Rio Grande Valley Litho Club


	Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley Litho Club home page.

	Meetings For information or to make a reservation, please call: Bobby Sierra at 956-683-0247

	Rio Grande Valley Litho Club Officers

	President Bobby Sierra Fasclampitt 501 East Fir Ave McAllen, TX 956-683-0247

	Rio Grande Valley Litho Club An Unauthorized History

	Any historical accounting has to have a beginning, and the origin of The Rio Grande Valley Litho Club, is no exception. The following reflections on our club, begins with one printer's family moving to the "Valley"... 1976- Houston, Texas The city was in the midst of an uncontrolled "boom". It seemed like a gold rush, and indeed it was "black gold" was pushing the economy to new heights. An employed printer was in hog heaven. He could change jobs at will, sometimes even doubling his income. Printing was in high demand, no matter what the cost - and so were the craftsmen. Printing fortunes were being made in Houston, and to many it seemed like the time and place to be. Eighteen hundred people a day were moving Houston, according to the newspapers. If any town could keep up with this demand, Houston could. But try as it did, vibrant Houston could only create new housing and jobs for about four hundred a day. That left a lot of people with a real concern for shelter and food. Their hopes and dreams soon turned into desperate acts of survival, creating a whole new set of problems for the local citizenry. Unemployment, crime, traffic and smog were increasing faster than could be handled. Wanting to start a family, we decided there had to be a better place to pursue our trade. A visit with Don Piercy, at the Printing Industries office, produced a lead in the "Valley". Pay was not that great, but a call to the chamber said the town was growing - eighteen hundred new citizens, the last year. The similarity in numbers was too much to resist, and the move was made, in early 1977. 1977 - The Rio Grande Valley of Texas Our only exposure to the industry being "state of the art" Houston, we expected the same in the Valley. After all, doesn't everyone attend the same trade shows, buy from the same suppliers, see the same tech reps, etc. ? Well, we may have been naive, but think that a 25 year step back in time would have caught anyone off guard. Letterpress, lino's, matt casters, and flat-beds had become "specialty shops" in Houston, but were the norm here. In this eleven-county South Texas area - and Texas counties are larger than some states - offset technology seemed to still be in it's infancy. The "workhorse" at our shop (the third largest, in this area) was a 22" ATF, circa '47-'54, used primarily for process work. Even with that press, about one third of our process work was still being done letterpress! In this sixty-two thousand square mile area, there were only two supply houses, no paper houses, no trade shops, no four color presses, no forms houses, and no Kwik-Kopy. The nearest trade shop was in San Antonio, a mere 254 miles to the north. It was like being in n a different country . The Valley Litho Club Craftsmen have a way of gathering, and it wasn't long before I found another half-dozen transplanted, knowledgeable printers. We all shared the common yearning to improve upon our trade. Having all been litho and/or crafts man club members before, it didn't take but just a couple of beers before we decided to start our own. The owners, being all for free education of their employees, got behind the idea and guaranteed attendance. The only thing left was to find someone to do the work. Transplanted Printers Join Together To Form Local Organization These half-dozen drew straws, and the club began with two directors (one becoming the first president), and continues to this date. An alphabetical listing of these club leaders, follow. The years they se served (often too many) and their exact order doesn't really matter. Toni Flores Rey Gaytan Jerry Hudnall James Kirman Richard Longoria Rosie Longoria Mike McPeak Clive Roe,III Jim Williamson Litho Clubbing Ups & Downs Since it's beginnings in 1977, our club has been successful in many endeavors, and not so successful I in others. We've had a high membership of 200 (w/35-45 regular attendance) and a low of 8 members (w/all attending). We've had excellent programs with poor attendance, and poor programs with excellent attendance, and vice-versa. The local industry has greatly improved, due at least in some small part to the club's existence. Club members were responsible for: 1) First getting the local industry to work together by sharing production capabilities; 2) Bringing in n the first (and direly needed) pricing and half-tone seminars, 3) Putting the Valley "on the map", as far as tech reps were concerned, and 4)Beginning and sustaining for 14 years, the industry's only annual salt-water fishing tournament. These advances would not have been possible without the united effort of industry members. Few tech reps can justify a 250 mile "out of the way" trip (we're only "on the way" to Mexico) to visit with one printer. While a group of printers, with the support of "National", is quite another story. Scholarships Education is the primary purpose of our club. Changing technology demands a concerted effort by the working trade, just to stay aware of what's going on much less staying of top of it. A lot of greybeards don't even attempt it, so we see our industry's future in the new generation. To this end, our club has sponsored a printing scholarship program since 1981. The following sixteen students have been awarded scholarships: Irasema Garcia, Mark Davis, Jose Luis Villafuerte, Rosa Tovar, Elizabeth Zuniga, Mike Fernandez, Christina Flores, Gloria B. Molina, Sandra Salinas, Juan Francisco De Hoyos, Johanna M. Swetish, Marcos Madrigal, Andrew Einkauf, Luisa Gonzalez, Rene Costilla and Dalia Barren. These former students came from different ethnic and geographical (14 different cities spread out over 8 counties) backgrounds. What they had in common was a strong will to learn and work within our industry. Their grade average was a 3.73, with 6 students maintaining a perfect 4.0. A follow-up survey showed that of the sixteen recipients, thirteen went on to full-time employment within the industry. Un-sung Heroes A great deal of the effort to maintain a strong club, is not always done by those who hold office. An excellent example of this is Trinidad Calderon, a charter club member. Trinidad has always preferred to be in the background, where he is still a tireless worker in support of the club. He brought to our attention that no volunteer club can exist solely on work and education. Our fishing tournament was conceived by him, and to this day is successful because of his continuing efforts. Held at South Padre Island on the third weekend of July, the tournament has taken on a life of it's own. It is supported by local and national industry members more so than the club itself. Entrance is limited only to industry personnel and their guests, and participants have been drawn from throughout the state. It is better R & R than a national convention, and our number one fund-raiser, as well.

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