About Us
Chapter Information
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Officers for 2012:
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President......................
Lani Singer
4265 Camborne Road
Columbus, OH 43220
(614) 457-9655
lsinger@columbus.rr.com -
Treasurer......................
Jerome Substanley
1025 Arcaro Drive
Gahanna, OH 43230
(614)855-3804
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President-Elect..............
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Treasurer-Elect..............
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Columbus Chapter of AWS: History
The Columbus Chapter of the AWS was formed in 1970, 3 years after the national AWS. Cooper Rose was transferred to Columbus from Maryland and wanted to start a Columbus chapter of AWS much like the one he had attended in Maryland. With encouragement from the Regional AWS Vice-President, he got in touch with Bob Pugliese and Tom Quilter, who were Columbus members of the national AWS, and they held the first meeting some time in 1970 with Tom Jr. and Connie Quilter. After several small informal meetings, the group, as I was told, "...died on the vine."
In 1979, Ray Click was interested in starting a group that would hold serious wine tastings. Many members of the Amateur Wine Makers Guild of Worthington joined him and a regional Vice-President of AWS supplied the push. Ray was the first President of this reborn chapter.
Events in the early 1980s were small and featured a wine served with bread and cheese. The average cost for these events was about $8.00! But the prices of good wines were lower than they are today. The AWS National Convention was in Columbus in 1983. The annual picnics were most often at Shamrock Vineyard with Tom and Mary Quilter. Traditionally this picnic was in June and included the election of officers.
The size of the chapter has been a concern over the years. In the early years we needed more members as there were less than 20 members (couples). But by 1986 the members were discussing having two tastings per month for all the new members as the Chapter had grown to 50 members and by 2007 it had grown to over 100 members!
In reviewing the old newsletters, it became clear that many of our members had served as officers. The following is a list of officers since 1979. P = President and T = Treasurer
2012- P- Lani Singer, T-Jerome Substanley
2011- P- Lori Overmyer, T-Cyndy Birchfield
2009-10 P-Jim May, T-Mary Steed-May
2008-09 P-Brenda Gischel, T-Jim Balthaser
2007-08 P-Lisa Jones, T-Jason Jones
2006-07 P-Bob Fenton, T-Joann Nay
2005-06 P-Jerome Substanley, T-Linda Stahl
2004-05 P-Sandra Augustine, T-Dave Bromwich
2003-04 P-Joann Nay, T-Bob Fenton
2002-03 P-Gary Wolf, T-Bernie Thurn
2001-02 P-Greg Stahl, T-Lani Singer
2000-01 P-Gayle Spagna, T-Sharon Hebenstreit
1999-2000 P-Ron Marhefka, T-Lyn Vandervort
1998-99 P-Nancy Cole, T-Joann Nay
1997-98 P-Lou Goorey, T-Gayle Spagna
1996-97 P-John Stukenburg, T-Jim Cole
1995-96 P-Tim Smith, T-Debbie Marhefka
1994-95 P-Anne Weeks, T-Dave Wade
1993-94 P-Dick Burry, T-Ellen Stukenberg
1992-93 P-Tom Frazier, T-Susie Loesch
1991-92 P-Larry Singer, T-Yvonne Burry
1990-91 P-Bill Judnick, T-Judy Russell
1989-90 P-Tom Weeks, T-Terry Huston
1988-89 P-Millie Arehart, T-Nancy Schray
1987-88 P-Karen Welzel, T-Bea Doherty
1986-87 P-Ed Tausk, T-Millie Arehart
1985-86 P-Bob Arehart, T-Yvonne Burry
1984-85 P-Steve Hamm, T-Anne Weeks
1983-84 P-Dick Burry, T-Bob Pugliese
1979-83 P-Ray Click
By Dick Burry