A New Century of Challenges

摘要

Being an organization of volunteer leaders busy making a living in a tough industry, the AFA was not an overwhelming nationwide presence during the first few decades of its existence. The organization was often kept alive solely by the strength of purpose and zeal of its visionary founders. At the Chicago AFA convention in 1900, president William A. Jones of Buffalo, New York, proclaimed, "Our association is no longer an experiment. It is an educational institution whose influence is felt not only in this country, but its papers are eagerly sought for and read by our brothers across the water."