In the spring of 1924, bakery production managers from across the U.S. were invited to Chicago to participate in a three-day conference to share technical knowledge and information regarding the rapidly expanding industrial baking industry. On March 18th, after two extensive days of discussion, a collective decision was unanimously agreed upon to create the American Society of Bakery Engineers, a membership organization dedicated to mutual cooperation and professional development.  Mr. Victor E. Marx of Chicago, Illinois was elected as the Society’s first, Secretary-Treasurer and administrator, a position he would hold for 37 years.

During Marx’s tenure, the Society grew from 103 members in 1924 to 3,312 in 1961. Receipts that first year were $3,272 with disbursements of $1,302, including $275 in part-time salary for Marx. For the next five years, he would manage the affairs of the Society from his desk as a courtesy of his full-time employer. For the next seventeen years, his home served as the Society’s headquarters until a business location was chosen in 1946. In 1951, Marx became a full-time employee of the Society overseeing a small administrative staff.

Under his leadership and support, the British Chapter Affiliate (British Society of Baking) was organized in 1957. As Secretary-Treasurer, Marx organized over thirty-seven annual conferences resulting in 963 technical publications and presentations, many of which laid the foundation for baking science and technology utilized today.

Click on the images below to view .pdf files of the inductee’s biography and plaque.