OUR HISTORY

   In 1954 a small group of Engineers concerned about the future of the gas appliance industry met in Cleveland and formed the Gas Appliance Engineering Society or GAES. Within a very few months, gas appliance engineers in Los Angeles saw the same need and formed a West Coast Chapter. Eventually chapters sprung up in Tennesses, New England, etc. Members met on a regular basis to discuss gas appliance design and safety, and the proper application of the new technologies. The society had many benefits for its members besides being able to share what they know, a genuine camaraderie developed, and a feeling that as fellow engineers, they were part of a profession.

   In 1958 the GAES name was changed to the American Society of Gas Engineers (ASGE). Members wrote papers to build a database of knowledge, scholarship funds were set up and members were honored for their achievements in the industry as well as with ASGE. Beside gas appliance design engineers, ASGE enjoyed broad support from gas utilities, gas appliance certification agencies, and others that saw the benefits ASGE brought to the gas industry.

   ASGE also represented a proud tradition of volunteerism, giving members an opportunity to give back to industries that had given them so much. Members pooled their talents to put on gas schools, seminars and technical conferences to give back what they had learned. This allowed members to not only hone their technical skills, but their organization skills as well. Members became better communicators in the process. They developed solid skills that they could use to build their own careers.

   Today the enthusiasm for ASGE still runs high, but lifestyles have changed. Leisure time seems to be at a minimum as companies demand that engineers put more of themselves into their work. The globalization of the gas industry has spread members geographically worldwide. The challenge now becomes to reconfigure ASGE for the 21^st century.