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Paul Ludvigsen's International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America collection

 Collection
Identifier: L2021-07

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Paul Ludvigsen's International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America collection, 1948-1996, consists of training materials, directories, constitutions and bylaws, and a small amount of retirement information. The majority of the collection consists of training materials from the Technical Trade School, Pressmen's Home, in Tennessee, a correspondence school run by the IPPAU.

Dates

  • Creation: 1948-1996

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

History of the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America

The International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America (IPPAU-NA), was organized in 1889, when disgruntled pressmen and press feeders left the International Typographical Union (ITU) and, with the combined membership of thirteen locals, formed a new pressmen's union. At its peak, with a membership of more than 125,000, the IPPAU-NA became the largest printing trades union in the world.

For sixty-five years the union maintained its headquarters at Pressmen's Home in Hawkins County, Tennessee. The Pressmen's Home Community, located in the mountains of northeastern Tennessee, was a 2,700-acre complex with its own phone system, post office, electrical system, and farm. In addition to its headquarters, the union maintained a retirement home, a sanatorium, and a printing trades school at the site.

The East Tennessee location of the IPPAU-NA headquarters was the dream and accomplishment of George L. Berry, president of the IPPAU-NA from 1907 until his death in 1948. Berry was a dominant and controversial president, and the union's progress and growth were intertwined with Berry's life. The IPPAU-NA moved its headquarters to Pressmen's Home from Cincinnati in 1911 because Berry and the union leadership believed the location (originally a mineral health resort known as Hale Springs) was suitable both as a tuberculosis sanatorium and as a technical trade school for retraining pressmen in the new offset printing methods.

The school eventually became the largest trade school of its kind in the world. While pressmen were also trained on letterpress at the school, its main function was to retrain letterpressmen and educate young printers in the offset craft. The training of thousands of printers at the technical school, along with the correspondence courses the school established, enabled the union to meet the demand for offset printers following World War II.

In 1916 the tuberculosis sanatorium opened and played an important role in combating the disease, the principal cause of death among union members. Besides the physical facilities at Pressmen's Home, the union undertook an extensive campaign to educate the membership about tuberculosis and methods to prevent contamination. By 1961, the year the sanatorium closed, the union facility took credit for saving hundreds of lives through the treatments offered to its members.

In 1966 the union's board of directors decided that the changing times and conditions dictated the removal of the headquarters to a more cosmopolitan location; the following year, the headquarters moved to Washington, D.C. The technical school also closed with the relocation, although the union continued the correspondence courses from its new headquarters.

The IPPAU-NA disappeared from the union registry in 1973, when the union merged with the International Stereotypers', Electrotypers', and Platemakers' Union of North America (ISE&PU) to form the International Printing and Graphic Communications Union (IPGCU). In 1983 the IPGCU merged with the Graphic Arts International Union to become the Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Online Encyclopedia, 2002.

Biographical Note about Paul Ludvigsen

Paul Ludvigsen, originally from Wisconsin, began work as a newspaper pressman in Chicago when he was a teenager. During his 40 year career, his employers included such publications as the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, the Daily Racing Form, the Miami Herald, the Toledo Blade, and the Detroit Free Press. Paul Ludvigsen died in 2007 at age 75.

Extent

0.6 Linear Feet (in 2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America (IPPAU-NA), was organized in 1889, when disgruntled pressmen and press feeders left the International Typographical Union (ITU) and, with the combined membership of thirteen locals, formed a new pressmen's union. At its peak, with a membership of more than 125,000, the IPPAU-NA became the largest printing trades union in the world. The Paul Ludvigsen's International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America collection, 1948-1996 consists of training materials, directories, constitutions and bylaws and a small amount of retirement information. Much of the material in this collection relates to the IPPAU training school in Tennessee, particularly correspondence course materials.

Arrangement

Files are arranged in alphabetical order.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Cynthia Ludvisgen (Paul's Daughter), August 2021.

Processing Information

Processed by Hal Hansen, August 2021. Folder titles created during processing. During processing duplicates and non-relevant materials were de-accessioned.

Title
International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America:
Subtitle
A Guide to Paul Ludvigsen's Collection at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Hal Hansen
Date
August 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)