By Joe Jackson

The importance of remembering the past in order to facilitate a stronger future has often been noted. APCO’s Historical Committee focuses on highlighting APCO’s strong history and showcasing some of the many events and pivotal moments that led to the present.

At the annual conference in Denver last year, longstanding, influential members of APCO told their stories. Nearly everyone discussed how members are truly the lifeblood of this organization, and that APCO has done an amazing job at facilitating their presence, involvement and potential future. Tradeshows like the Denver conference are great reminders of this, getting to see all of these people meet, interact and share their experiences and offer assistance face-to-face. APCO Past President and former Interim Communications Manager, John Wright captured that perfectly.

“Of all the activities they do at APCO, the favorite has to be going to the annual conference and that networking opportunity,” Wright said. “Really getting to hear all the ways people do things in other areas. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”

One other theme that came across during these sessions was the important role APCO involvement had in each person’s life and career. Not just in terms of personal success, but largely because of the opportunities to be a part of such monumental landmarks for the organization and for the industry as a whole. Marilyn Ward explained how she had become the first female president of International APCO and how big that was as a turning point towards progress in the organization. Moments like that helped shape where the organization is today.

Ward said APCO has always been multi-faceted; having “many irons in the fire” and emphasized how important it is for the organization to strive for that going forward, especially with the rapid rate of changing technology within the industry.

“Today’s current is tomorrow’s obsolete. The reaching out and working hand in hand with other groups is the way to move forward,” Ward said. “The relationships that they create, that’s what’s important. APCO will need to continue that; it’s the only way this is going to work.”

There is no doubt that studying history is a great way to make progress towards a better future, and the APCO Historical Committee remains dedicated to doing just that. For more background and links to these interviews as well as others, see the series Reminiscing with History Makers at APCOhistory.org.

Joe Jackson is with The Spectrum Firm. He can be reached at Joe.jackson@thespectrumfirm.com or by phone at 907 351 7431.