Norbert S. Buddenbohn, Sr., was this year's recipient of the Frank S. Child award. The award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the industry. Buddenbohn was President of the Society in 1971-72 and his daughter, Nancy Klinefelter, was President in 2005-06, which marks the only time in the Society's history that both a parent and child have served as president. 

Buddenbohn is a charter member (and now honorary life member) of the Society and recounted the early days of the Society's forming during his acceptance speech. He remembered being among the original group, organized by Ferro Corporation, who met to form a society that would look after the interests of the glass decorating industry. The society was later expanded to include ceramic decorators and, later, all glass and ceramic decorated products. 

Buddenbohn asked all Society Past-Presidents in attendance to share his table. The seven Past-Presidents in attendance were thrilled to have the opportunity to honor one of the Society's founding fathers.

Robert Zollweg of Libbey, Inc. was presented the 2007 Frank S. Child award for outstanding contributions to the glass and ceramic decorating industries during the annual awards banquet at Deco '07 in Louisville.

Zollweg began his career with Owens-Illinois in 1970. He joined Libbey, Inc. in 1979 as a graphic design specialist and held many design positions prior to becoming Libbey's creative design director. He is the creative talent behind Libbey's trade shows and showroom designs worldwide. Zollweg works with Libbey's design and marketing team and with many customers on the latest color and shap[e trends for new products, and gives creative recommendations based on the hottest cocktail and beverage trends in the marketplace.

Zollweg has chaired the SGCDpro Discovery Room awards for many years and is a familiar face at all Deco shows. He also designed this year's presidential favor for Past President Jon Rarick.

The SGCDpro Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Jerry Heider, former worldwide business director for Ferro Glass Systems, was the recipient of the 2006 Frank S. Child award at the Deco '06 Awards Celebration Monday, March 27th.

A longtime leader in the glass industry, Heider pioneered the development and widespread introduction of lead-free enamels for architectural and automotive glass. Subsequently, all US based glass manufacturers have converted to lead-free spandrel glass.

In the early 1990's, Heider helped develop a glass safety checker as a way for consumers to determine if glass is tempered or not.

The SGCDpro Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Georges Briard has been named the winner of the 2004 Frank S. Child Award. The award is given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of glass and/or ceramic decorating.

Briard was an artist and a marketing wizard whose golden signature carried household objects, such as barware, hostess accessories and small furnishings, to new heights in the 1950's and 1960's. The famous Briard signature appeared on numerous products including those from M. Willie, Inc., Culver Glassware, Glass Guild, Hartman Associates, J&H International, Peerless Art Company, Mdina Glass and Pfaltzgraf Pottery. Briard believes "it costs no more to produce a good design than a bad one."

The 2004 Frank S. Child Award will be presented during the Society's 40th Anniversary Awards Banquet on Tuesday, March 30th at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati.

SGCDpro presented the annual Frank S. Child Award to Prem Boaz at its Annual Banquet in Arlington, VA on February 26. The Board of Directors selected Boaz to recognize his outstanding contributions in the flat glass industry, many of which have become popular styling features used by automotive window manufacturers worldwide.

Boaz began his engineering career with the Ford Motor Company in 1964 and has worked within Ford's Glass Division inventing new techniques and processes. Among his contributions is the development of the electrically heated backlite (EHB) from its concept stage to its current mass production level. EHB's are now offered as standard on all car lines. During his career, Boaz has worked in the development of ceramic shields for windshield use, sunroofs with printed sunscreens, environmentally-friendly ceramic paint for automotive applications and a method to include various three-dimensional emblems in laminated quarter windows. In addition, he has created a bright chrome decorative material for use on the quarter windows. To date, Boaz holds 55 U.S. patents for his inventions and has five others pending.

Boaz is a three-time recipient of the Henry Ford Technology Award. He is a consultant with Glass Products Consulting Company based in Livonia, MI. The award is presented in honor of Frank Child -- SGCDpro's first executive secretary. Bud Heinrich was the recipient in 2000, James Keegan in 1999, and the Homer Laughlin China Co., was the recipient in 1998.

SGCDpro presented the annual Frank S. Child Award to James Keegan at its Annual Banquet in Pittsburgh on September 28. The Board of Directors selected Keegan to recognize his groundbreaking impact on the development of the heat-release decal process in the United States.

Keegan launched his career at The Franklin Mint in 1964 where he was responsible for many of the company's most successful products and the development of an imaging and printing process to apply liquid burnished gold to gloss and bisque porcelain surfaces.

In 1981, Keegan joined The Pfaltzgraff Co. where he was decorating manager. In the following years, he worked to streamline the company's decorating operations including the development of an automatic process to decorate 30 dinner plates, salad bowls or saucers per minute. Of even greater significance, Keegan, in cooperation with paper makers, decal printers and equipment makers, developed a highly productive heat-release transfer process on a single machine which was quickly adapted for five machines to increase production rates. Each of his machines decorated at a rate of seven pieces or more per minute which was a tremendous improvement from the water-slide process where average hand application rates were 25-35 per hour. The process also reduced loss to a mere 0.2 percent of ware.

Keegan remains one of the leading experts on the heat-release process, and he is now an independent consultant based in York, PA. The award is presented in honor of Frank Child -- SGCDpro's first executive secretary. The Homer Laughlin China Co., was the recipient in 1998, and Carl Strutz Jr., president of Carl Strutz & Co., received the award in 1997.

SGCDpro presented the annual Frank S. Child Award to the Homer Laughlin China Co., Newell, WV, at the organization's annual banquet in September. The SGCDpro Board of Directors selected Homer Laughlin Co. to honor its long history of outstanding design and product innovation related to Fiestaware.

The Child Award is generally given to an individual; however, a company award was presented this year to honor the many people — both living and dead — who were involved in the development of Fiestaware. Marcus Aaron, Homer Laughlin's President, accepted the award. Homer Laughlin China has been owned and managed by the Aaron and Wells families since 1897 with Joe Wells III serving as company CEO.

The Fiestaware line was launched in 1936, and it is now among the most collected tableware patterns in the world. Fiesta was discontinued in 1973 and reintroduced in 1986 using original molds and contemporary colors. Homer Laughlin celebrated production of its 500-millionth piece on December 5, 1997, and it is believed that no other product in dinnerware history has been produced in such quantity.

To commemorate the event, the company produced a special art deco centerpiece bowl using a special raspberry glaze which was developed exclusively for the occasion. Production was limited to 500 numbered pieces which were distributed to company shareholders and members of the Aaron and Wells families. In addition, 15 of the commemorative raspberry bowls were sold at auction to collectors with proceeds benefiting charities. A bowl was also presented to SGCDpro by Marcus Aaron during the Child Award presentation for display at the organization's headquarters in Washington, DC.

Fiestaware's status as an American cultural icon is further enhanced by the existence of the Fiesta Club of America which holds annual meetings to promote collecting opportunities. Homer Laughlin Co. remains one of the largest potteries in America employing 1,100 skilled worked at a 37 acre facility. The company was first founded in 1871 by Homer Laughlin and his brother Shakespeare in East Liverpool, OH. Operations were moved across the Ohio River to West Virginia in 1907.

The Frank S. Child Award is presented in honor of Frank Child — SGCDpro's first executive secretary. Carl Strutz Jr., president of Carl Strutz & Co., was the Child Award recipient in 1997. The honoree is selected by the SGCDpro Board of Directors after nominations are accepted from any member.