ANSI celebrates its 90-year anniversary.
Press Release Summary:
Founded in 1918 as American Engineering Standards Committee, ANSI celebrated its 90th anniversary as part of World Standards Week 2008. More than 125 members of standards and conformity assessment community joined in celebration, held during ANSI's 2008 Annual Business Meeting luncheon. Meeting combined overview of ANSI's current pursuits and milestones with recognition of the anniversary, bringing past and future to the table in discussion of organization's growth and progress.
Original Press Release:
ANSI Celebrates 90 Years of Progress in Standards and Conformity Assessment
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) celebrated its 90th anniversary yesterday as part of the World Standards Week 2008 series of events. The Institute, which was founded in 1918 as the American Engineering Standards Committee (AESC), paid tribute to nine decades of progress in the standardization industry.
More than 125 members of the standards and conformity assessment community joined in the celebration, held during ANSI's 2008 Annual Business Meeting luncheon. The meeting married an overview of ANSI's current pursuits and milestones with recognition of the anniversary, bringing the Institute's past and future to the table in a discussion of the organization's growth and progress.
During the luncheon, ANSI debuted a video that highlights the past 90 years of activity in the standards and conformity assessment arena. The video will soon be available on ANSI's website for public viewing.
As a companion to the 2007-2008 Annual Report, luncheon attendees received a 16-page publication that provides a historical overview of the Institute. The brochure, which details the important standards-related initiatives that were undertaken during each decade, can be viewed here.
Also displayed at the luncheon were letters from ANSI's founding members: the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (now IEEE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (AIME), the American Society for Testing and Materials (now ASTM International), the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Departments of War and Navy (now the Department of Defense).
"It is clear to me that the spirit with which ANSI was founded remains every bit as strong in 2008 as it was in 1918," said Robert W. Noth, ANSI chairman of the board. "Our founding members had a vision that this organization would become a guardian, a facilitator, and a coordinator of a comprehensive national system that would always be dynamic and responsive. We have stayed true to this vision as the role of voluntary standards and conformity assessment has grown to an increasingly prominent position in the global economy."
