A Brief History

When the AAPG Foundation was formed in 1967, the Trustees set a financial goal of $10,000,000 to fund its efforts. By 1969, the fund balance was only $144,000. In response, Dean McGee (Chairman of the Trustees) paid to retain a Foundation Development Coordinator to help boost giving. While the annual average of contributions increased to $250,000, this was still well short of the vision cast by the Trustees. What could be done?

The Key: Individual Contributors

Of the 1,049 contributors to the Foundation, 900 of them were individuals. That meant there was a large group of members with an intense interest in AAPG affairs and a desire to help in some way. The Trustees just needed a way to encourage this group to become more active in Foundation affairs.

Dean McGee suggested creating an organization patterned after one at Cal Tech of which he was a member. Members would meet annually, provide input into Foundation affairs, sponsor projects and enjoy social activities. Merrill Haas proposed the name “Trustee Associates.” The concept was presented at a Foundation Development Dinner on May 22, 1976. The Trustee Associate program would be designed to raise money to permit the Foundation to pursue its goals and objectives, to provide a form of recognition for those individuals who wish to provide substantial financial support, and to form an advisory body to give advice and counsel to the members of the Board of Trustees.

The concept was approved, and the first meeting of the Trustee Associates was held on May 20, 1978.

The rest is history.