Woodwork Institute Seminor Gets Down to Cqses

An all-time record for any Woodwork Institute of California meeting was set on Thursday evening, October 2'1, when 327 millwork operators, lumbermen, architects and interested spectators attended a banquet and millwork seminar at the Sheraton-Palace hotel in San F rancisco.

The October 27 and, 28 San Francisco Seminar opened late in the first day with 5:00 p.m. registration, followed by a two-hour session in the Palace's large exhibit hall, where an exceptionally fine collection of woodwork exhibits vrere on display.

tr'ollowing dinner, WIC President Ellmer Vivian, General Veneer Mfg. Co., opened the "Millwork Seminar" which highlighted the two-day conference.

T'he seminar was chairmanned by Richard De Lacy, Central Mill

Bud Critchfield, the up.andcoming young head of California Wood Products at Santa Rosa. was the moderator of the Danel-and here he is in action!

Wilton Smith of G-P's San Jose branch shows his wares to an architect

Reg Taylor, George Lefler and Erick Ahlbom were The Panel at the Seminar for college students on Friday afternoon

& Cabinet Co., and the program moderator was E. M. "Bud" Critchfield, California Wood Products, Santa Rosa.

Speakers included Aaron Green, AIA, west coast representative for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in San X'rancisco; S. S. Karns, Hollenbeck Bush Planing Mill Co.; Reg Taylor, Taylor Millwork and Stair Co., and O. E, Long, architectural services director for the Institute.

The second and third gentlemen (in the center) are Charles Stauffacher and Dick DeLacy, who was general chairman of the meeting and ably assisted by Charles. The other names were not available orville Samon and Joe Mullin of tie San Francisco offices with a friend

Green, speaking for the architectural profession, expressed the need for closer communications between his profession and the millwork industry, In defining his profession, Green modestly described the architectural profession as the "prime spark of the building industry."

"I think," Green declared, "that if you will look at all these exhibits today, you will see the result of the creative architect."

In commenting: upon the "dignity of his profession," Green noted that despite a tendency for the building industry to take "the easy way out," the architectural profession will continue to fight its "mecha^nistic surroundings" (the erection of "sterile boxes" instead of structures produced from creative architectural design).

In closing, Green paid tribute to the WIC, noting that he felt certain that its members would cooperate in solving the "details of the desigrr."

Wind-up speaker O. E. Long, with obvious reference to a recent trend toward component construction in California, noted that he felt the millwork industry is becoming increasingly important to the architectural profession because it is the "only industry that still encourages variability of desigrr."

Before inviting open discussion from the record attendance of architects present, WIC President Elmer Vivian pretty well summed up the Institute's position when it comes to specifying and buying millwork:

"Gentlemenr" he ileclared, "I h&ve just one thing to say. To hell with Suarantees-buy quality."

At the Board of Directors meeting on F riday morning, the principal activity of interest was the appointment of George Lefler, former chief draftsmanr for Pacific Manufacturing Co., as WIC's new technical director.

A member of the WIC Technlcal Committee slnce its lnceptlon, Lefler wlll servlce the Northern California, area, whllo O. E. "Nlel" Long wlll move to Los Angeles, where he wlll contlnuo ln the seme cepaclty on a, full-timo basls ln Southern California.

Ozzie Steinbrenner and Stan Gustafson are at least two of these Sacto members but the others got away

Some 55 WIC members attended the noon luncheon and business session for reports of interest to the members regarding tJre activities of WIC and proposed activities for the coming year. This session was adjourned at 2:30 p,m. to permit panel members to assemble for a seminar held for college students from S. F'. State, U. C., Heald Business College, and several other Bay-area institutions.

An unusual and valuable session, a great deal of interest was shown by the students and their instructors. In each case, the schools requested a chalce to participate in future seminars of this type. Panel members included Dr. F red Dickinson, Niel Long, S. S; Karns, Reg Taylor, Erick Ahlbom and George Lefler.

An active two days of business finalized, WIC members, wives