A History of our Organization |
How we Changed "Graphology" |
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In 1969, Carroll Chouinard, Chairman of the Founding Committee for the American Association of Handwriting Analysts, was the first editor of our Association’s newsletter. Chouinard attended the 1964-founding meeting of AAHA and was subsequently elected the first president.
But AAHA’s roots and raison d’etre predate the newsletter and Dialogues. In fact, AAHA is an outgrowth of a Graphoanalysis convention held in 1964. The convention occurred in Chicago and was sponsored by the Chicago-based Graphoanalysis group (known, in short, as IGAS: [I]nternational [G]rapho [A]nalysis [S]ociety. The Graphological Society, itself, had deep roots. In 1929, Milton Bunker, following a prolonged study of graphology (including his research in Germany), established a school that combined the graphology of handwriting strokes with results of his work in Gestalt psychology and methodology. As time passed, members of IGAS and attendees at its conventions sought greater latitude in the use and instruction of evolving techniques in handwriting analysis. They also wanted broader exposure to research literature that was becoming available in the field. These quests for more flexibility and wider exposure to legitimate, objective studies prompted individual members and practitioners to meet in small clusters, especially at conventions in the 1962-64 era. Such “off-the-agenda” sessions gradually built momentum for the creation of an independent organization that could better espouse their advocacy and attract membership. In retrospect, the accommodation and dissemination of new ideas and perspectives has kept AAHA and the allied American graphology movements in the forefront of progress in this ever-fascinating, ever-changing, and increasingly relevant facet of the study of the human mind and human behavior. David L. Littmann AAHA, historian November 21, 2009 |
Rose Matousek, AAHA Past Pres
AAHA was founded in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1962. AAHA is a world-wide organization with members throughout the United States and in many foreign countries including Canada, India, Israel, Kenya, and South Africa. AAHA was instrumental in having most graphology books changed from the Occult to categories of Diagnostic Graphology, Documentary Evidence, and Selection of Personnel by Management in the Dewey Decimal Classification System of the Library of Congress. AAHA member, Rose Matousek, led the drive for recognition of graphology as a profession, convincing the U.S. Department of Labor to reclassify graphology in its Fourth Edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles to Miscellaneous Professional, Technical and Managerial Occupations. To see the Correspondence and Conformation of the Library of Congress reclassification and the Department of Labor classification of Graphologists Click at the end of this article. AAHA members are bound by a code of ethics. Handwriting analysis does not discriminate against race, age, gender or creed. |
Historical Notes
Our Historian, Dave Littmann, wrote these articles about our history:
DOWN MEMORY LANE:
The year 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of AAHA (1962-2012), an occasion commemorated at our convention in Chicago, July 18-24. Interestingly, 2012 is also three years from our Silver Year of AAHA Dialogues, the antecedent of which were AAHA’s “News Letter.”
First AAHA News Letter: June 20, 1965: “Chicago Calling”
Do our publications indicate that we’ve changed much in the past 50 years? Let’s review the very first edition to glimpse AAHA’s evolution:
Volume 1, #1 News Letter, dated June 20, 1965, was headlined “Chicago Calling,” announcing to members the “Charter Year Convention” to be held at Chicago’s LaSalle Hotel in the loop, from Friday July 9 to Sunday afternoon July 11. AAHA Secretary Frances Allbright was convention manager.
Featured convention speakers and topics included: Charles Cole, AHAF Director, lecturing on Klara Roman’s “Psychogram;” Carroll Chouinard, Chairman of AAHA’s Founders Committee, speaking on “Form Level Analysis;” Rev. A.D. Hartmark, presenting “Psychodynamics of Alcoholism;” and Bertha Brown, discussing the work of her mentor, M.N. Bunker.
Articles in the first edition of the AAHA News Letter included the following:
AAHA AT QUARTER CENTURY
The first AAHA News Letter to appear in our 25th Anniversary Year [Jan-Feb 1987, Volume 22 #3] was entitled: “25th Anniversary Convention & Newsletter.” It announced the coming Q & A Panel of all AAHA past presidents at the annual convention to be held at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. The Convention was scheduled for July 15-18, 1987.
Speakers enrolled for the convention included: Renna Nezos, Paul Ferguson, JJ Wittenberg, Jeanne LeCerf, Patricia Wellingham-Janes (AHAF President), Betty Link, Dr. Anthony Becker, Felix Klein, Ed O’Neill, and Stan Viddinghoff.
AAHA’s Executive Committee in 1987 consisted of Fran Allbright, President; Rose Matousek, V.P.; Betty Delmar, Secretary; Bill Funchion, Treasurer.
This first News Letter of the year contained these two articles: (a) Analysis of Shirley MacLaine’s Handwriting; (b) Benefits of Parallel Analysis - Parallel Graphology: Latin/Western versus Hebrew.
[Mar-Apr, 1987, Vol.22 #4] The second News Letter for the anniversary year featured analysis of President Ronald Reagan’s signature, by Louis Ciancio.
[May-Jun, 1987, Vol 22 #5] The third News Letter of 1987 featured “Home Study Group,” by Alice Herman, documenting Liz Mills’ certifications for her three-level instruction series at Oakland Community College, near Detroit. This coincided with Liz Mill’s start-up group entitled HAND Ink [Handwriting Analysts Near Detroit].
[Sep-Oct, 1987, Vol 23 #1] This fourth News Letter edition for 1987 ushered in the new leadership for AAHA: Rose Matousek, President; Betty Delmar, V.P.; Pat Peterson, Sec’y; William Funchion, Treasurer.
News Letter contents included: (1) “Historian Uses Handwriting in Compiling Jefferson’s Notes,” by Rose Matousek; (2) Convention Attendees’ Evaluations & Round Up,” by Pat Peterson; (3) “Graphological Body Language,” (with seven samples shown) by Betty Delmar; and (4) “Signatures of all the 1986 Chicago Bears Players.”
[Nov-Dec, 1987, Vol 23 #2] This anniversary year’s close-out edition had two feature articles:
What’s The Overall Significance? Reminiscing is both fun and instructive. There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gained from our News Letter/Dialogue archives and the perspectives they provide for today and tomorrow. Through the decades, our News Letters (June 1965-January 1989) and Dialogues (March-April 1989: Volume 24, #2 to present) have served as primary communication organs for our professional groups. They inform members of organizational contacts and regional, national and international conferences and workshops.
Thanks to technology, as well as the direction, editing, and management of Ann Kessler (Dialogue’s editor since June-July 2008) and her support team, Dialogues have expanded in size, content, scope, color, and quality. Formats may have changed, yet topics that appeared in the early News Letters days have survived. New developments and techniques in graphology and document examination, as well as book reviews, notifications of altered status in membership, association boards and affiliates, finances, library materials, and by-laws -- all of this and more are covered today in what has become, as of 1989, the five (normal) annual editions of Dialogue.
Actual handwriting samples are still regularly provided in today’s Dialogues, just as they were in the original News Letter, in order to guide analysis and provide a basis for member feedback and personal record. No wonder Betty Delmar, in her first column as editor of today’s namesake-successor to AAHA’s News Letter, declared, “Eureka! We found a dynamite name for AAHA’s communication….” Long live Dialogue, its enablers, contributors, and educational success story.
David L. Littmann, AAHA Historian
Brief History: Origin of AAHA’s “DIALOGUE” Publication
After many years of publishing AAHA’s Newsletters, MARCH-APRIL 1989 brought us the very first
“AAHA DIALOGUE”
The initial “Dialogue” held a frame in the top right corner of the first page. It read:
In the name of “DIALOGUE”
Eureka! We found a dynamite name for AAHA’s communication with its members, AAHA DIALOGUE. It fits the intent -- to communicate, to discuss, and to interchange ideas. In short, it’s
a “Dialogue” for mutual understanding, learning, and harmony.
The name came to our editor, BETTY DELMAR, while she was in the hospital undergoing angioplasty. Everyone we polled loved it.
Remember, our last newsletter said the name would stay AAHA NEWS, but we
added the words “for now” to cover the happenstance of finding a more appropriate
name. We are so delighted with it that we put it into immediate action. Hope you enjoy
future “AAHA Dialogues.”
DOWN MEMORY LANE:
The year 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of AAHA (1962-2012), an occasion commemorated at our convention in Chicago, July 18-24. Interestingly, 2012 is also three years from our Silver Year of AAHA Dialogues, the antecedent of which were AAHA’s “News Letter.”
First AAHA News Letter: June 20, 1965: “Chicago Calling”
Do our publications indicate that we’ve changed much in the past 50 years? Let’s review the very first edition to glimpse AAHA’s evolution:
Volume 1, #1 News Letter, dated June 20, 1965, was headlined “Chicago Calling,” announcing to members the “Charter Year Convention” to be held at Chicago’s LaSalle Hotel in the loop, from Friday July 9 to Sunday afternoon July 11. AAHA Secretary Frances Allbright was convention manager.
Featured convention speakers and topics included: Charles Cole, AHAF Director, lecturing on Klara Roman’s “Psychogram;” Carroll Chouinard, Chairman of AAHA’s Founders Committee, speaking on “Form Level Analysis;” Rev. A.D. Hartmark, presenting “Psychodynamics of Alcoholism;” and Bertha Brown, discussing the work of her mentor, M.N. Bunker.
Articles in the first edition of the AAHA News Letter included the following:
- A Slant on a Marriage Situation [A.D. Hartmark]
- Is Co-Education A Mistake [Fran Allbright]
- Three Types of Memories
- Rigid Writing, Hostility, Resentment
- Life Without Anxiety [book review by Annette Pine]
- Interests and Motives
- Introversion/Extroversion [with three sample writings or illustrations]
AAHA AT QUARTER CENTURY
The first AAHA News Letter to appear in our 25th Anniversary Year [Jan-Feb 1987, Volume 22 #3] was entitled: “25th Anniversary Convention & Newsletter.” It announced the coming Q & A Panel of all AAHA past presidents at the annual convention to be held at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. The Convention was scheduled for July 15-18, 1987.
Speakers enrolled for the convention included: Renna Nezos, Paul Ferguson, JJ Wittenberg, Jeanne LeCerf, Patricia Wellingham-Janes (AHAF President), Betty Link, Dr. Anthony Becker, Felix Klein, Ed O’Neill, and Stan Viddinghoff.
AAHA’s Executive Committee in 1987 consisted of Fran Allbright, President; Rose Matousek, V.P.; Betty Delmar, Secretary; Bill Funchion, Treasurer.
This first News Letter of the year contained these two articles: (a) Analysis of Shirley MacLaine’s Handwriting; (b) Benefits of Parallel Analysis - Parallel Graphology: Latin/Western versus Hebrew.
[Mar-Apr, 1987, Vol.22 #4] The second News Letter for the anniversary year featured analysis of President Ronald Reagan’s signature, by Louis Ciancio.
[May-Jun, 1987, Vol 22 #5] The third News Letter of 1987 featured “Home Study Group,” by Alice Herman, documenting Liz Mills’ certifications for her three-level instruction series at Oakland Community College, near Detroit. This coincided with Liz Mill’s start-up group entitled HAND Ink [Handwriting Analysts Near Detroit].
[Sep-Oct, 1987, Vol 23 #1] This fourth News Letter edition for 1987 ushered in the new leadership for AAHA: Rose Matousek, President; Betty Delmar, V.P.; Pat Peterson, Sec’y; William Funchion, Treasurer.
News Letter contents included: (1) “Historian Uses Handwriting in Compiling Jefferson’s Notes,” by Rose Matousek; (2) Convention Attendees’ Evaluations & Round Up,” by Pat Peterson; (3) “Graphological Body Language,” (with seven samples shown) by Betty Delmar; and (4) “Signatures of all the 1986 Chicago Bears Players.”
[Nov-Dec, 1987, Vol 23 #2] This anniversary year’s close-out edition had two feature articles:
- “Condensed Version of Rena Nezos-Iatou’s convention Lecture on A. Maslow (Hierarchy of Human Needs,” (with four handwriting examples analyzed).
- “What Goes On Below the Line of Writing?” by Betty Delmar.
What’s The Overall Significance? Reminiscing is both fun and instructive. There’s a wealth of knowledge to be gained from our News Letter/Dialogue archives and the perspectives they provide for today and tomorrow. Through the decades, our News Letters (June 1965-January 1989) and Dialogues (March-April 1989: Volume 24, #2 to present) have served as primary communication organs for our professional groups. They inform members of organizational contacts and regional, national and international conferences and workshops.
Thanks to technology, as well as the direction, editing, and management of Ann Kessler (Dialogue’s editor since June-July 2008) and her support team, Dialogues have expanded in size, content, scope, color, and quality. Formats may have changed, yet topics that appeared in the early News Letters days have survived. New developments and techniques in graphology and document examination, as well as book reviews, notifications of altered status in membership, association boards and affiliates, finances, library materials, and by-laws -- all of this and more are covered today in what has become, as of 1989, the five (normal) annual editions of Dialogue.
Actual handwriting samples are still regularly provided in today’s Dialogues, just as they were in the original News Letter, in order to guide analysis and provide a basis for member feedback and personal record. No wonder Betty Delmar, in her first column as editor of today’s namesake-successor to AAHA’s News Letter, declared, “Eureka! We found a dynamite name for AAHA’s communication….” Long live Dialogue, its enablers, contributors, and educational success story.
David L. Littmann, AAHA Historian
Brief History: Origin of AAHA’s “DIALOGUE” Publication
After many years of publishing AAHA’s Newsletters, MARCH-APRIL 1989 brought us the very first
“AAHA DIALOGUE”
The initial “Dialogue” held a frame in the top right corner of the first page. It read:
In the name of “DIALOGUE”
Eureka! We found a dynamite name for AAHA’s communication with its members, AAHA DIALOGUE. It fits the intent -- to communicate, to discuss, and to interchange ideas. In short, it’s
a “Dialogue” for mutual understanding, learning, and harmony.
The name came to our editor, BETTY DELMAR, while she was in the hospital undergoing angioplasty. Everyone we polled loved it.
Remember, our last newsletter said the name would stay AAHA NEWS, but we
added the words “for now” to cover the happenstance of finding a more appropriate
name. We are so delighted with it that we put it into immediate action. Hope you enjoy
future “AAHA Dialogues.”