The American Design Drafting Association an international non-profit, professional membership and educational organization born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in 1948. The organization was conceived by a dedicated and enthusiastic group of oil and gas piping drafters who were involved in various phases of design drafting. This group consisted of highly specialized industry drafters, educational instructors, piping designers, and engineering personnel. In 1948, this group incorporated in the State of Oklahoma as the Bartlesville Draftsmen's Club. This is the earliest known drafting club, association or society. This group would eventually be considered as our founding association.

The original philosophy of the organization was that it would support all drafting people, those on the board as well as supervisory personnel. Membership was open to any person engaged in the work or teaching of drafting, regardless of discipline, and who had one or more years of continuous experience in the profession. The purpose of the organizations published in 1950 was:

To advance the prestige and standing of the drafting profession
To encourage the improvement in technology
To disseminate any knowledge and advancement to the profession To foster the spirit of fellowship among the members

The president in 1951 was O. L. Iverson of Sinclair Oil Company The president in 1952 was Odie Bridgewater of Hanlon-Boyles, Inc.

There are no association record for 1953 and is assumed the records were lost or destroyed.

On April 13, 1954 the first association newsletter rolled off the press and was assembled, in the basement of the Oklahoma Natural Gas Building,  consisting of three pages printed both sides.  The producers of this publication were Set Grubbs, Fate Cupps, and Peg Dameron. The publication advertised a contest to select a name for the newsletter. The winning selection was "The Draftsman" and was announced in the July 1954 Issue. The winners of the contest were Joe Campbell and Kenny Baker of Ameranda Petroleum Corporation. Each received one free year membership for 1954, which according to the application had a value of $3.00. The organization was still local and had a listing of 33 paid members.

The president in 1955 was Fate Cupps.  By the spring of this year, President Cupps began to receive inquires requesting information to help organize associations in other cities. The officers and executive committee in a special meeting on April 17, 1955, mutually agreed to prepare a preliminary draft of the proposed charter to be available to groups in other cites with the Tulsa Association as the parent group. The charter included the constitution and bylaws, membership requirements, the publication, and other necessary information to bind drafters into one association.

It was only a short time when other groups around the state and across the nation became affiliated with the Tulsa group. Although this was not yet a national organization, as we know it today, they did have contact with each other and The Draftsman was the communication tool. The groups participating groups, that can be documented, were; Jackson, Mississippi ; Bartlesville, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Billings , Montana; Amarillo, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas; Midland, Texas; Houston, Texas; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Okmulgee, Oklahoma.

By October 1957, the Tulsa group had a mailing list of over 900. Still producing the newsletter from the building's basement at night. In the October 1957 Issue of The Draftsman it was announced that they wished for this publication to start taking steps toward becoming an official instrument of an association that reflected the needs and views of all drafting disciplines. Representatives from all interested groups were invited to attend a meeting to discuss forming a national organization, which would then become the publisher of The Draftsman.

A steering committee of the Association of Professional Draftsmen was formally organized on March 14, 1958 with its primary purpose of forming the drafting profession into a national group.  The steering committee consisted of Nick Freiling, Aaron Ventress, H. E. Brown, Aiden Allen, Seth Grubbs, and Fate Cupps.

In April 1959, the Steering Committee accepted an offer by Carl and John Sedan of Detroit, Michigan who were the publishers of the Reproduction Engineer, to publish The Draftsman and manage the National Office.  Carl and John Sedan were magazine publishers and promoters that had a major impact in making the organization national.

On June 11, 1960, the association wanted to improve its policies and its scope of operation to include a wider participation, and voted to change the name of the association to the "American Institute of Design Drafting (AIDD) and moved forward to designing the AIDD logo. They also began promoting an annual convention and exposition. A short time after this transition the monthly publication "The Draftsman" was renamed to "Design Drafting News" which is still being used today.

The AIDD had its first national mee ting at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1962.

AIDD took another step forward in 1963 when the members, during the national membership meeting, established Councils. A Council Coordinator and Advisors who are appointed by the National Council Chair administer the activities of the Councils.

The Councils (rather than local clubs) then became the vehicle through which AIDD national programs were channeled to local areas. Such programs include sponsoring of seminars, Curricula Certification, Student Chapters, membership, standards, etc.

Today these programs operate out of the National Office with Chairs appointed by the National Board of Directors, to direct the programs. ADDA currently operates with three divisional Chairs, 7 Regional Chairs, and individual State Chairs operating under the direction of the Regional Chairs. Each State Chair may appoint a committee of no more than five individuals to serve as information and criteria support teams, which compile data from local industry and educational sources.

In January of 1966, the national headquarters were moved to Birmingham, Michigan where services and office space was provided by General Expositions Management, Inc.

In 1967, AIDD saw the need to become more involved in education and began looking into curricula certification for all schools who taught drafting and design programs. The program was designed to assist schools teaching design drafting to update and better prepare students to qualify form employment in the design drafting industry. Certification is available to secondary, post-secondary, junior and technical colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.

This same year, AIDD began sponsoring Student Chapters.  These chapters are available for any school which teaches the certified curricula programs. The students are required to hold regular meeting involved around drafting and design, have tours and site visits with local industry, and to be involved in community activities. Each year the Chapters are allowed to enter the National Student Chapter Awards Contest, where the best chapter is chosen for recognition.

In the late sixties, the national office was relocated to Bartlesville, Oklahoma and was headed by Nick Freling.

In July of 1982, the office relocated to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and was managed by Margie Hecker.  In June of 1983, the association was managed by Sandy Roderick.

In the fall of 1984 the Board of Directors employed an outside management firm, Nowers Associates, to handle the day-to-day business of the national office.  This relocated the National from Broken Arrow to Rockville, Maryland, under the direction of Rachel Howard an employee of Nowers Associates.

With the development and affordability of "CADD" computer aided design drafting software, many companies and educational institutes, believed that this product would eliminate drafters and designers altogether. AIDD stuck to their belief that CADD was a tool, not a profession, and that teaching of the basic skills, and educational training of the advanced drafting and design programs were essential to the development of a professional design drafter.

As time progressed if was necessary for the association to assume a strong and influential roll in the development of drafting and design to insure all students were trained properly, and professionals were supported with the information, networking abilities, and continuing education training they needed to secure their future as drafters and designers.

In 1986 H &H Associates a management firm opened by Rachel Howard assumed the management of the Association and remained the management firm until her retirement notification in the fall of 1998.

From 1986 through 1998, the association fought hard to maintain the basis for our conception. Th at was the proper teaching of the basic and advanced drafting and design curricula.

In 1989, to better promote the organization as an association of drafting and design professionals, the executive committee and board of directors agreed to another name change, and a new logo. The official logo used today, was design through a contest offered by the association.

The American Design Drafting Association became the new name.

With the new name, a new look, our heartfelt convictions, and the determinations to properly train future designers and drafters, ADDA went to work.

It took almost 10 years (1983-1993) for the association to feel the impact of CADD operators and computer programs that were promoted to eliminate drafters and designers. With the consensus from managers, that drafting and design was dead, computers were smart, and engineers and architects no longer needed any help. The computer could do it all. Punch a few keys, hit print, and out came a completely designed product, ready to be manufactured or built.  ADDA stood on shaky ground, but stood steadfast in what we knew, that being, the extensive knowledge and training required to support the engineering process.

ADDA knew the standards were changing, and those standards would impact the drafting and design world. CADD is a great tool, the design world can no longer operate without this technology, and the design world discovered they could no longer operate without the knowledge of the drafter and designer.

With the influx of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, Geometric Information Systems, Newly developed International Building Codes, the lack of properly trained drafters and designers began to show. Industry was demanding high tolerances in the electronic and medical fields, supported by the numerous codes, standards, and requirements necessary to manufacture the products. With the affordability of three-dimensional parametric modeling programs, computer assisted manufacturing design processes, and the AEC (architectural-engineering-construction) design programs, there had to be people trained in the basic design processes to speed the production and completion of projects.

Starting in 1994 ADDA starting receiving inquires to support schools, colleges, and industries to train their newly hired CADD operators in the drafting and design processes. ADDA developed a new curriculum outline in conjunction with the Department of Education and the Department of Labor. These guidelines were developed around the requirements of industry and the level of training they needed when employing a drafter or designer. It was necessary to work with engineers and architects to find the minimum and maximum qualifications they needed when working with design personnel.

The ADDA's reputation began to grow as an organization which fully supported the professional member and the educational institutions.

This lead ADDA to the development of the Professional Certification Test that are now administered all over the world. ADDA currently certifies approximately 750 persons per year. These certification processes set a baseline for the skill level of the many drafting and design disciplines. Employers know and understand that certification will verify an employee's ability to perform at a certain production level.

In October of 1998, Mrs. Rachel Howard announced her retirement. This forced the ADDA to seek another Executive Director since 1984. The ADDA chose Mr. Joe Jones, owner of Jones McAden Associates in Columbia, South Carolina to manage the association.

Mr. Jones took immediate control of the association is accredited with bringing the association to a financially stable and secure position.  He was involved with the development and reconstruction of several programs, which has strengthened ADDA's reputation as a professional organization.

With the consistent growth, new programs, and the development of the on-line certification program, the ADDA needed the help of an Industry experience individual who knew drafting and design, and the process in profession.

In May of 2003, the Executive Board and the National Board of Directors asked Olen Parker a Dyer County native to assume the position of Executive Director and Corporate Operations Officer. The position would require the relocation of the National Office to Newbern. This decision was based on Parkers 18 year involvement with the association, his nearly 30 years experience in the drafting and design industry, the many disciplines of his experience.  Parker had served 12 years on the National Board of Directors, holding positions as National Awards Chair, Secretary, Vice-President, and was one of only two presidents to serve three consecutive terms, in the history of the association.

The appointment of Parker, allowed the association for the first time in its history to be completely self-managed.  Having an experience and former association officer, now managing the association, would allow in-house decisions, and development of programs without the hours of volunteer labor of the National Board of Directors.

The National Board of Directors is excited about the central location of the relocated facility. Newbern lies adjacent to US 51, future I-69, allowing quick and easy traveling access to several major cities by automobile. Newbern is centrally located between the three International airports of Nashville, St. Louis, and Memphis allowing 24-hour access to every major city in the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The ADDA is now working with the State Departments of Education in 15 states certifying curriculum programs on individual and statewide levels. These certification programs are developed to meet the vocational and technical requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor.

The ADDA offers several types of membership.  These include professional, educational, supplier corporate, institutional, and student. Membership involvement in the association allows us to support many programs to advance the profession of drafting and design.

The Employment Center on ADDA's Web Page (http://www.adda.org).  ADDA's exclusive job posting system allows employers to see only your experience and qualifications. They contact you anonymously and then you have the options to make further contact.

The Drafter Certification Program, which allows drafters to demonstrate their knowledge in drafting concepts and nationally recognized standards and practices. Certification enhances an individual's credibility, improves opportunities for promotion, and provides an edge in highly competitive job markets.

The Design Drafting Contest allows students to compete in multiple disciplines, and have their drawings judged by professionals in the design drafting industry.  Drawings are judged against standardized criteria and the winners are recognized during the ADDA Annual Conference.

The   Certified Curriculum Program developed to recognize schools with curricula that meet the standards set by ADDA.

Promotion of National Design Drafting Week to honor the highly skilled professional designers and drafters of the United States. National Design Drafting Week celebrated annually during the second week of March.

The Poster Contest is open to members and students of certified programs to demonstrate skills in graphic arts, presentation, and parametric modeling. The posters are based on the theme of our national conference and are issued to promote design-drafting week.

The Council Program revived to help professionals in geographic areas for professional groups to exchange information and technology.

The Annual Technical Conference focused entirely on the needs and interests of the design drafting professional and educator.

The ADDA has developed and published several publications that are used as professional and educational references, and by some are considered drafting and design department standards.

The Drafters Reference Guide

A manual to instruct and help department heads in writing an in-house company drafting standard.

The Salary Survey

A by-annual publication that surveys the membership gathering area and regional salaries paid for the listed positions.

Guideline to Writing In-House Job Descriptions

These publications allow department heads, managers, and human relations personnel to write job descriptions for drafters, designers, graphic artist, illustrators, engineering support personnel, and engineering document handlers based on experience, ability, training, and software capabilities.

Drafter Certification Review Guides

These publications are designed to help guide individuals in the study and review process prior to challenging the certification test offered by ADDA

Since 1948, the association has seen many changes in the profession and membership. Over the fifty-five years since the birth of this association, they have recorded over 40,000 members. They have see students go from information on becoming a student member to full membership, then continuing to lead the design department of major automotive manufacturers. Our membership has b een involved in drawing and design of the products used in the space programs, development of new and innovative electronic products, development of military equipment, and one has even won a Nobel Metal.

Drafting is a universal language by means of which the form, size, finish, color, and construction of an object can be described accurately and clearly.  It is the language used by engineering and architectural profession to develop and record ideas and transmit them to those who execute their designs.  Anyone who is competent to read the drawing and is qualified to build the product can then carry out the designs in every detail without any additional instructions from the designer.

The theory of projection drawing was advanced to the academic study by the introduction of two planes of projection at right angles to each other by the French mathematician Gaspard Monge, near the end of the eighteenth century. This development provides the basis of descriptive geometry, the sciences that treat of the graphical description of objects of three dimensions and provides exercises designed to train the mind to visualize and solve space problems.

The original and natural method of describing the forms of objects is by drawings. Written or spoken language is inadequate to describe any but the most elementary forms. Specifications, which accompany the drawings used in the building of structures, are worthless without the drawings for which they were prepared. Together, the drawings and the specifications are the instruments which enable the designer to convey ideas to the builder, and which enable the builder and the owner to agree on a definite undertaking.

Drafting and Design have become highly specialized with the particular branch of engineering sciences to which it applies. The fundamental principles of drafting, common to all disciplines is the basis to which all things are designed. The student of drafting should attain a knowledg e of these fundamental principles and as much skill as possible in presenting these principles in a finished drawing.

To become a skilled drafter, detailer, or designer, one must acquire knowledge of the details of construction employed in the discipline of the engineering sciences in which one plans to work. No drafter can prepare accurate and complete working drawing o f machines, bridges, buildings, or parts without being thoroughly trained with the construction processes

Drafting is one of the oldest technical professions. There is documented evidence of this on the walls of caves, where prehistoric man lived.  There are detailed construction drawings, cardiograph drawings, and even illustrations on how to obtain your next meal.

History indicates that drawings were used in ancient times to delineate the exact forms and sizes of structures. The Bible states that Solomon's Temple was "built of stone made ready before it was brought thither," indicating that drawings were used to describe the forms and sizes of the individual members used in this historic structure. Likewise, the ancient Greek temples, so complex in arrangement and refined in detail, as the Parthenon, could not have been constructed without accurate drawings to guide the artisans in forming the structural elements and the builders in assembling them.

It is imperative in the training for this highly technical and quickly evolving profession that the science, math, physics, and chemistry be included in training for this career.

Drafting is truly, the simplest of universal languages.

Visual in nature, mathematical by design.

The ADDA is proud to be international organization representing the drafting and design profession. We encourage each of you, no matter your profession, to be excellent in all that you do.

Olen K. Parker   Executive Director
Corporate Operations Officer 
ADDA International  

Terry Schultz
President
ADDA International