Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1930-1949)

72d Convention, October 6-10 This was a very large and successful convention. We have not developed a whole schedule of comparative statistics for recent conventions and we doubt the prospects of pay dirt in such a vein, for each convention has possibilities and successes peculiar to itself. Such a large and successful convention was nicely fitting as the last convention under Bill Kunzmann, retiring Convention Vice-President. Joe Aiken, as Program Chairman and Local Arrangements Chairman, made the most of the Society's going organization and momentum to build a papers program and he organized the multitude of local arrangements for responsible help by the many capable people in Washington who contributed very generously to the Convention. A particularly identifiable aspect of the Convention was the seven sessions which comprised the International Symposiums on High-Speed Photography which John Waddell began to promote and develop about a year and a half ago. The success and the breadth of the Symposium were almost entirely the result of John WaddelPs work, with associates on the High-Speed Photography Committee coming through with papers and with Joe Aiken anxiously watching and finally arranging the program and meeting facilities for the roster of papers as it rolled up to an unprecedented volume. Mrs. Nathan D. Golden and Mrs. Joseph E. Aiken, cohostesses for the Ladies' Program, prepared a unique program which brought out 240 ladies for events which included a tea and reception by Mrs. Truman at the White House, the Society's 72d Semiannual Cocktail Hour, Banquet and Dance, a luncheon at the Columbia Country Club, an evening at the Academia of the Motion Picture Association of America, and a tea at the Greek Embassy. Special arrangements were made by Max Beard for about 1 30 visitors to attend the session on Thursday Afternoon at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, White Oak, Md. SMPTE members were welcomed by R. D. Bennett, Technical Director of the Laboratory, who explained the Laboratory's place in the defense program. The Signal Corps Mobile Television System brought the audience a view of certain outlying areas by microwave relay and television receivers. Shock waves in the supersonic wind tunnel were demonstrated. Hotel and transportation arrangements were locally under Henry Fisher who made arrangements especially helpful for visitors from overseas and also facilitated the extensive program arranged for the ladies. Gerald J. Badgley was active in membership promotion along with Ray Gallo, Chairman of the Society's Membership Committee. Jim Moses gave a welcome assist as a Washington member to Len Bidwell who came from Camden for a customary stint of getting out a big week's worth of Convention publicity. Under Convention Vice-President Kunzmann, convention registration was organized for Washington by Keith B. Lewis who had the assistance of Phil Cowett, Fred Gerretson, Max Kerr, Jim Moses, Bill Nagel and Howland Pike. This was a real job considering that, along with the tabulation of registration which follows, also to be dispensed were tickets for two luncheons, the banquet, the bus trip to the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, and theater passes and information. This was the way registration for the technical program went: Weekly Daily Total Monday 241 35 276 Tuesday 58 85 143 Wednesday 33 165 198 Thursday — 129 129 Friday — 114 114 Total 332 528 860 Projection service for the sessions was organized by Carl Markwith with assistance by William Hecht, Wilson E. Gill, Ralph Grimes, William Youngs and Glen Ornstine. They supplied 16mm and 35mm 432