From the very beginning, Chapter 3 took an active interest in education and professionalism. We were among the early and active participants in the Professional Development Program. In fact, the first draft of what the SR/WA program should look like was prepared by this chapter’s own John V. Mulcahy.

We have presented an annual seminar every year since 1956, with hundreds of educational courses and workshops scattered in between. The chapter has been the site of numerous pilot presentations for courses, and we hosted the International Educational Seminar in 1969 and 1987.

Members of this chapter have also left their mark on the regional and international scenes. Bob Newell, John Mulcahy, John Day , and Leslie Benckendorf all served as Regional Chairs for Region 7. At the national level, John Mulcahy was a moving force in both the educational program and the professional development program, in addition to two years as Chair, Bylaws Revision Committee. Jim Collins spent considerable time in the formative years of the International Education Committee, and our members have been active on nearly every other International committee. We have also contributed one International President, John Day .

The chapter has been fortunate in having two of its members selected as International R/W Professional of the Year: both John Mulcahy and Tom Kornelis were so honored. And we have had Balfour Finalists in Gene Olson, Marta Goosey , Daisy Reed, and Fred Walasavage. Our newsletter, BeaverTales, has twice received the Newsletter of the Year award and has been runner-up numerous times. We have also received the Gene L. Land Membership Award, and Ian Hoogendam has twice received the SARPA Scholarship. Finally, Chuck Pyron, who worked closely with Jim Collins and Jack McGirr to develop the very first official IRWA courses, received the Y. T. Lum Award.  

Chapter meetings are the second Friday of every month and feature a one-hour educational speaker. Our Board meetings precede the chapter meetings and are open to everyone. We encourage everyone to get active, whether it be at the local, regional, or international level. This is an organization of volunteers, by volunteers, and for volunteers. We hope you will join us.