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Ed Bennett's "oral" history of PS1.
* Grand Opening at Elston
* Grand Opening at Elston
PS1 reinvents itself every two years*, and right now (end of 2017) we're a halfway through. When I (Ed Bennett) joined we had ~50 members, if I remember correctly. PS1 lived in one-room schoolhouse of about 2000 sq feet.
We were a social club with power tools and two missions.
PS1's first mission is the one in our charter and bylaws. The second mission was to have fun. There was a little happy hour every day from 4 to maybe 6pm when people dropped by after work to have a beer or two with their friends and sit in silence (mostly) and use their laptops for an hour or two. It was cheaper than the University Club and had free parking. The trash barrel in the "kitchen" corner would occasionally overflow with beer cans, and Jim invented the Power Wheels Racing Series. We had a bench mounted drill press, a craftsman bandsaw, a crackerbox welder, a grinder, a sander, and an assortment of hand power tools.
Everything started to change when Tim Saylor (president and Chief Cat-Herder) co-signed a loan to buy the Epilog. People started joining just to use the laser. When we moved into 3519, the place seemed cavernous and empty. We started getting more tools and more members. The same social group that started the place continued to make it their own for a couple more two-year cycles and gradually faded into the background. The trash cans stopped overflowing with beer cans, and directors pretty much quit giving themselves funny titles. We gradually started to run ourselves like a business staffed by volunteers who gave their spare time for free. The spirit of whimsy is still among us. I hope that never changes, but it's not surprising at all that a member who actually spends time around the space would ask why the directors sometimes give themselves funny names.**
* This is my (Ed Bennett's) telling of the story. Other peoples' views will naturally differ.
** State law is fine with this, but it's not encouraged. As long as there is a person designated to perform the duties of President, and another person to perform the duties of Treasurer, directors can call themselves whatever they want.
[[Administration History|'''Historical Boards''']]
[[Administration History|'''Historical Boards''']]