Good things come to those who... wait.
In our last Communicator, I shared the success story of how long-time MBAA member and past president Ray Klimovitz (1997–1998) so generously responded to my plea for help in locating the 1962 and 1987 publications that celebrate MBAA's 75th and 100th anniversaries, respectively. Ray promptly sent BOTH publications from his personal collection for me to photograph for the benefit of any other districts that might want to use the materials to preserve aspects of their own histories.
Last week, I received another email from Ray, which simply said: “Hi Rick....I read your column in the latest MBAA Communicator....I believe that it would be best to have those two items deposited in the MBAA archives at Iowa State.”
Of course, I was thrilled to hear such a preservation-focused and forward-thinking offer! I know how personal and even emotional such personal memorabilia can be. I asked Ray if he wanted to think about this a bit more. His response was
“Rick.....you have my permission to archive them!”
As requested, I will submit those treasures into our archives at Iowa State. I will designate a specific box and folder so they are easily described and retrieved by future researchers.
Ironically, the 1987 document highlighting MBAA's 10
th anniversary contains a succinct history of District Detroit. It was written by its District President that year...Raymond J. Klimovitz!!! That history, and its District President, are pictured right.
Ray’s writing begins:
“In 1886, one year before the formulation of the Master Brewers Association of America, a group of Detroit-area master brewers, dedicated to the furtherance of their vocation and the brewing industry, met and formally organized as the Peninsula Brewmasters’ Fraternity of Detroit. Official records of the District prior to 1917 have long since disappeared..."
It is quite ironic how preservation of our heritage, our history, and vital aspects of our past is so often achieved by forward-thinking, future-minded individuals. Ray's generosity puts very favorable closure on what has been a two-year journey for me. He has personally ensured that two publications containing many district histories will NOT disappear! The next time you are out enjoying one of your favorite lagers or ales, please raise your glass in a spirit of thanks and appreciation to Ray!
Prost!!
Rick Seemueller
