The Distinguished Service Award for 2002 was presented to Tony Crouch, who exemplifies the requirements of the award by serving on the board of directors from 1991 through 1997 as vice president, and as president in 1994-1995. He chaired the Jobs Bank Committee and was the "voice" of the Jobs Bank for more than 10 years. Tony served as a Book Show judge, as a Book Show committee person, and then as a Book Show chair in 2002. He has been chair of the Education Committee and has helped secure speakers for the Program Committee.

Tony grew up in England during World War II, with a boyhood full of rationing coupon books and food parcels from far-off Australia. An early understanding of heaven came when sweets came off rationing and sixpence worth of pocket money could be lavished on chocolate, and he is still trying to make up for lost time.

Southeast England provided many opportunities for a young lad to enjoy the pastoral countryside, hiking and bicycling down narrow lanes and over grassy downs. A typical education made no allowance whatsoever for a future in book publishing other than an English teacher who was passionate about literature, and it was he who imbued a young mind with an equal and endless appreciation for the written word. Said English master also won a car in a British crossword puzzle competition, which affected the young lad's mercenary instincts, although this has not yet been realized in book publishing.

After a spell in printing and publishing in the U.K., which included traveling to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Germany on publishing missions for the British Armed Forces, Tony emigrated to Canada, working first for the McGill-Queen's University Press in Montreal as their design and production manager, followed, seven years later, by his move to Halifax, as the director of publishing for the Nova Scotia provincial government.

Canadian winters eventually started to take their toll, however, and warmer climes became increasingly appealing. It was with gratitude that Tony was able to thaw out when he was hired as the director of design and production for the University of California Press, where he has worked since 1988.

Comments About the Organization
I came to Bookbuilders West within months of arriving in California and starting work at UC Press. The Press had been a member for many years, and I soon discovered this was a meeting of the minds. This was a group of people who became firm friends. The ebb and flow of the rapport between publishing and supplier members enables one to benefit from both an educational and social experience.

I was more than happy to serve on any committee that wanted me at the time, and soon the fledging Job Bank came into existence. I took it on and over the years have announced or listed hundreds and hundreds of publishing and book manufacturing opportunities in many fields, from production to sales, from typesetting to editing. The twice-monthly listing was ever changing until the current electronic version overtook the verbal version, and now it is even better handled as a part of our website.

The organization has a tremendous record of helping and inspiring young people, either as students in the graphic arts and printing/publishing industry, or providing education seminars at various levels of expertise. I have always felt the scholarship fund-raising aspect to be a major service that Bookbuilders West provides to our community.

I look at the years of my membership and say that Bookbuilders West can take pride in its accomplishments thus far, while looking forward with confidence to whatever the future holds for the world of book publishing and manufacturing.

 
Congratulations, Tony, for your many contributions to Bookbuilders West and to the book publishing community. Your vision and management of the BBW Jobs Bank have influenced countless careers and your knowledge, experience, and wit have helped propel the organization into the 21st century. We thank you!