December 17, 2007

Dear Member of The Newcomen Society:

The Newcomen Society of the United States has been in operation for over 80 years. During this period Newcomen has developed an enviable reputation for its support of free enterprise, its recognition of America’s outstanding companies, large or small, and its support of the study of business history. Nearly 2,500 companies and a great number of scholars have been recipients of Newcomen Awards and Grants.

Today, however, we find a changing world. The free enterprise system is flourishing in many countries which labored under planned economies eight decades ago. Many new organizations with different business models now honor companies and have far greater financial resources than Newcomen, which has been faced with declining membership and number of award presentations in each of the last 15 years. While several state chapters continue to do remarkably well, the Trustees, after exploring a number of options, have recently reached the conclusion that economic necessity dictates The Society will discontinue as a national organization. This will give individual state chapters the ability to continue without the ongoing cost of supporting Headquarters.

The majority of the company histories presented at Newcomen gatherings were printed by The Society and distributed to members and libraries throughout the United States. The National Museum of Industrial History (www.nmih.org) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania has offered to be the repository of our collection of these many company histories. These will be preserved for the benefit of research scholars and other interested parties going forward.

If any of you have any questions, please contact us through the e-mail address: info@newcomen.org.  We will respond to your inquiry.

In closing, it has been our honor to have you as a member over the years. The Trustees and I have been privileged to serve, and will continue to do so as we responsibly wind up the affairs of the National organization. We wish each of you happiness and health in the years ahead.