Our roots

A Dallas chapter of the Southwestern Association of Industrial Editors (SAIE) was organized in 1940. In May 1942, the first luncheon meeting of the Dallas chapter, held at the YMCA, was covered by The Dallas Morning News.

In June 1944, Alta Ewalt Evans, of Southern Union Gas, was elected president of NCIEA. (She was also president of SAIE.) Evans is considered to be the first president of what would eventually become IABC Dallas.

SAIE dissolved in late 1956, and the Dallas Industrial Editors Association was formed in January 1957 [within the larger International Council of Industrial Editors (ICIE)].

Dallas ICIE enjoyed a successful 13-year stretch with local communications leaders such as Pat Zahrt, Mayfair McCaulay, Liz Oliphant, Connie Eckard and Joe Curtis at its helm.

Various national name changes later, and the Dallas/IABC became our more recognizable name in 1971.