The Penman's Journal

May 1967

Click HERE for a sample of the
IAMPETH Penman's Journal

History compiled and edited by Dr. Joe Vitolo

The IAMPETH Newsletter has a very rich history of providing quality instruction on fine penmanship. We can trace its lineage back to the Business Educator first published in the late 1800's by the Zanerian College. It would eventually become The Educator.

In approximately 1949 publication of The Educator (Zaner-Bloser) was reportedly coming to an end. Several penmen including R.C. King, Frank A. Krupp, Stephen Ziller, P. L. Zenzen, Oscar Japs and F.O. Anderson met to discuss the possibility of creating a publication that would pickup where The Educator would leave off. F.O. Anderson, spurred on by support from P.Z. Bloser and E.A. Lupfer of Zaner-Bloser, decided to create The Penman's News-Letter in 1949. All these were IAMPTH members.

Anderson would go on to publish 212 newsletters over the next 17 years before turning over editorial control to Eileen Richardson. The Penman's Newsletter would evolve into the IAMPETH Newsletter having as its editors after F.O. Anderson: Eileen Richardson, Paula Loya, Richard Muffler, Bob Hurford, and current editor, Pat Whisnant.

Special thanks to Kathy Saunders, Michael Butorac, and Bob Hurford for providing the following detailed chronology:

1) The Business Educator, Edited by CP Zaner 1895-1919 began as follows:

A. "The Zanerian Exponent," February-March-April, 1895. Vol. 1. No. 1.
*Specific date of transition to "
B. "The Penman and Artist," February-March-April, 1897. Vol. 3. No. 1. - No. 9.
*Specific date of transition from "The Zanerian Exponent"
C. "The Penman and Artist and Business Educator," May-June, 1900. Vol. 5. No. 9. - No. 25.
*Specific date of transition from "The Penman and Artist"
D. "The Business Educator." September 1902. Vol. VIII. No. 1. - No. 46.
*(From Zaner-Bloser) Change of Name: The name, Penman-Artist and Business Educator, has never been quite satisfactory. It is unwieldy, awkward, and too long. It has therefore been changed to THE BUSINESS EDUCATOR, beginning with this number. Of course the policy of the journal remains the same. Penmanship will receive the same attention that we have been giving it in the past, or even more. We have simply shortened the name, and in no way altered our purpose. We believe this change will receive the approval of the many friends and supporters of the journal."
** It should also be noted that The Penman's Art Journal, established in 1877, should also be added to this history since it was purchased by and consolidated with The Educator in 1916. During a portion of its 39-year history it was owned and edited by HG Healey who would spend 16 years as editor. Quoting EA Lupfer, "He exerted a tremendous influence in the penmanship profession. Undoubtedly the Penman's Art Journal enjoyed the reputation of being one of the outstanding penmanship magazines ever published."
E. January 1919-June 1919 THE BUSINESS EDUCATOR. Even though C. P. Zaner died December 1, 1918, he was still listed as Editor of these issues. In the June 1919 edition there is an announcement that the new Editor of the THE BUSINESS EDUCATOR will be Arthur Glenwood Skeels.

2) The Business Educator
Editor - AG Skeels (1919-1923**)

3) The Business Educator
Editor - EW Bloser (1923-1929)

4) The Business Educator - The Educator Editor - EA Lupfer (1930-Finish)

*The Educator persisted after 1949. I have a 1955 'Single Issue' edition and would like to find out when the last issue was published.

**Sometime between May 1928 and January 1934 The Business Educator becomes The Educator.

***"The Business Educator" changes to "The Educator" somewhere between April 1931 and February 1932 issues.

5) Penman's News-Letter
Editor: FO Anderson (1949-1967)
Started by Major FO Anderson at the prompting of fellow penmen of the day to pick up where the Educator would leave off. During FO Anderson's tenure as editor the Penman's News Letter became the official publication of what was then known as IAMPTH (later to be IAMPETH).

Quoting FO Anderson, "Several penmen and engrossers met with Mr. RC King, in his engrossing Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota, several times during December 1949. The following were present: R. C. King, Frank A. Krupp, Tri-State Business College, Fargo, N. D., Stephen Ziller, The Tamblyn School of Penmanship, Kansas City, Mo., P. L. Zenzen, Oscar Japs and F. O. Anderson, all of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They met to discuss and plan starting a new penmanship publication, to fill in where The Educator left off." Anderson also recounts a discussion with PZ Bloser where Bloser also suggests that he pick up where the Educator left off.

6) Penman's News Letter
Editor: Eileen Richardson (1967-1984)

7) IAMPETH Newsletter
Editor: Tom Wasylyk (1984-1994)
*Eileen Richardson did continue to produce a few Penman's Newsletters on a sporadic basis.

8) IAMPETH Newsletter
Editor: Richard Muffler (1994-2001)

9) IAMPETH Newsletter
Editor: Robert Hurford (2001)

10) The IAMPETH Penman's Journal
Editor: Robert Hurford (2002-2007)

11) The IAMPETH Penman's Journal
Editor: Pat Whisnant (2007-Present)

Spring 2003