Victor Marx

Victor Marx

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.

 

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