodore S. Fetter, Jr.

1959-60 William B. Pegram

1958-59 Thomas W. Hopper

1957-58 Wallace E. Belcher, Jr.

1956-57 James H. Harlow [also served as President for ASME National]

1955-56 Robert E. Derby

1954-55 James A. Quaid

1953-54 Clarence C. Franck

1952-53 Robert W. Worley

1951-52 George M. Muschamp

1950-51 Walter J. Kinderman

1949-50 Clarence B. Campbell

1948-49 Burton F. Keene

1947-48 Merwyn C. Randall

1946-47 Sidney T. Mackenzie

1945-46 Justin J McCarthy

1944-45 Frank W. Miller

Revision History

30 May, 2007; Original Release; Dean R. Cave, Author

25 June, 2008; Annual Update; Dean R. Cave, Treasurer

31 August, 2009; Annual Update; Dean R. Cave, Vice Chair