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Seventy-seven years and the APC is still shining
History of the AAPC Scholarship Program (*Taken from the AAPC of New York Membership Roster & Buyer's Guide 1968 – Years 1931- 1968
Updated and edited by Dr. James P. De Luca, Chair, APC Scholarship Fund
In 1931 (October) three production men in the Advertising Agencies had an idea to form an organization and invited 19 other production men to gather and form "The Production Club of New York".
In 1953 (December) 22 years later, the name was changed to Advertising Agency Club of New York plus changing the charter to allow assistant production managers including women to be members.
A scholarship fund had been the unattainable dream of the Club for many years because of the difficulty of raising the necessary monies. However, in 1957, with the celebration of the Club's 25th anniversary, we felt we could take our first step, which was the choice of an institution to be the beneficiary of our grant. The major criteria in selecting the institution were that its program be attuned to mechanical production philosophy and teaching, and meet similar aims and objectives of the Club.
In 1957, the Scholarship Committee of the AAPC visited the New York City Community College in Brooklyn. As a Community College, it is financed by New York City. The college is now under the ad- ministration of the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York and one of the colleges within the City University of New York.
In consultation with college officials, the committee and faculty worked out procedures governing awards to be issued on a semester basis. The Advertising Agency Production Club of New York Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund was set up for the express purpose of financially aiding full-time matriculated students of professional promise and scholastic ability. The funds are granted to fill the gap between the student's personal resources and the sum of his estimated necessary educational expenses.
Awards are made each semester only to those students who are enrolled on a full-time basis in the advertising production management program of the Department of Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology. Recipients are selected by a faculty committee in whose judgment the student has met scholastic achievement, good character, and fitness for service in mechanical production, and whose continuing education can only be made possible by this grant.
How did we establish this fund? Where did we get the money? In June of 1957, the AAPC celebrated its 25th anniversary with an elaborate Installation Dinner-Dance at which time a 144-page Souvenir Journal was published. This netted an amount sufficient to establish the Endowed Scholarship Fund with a $10,000 contribution. This money was given to the college in November 1957 under the direction of Dr. George Martin Halpern.
In June 1959, it seemed we finally got our scholarship fund moving and off the ground. Our member- ship came up with the idea to publish an annual "Membership Roster and Buyer's Guide". The purpose was to provide our membership and others in the graphic arts field with a guide to the best sources of supply and at the same time give the graphic arts firms the names, addresses and telephone numbers of our own members, who were among the largest buyers in the industry.
Because our own firms would be the ultimate gainers of the scholarship program, we felt than an appeal to agency presidents, with a letter describing our purposes and aims, would find a receptive audience. Monies were raised by selling single line listings in various graphic arts categories for a very nominal fee. Thus $10,000 was realized through this first project.
In 1961 Professor James P. De Luca was appointed to be the liaison to the club from the college, as a non-voting member of the board.
In 1978 the name was change to Advertising Production Club of New York (APC) - word Agency dropped.
Earlier in this period extensive efforts were made to increase the Scholarship Endowment Fund via extraordinary efforts to solicit donations as well as include a budget item in the general operating budget specifically for scholarship awards. This inclusion of having an annual line budget amount of $3,000 --$4,000 provided the scholarship awards program to continue
This was possible thru the program of having a line budget item for scholarship awards and at the same time contributions went into the Endowment Fund plus the interest was not used for making awards and allowed to remain and grow the principle.
Over the period of Twenty years this combination of solicitation has proven successful with the Endowment Fund increased to approximately $67,000. Although this was a significant gain, it is still not enough to make the Scholarship Fund self sustaining by using only the interest. The target amount is $100,000 of additional money to generate enough interest to maintain the scholarship awards programs.
In the mid 1980's, each year, additional money was allocated to accommodate the increase of student application for scholarships. This was through annual increments until it reach its present amount in the budget of $6,000
In 2004-05 An application was made presenting the Fund as a separate Non-Profit organization, (as per advice of counsel), to the New York State and the Internal Revenue Service resulting in a successful approval. Specifically a Tax-Exempt Charitable Education Fund with the classification of a 501-c-3 Non-Profit Fund. This provides the APC Scholarship Fund to offer contributors and benefactors the opportunity to make contributions to the Fund with the advantage of full tax deductible donation.
Presently, there is an ongoing major fund appeal drive to increase the Endowed Fund sufficiently to make it self sustaining, thus relieving the burden of the APC of including $6,000 in the general operating budget. The target goal remains at $100,000.
It is noteworthy to indicate that the Advertising Production Club of New York, since 1957, has continuously provided scholarship awards without missing a year – a marvelous feat for almost 50 years.
Probably the most gratifying accomplishment of the AAPC in its more than thirty years of existence has been the establishment of the Advertising Agency Production Club of New York Scholarship Grant-in- Aid Fund.
The Scholarship Committee of the AAPC found that this college was most directly meeting the Club's criteria, and promptly recommended to its membership the establishment of a scholarship fund with the New York City Community College as its beneficiary.
In 1958, we faced the necessity of raising additional monies to keep the fund going. Since we obviously couldn't celebrate another 25th anniversary, we appealed to advertising agency management. Because our own firms would be the ultimate gainers of the scholarship program, we felt than an appeal to agency presidents, with a letter describing our purposes and aims, would find a receptive audience. The response netted a modest sum which was applied to the fund.
In 1960, we published the second edition of the "Membership Roster and Buyer's Guide." It was decided that any monies derived from this effort would be used to honor the memory of Ernest Donohue, former production manager at BBDO, a charter member of the Club and one of its past presidents. $2,000 was realized from the publication and the Ernest Donohue Memorial Scholarship of the AAPC Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund was founded.
As a result of the publication of our third edition in 1961, we were enabled to realize $1,500. This money has been used to set up the Past President's Memorial Scholarship. Thus we were privileged to honor the memory of those former members who were Club presidents and who have passed on. These include:
Samuel H. Weber, Robert McKeon, H. John Griffin, Daniel Gorman, Harold E. Bisson, and Victor L. Jensen.
Also established in 1961 was the Dwight L. Monaco Special Award of $100 to be given each year to the student with the highest scholastic average in his first year. Mr. Monaco, prominent in the business publications field, is a charter member, former president and a lifetime member of the Club.
Those early students who received scholarships have gone into the advertising and graphic arts field directly upon graduation. The financial and moral support given by the Club to the college has been of inestimable value in enabling the Department of Graphic Arts and Advertising Technology to achieve 100 % placements of all its graduates. A number of graduates have already joined the ranks of the Club, and are actively participating in its activities. Many others are employed by firms listed in the Buyer's Guide portion of this publication.
This type of mutual interrelationship is in the highest order of our profession.
It is to be hoped that many more individuals and firms will join forces with the Advertising Agency Production Club of New York Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund by setting up honorary or memorial scholarships for purposes of helping deserving students enter our profession. Several individuals and firms have indicated an interest in participating in this program. Any member of our Scholarship Committee will be glad to help you set up such a fund.
In effect, everyone listed in this Membership Roster and Buyer's Guide is contributing toward this important goal since the proceeds are used to help make the fund a continuous one.
In 1997 an application was made to change the status of the APC from a 501-c-6 not-for -profit classification to a 501-c-3 NON- Profit Educational Charitable Tax-Exempt Fund without success. This resulted in the APC having to maintain a line budget item in the general operating budget.
The AAPC can draw great satisfaction from the results thus far. Our Scholarship Committee chose the New York City Community College as the beneficiary of its grants because it is the only college in New York City area which has an accredited course in advertising production management. No longer is it possible for "just anybody" to handle production. The advertising production man of today is a trained technician who needs to know a great deal more about his profession than his counterpart of contribution. twenty years ago and we therefore welcome and appreciate the program and curriculum at the college.
Also, in April 1959, the Knapp Engraving Company, celebrating its 40th anniversary, wanted to do something which would perpetuate memory of its founder. Consequently, a pledge of $5,000, later in- creased to $6,000, with payments of $1,000 each year, established the David Knapp Memorial Scholar- ship of the AAPC Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund.
Meanwhile, the Reilly Electrotype Division of the Electrographic Corporation pledged $5,000, with payments of $1,000 each year, to honor the memory of its founder and thus was established the Joseph Reilly Memorial Scholarship of the AAPC Scholarship Grant-in-Aid Fund.
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