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W H A T I S T H E I S S ?

Its History

Goals & Mission

The Meaning of "ISS"

ISS Planning Committee

ISS Founding Council Members

Founding Members - 2004

ITS HISTORY

Founding of The International Shaw Society was first discussed at a Shaw Conference at Marquette University in April of 2000, and the ISS was successfully founded in principle at a “Shaw Summit” on August 24th, 2002, at the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, with the details of its scope and operation yet to be worked out. To discuss and vote on such matters, a second “Shaw Summit” was held in the new Shaw Festival Theatre Library in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, on August 20th, 2003. A decision was made at that time to apply for not-for-profit, tax-exempt status, and Professor Richard Dietrich of the University of South Florida was elected Acting President to oversee the transformation of the ISS into a full-fledged, legally-established, dues-paying literary society. As of January 30, 2004, the ISS was so established.

ITS GOALS & MISSION

The International Shaw Society will provide a means for those interested in the life, times, works, and career of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his circle to organize their activities and interests, exchange information and ideas, and promote an interest in Shaw worldwide.

THE MEANING OF “ISS”

The acronym for the International Shaw Society, “ISS,” is especially appropriate to emphasize Shaw’s continuing presence in the contemporary world, if only as a talkative spirit with very relevant things to say, and the suggestion of a hiss on “ISS” evokes Shaw’s portrayal of the serpent in the Garden of Eden (in Back to Methuselah) as a friend to man in encouraging the species to grow and learn, rather than to continue stuck in the old, stagnant, often self-destructive ways. The Shavian voice, urging Homo sapiens to grow up, has never been more needed. Growing up, in fact, is probably what Shaw had in mind when he urged evolving to Homo super. Desperate metaphors for desperate times! Which will always be with us until we do grow up.

ISS PLANNERS, FOUNDERS & FOUNDING ISS COUNCIL

Below is, first, the list of people who attended either the August 24^th, 2002 Planning Committee meeting or the August 20^th, 2003 meeting, or both, supplemented by a few who did not attend but who later agreed to serve as members of the founding Advisory Board and/or as signatories on applications, followed by a list of the founding ISS Council, composed of an Executive Committee and an Advisory Committee. Last but not least are the Founding Members of the ISS who acquired membership in 2004. ^.

I S S P L A N N I N G C O M M I T T E E S in 2002-2003
Sidney P. Albert Elaine Amromin Alan Andrews Stuart Baker Elisa Beshero-Bondar Ron Bryden Charles A. Carpenter Nancy Cole Tracy Collins Leonard Conolly MaryAnn Crawford	Monty Davis Sara Deats R. F. Dietrich Lori Ruse-Dietrich Bernard Dukore Anthony Ellis Evelyn Ellis Frances Evans T. F. Evans Tony Gibbs Nicholas Grene	Peter Gahan Chistopher Innes Norma Jenckes Denis Johnston Mitchell Klein Lagretta Lenker Gale Larson Kay Li Barry Morse Rhoda Nathan Michel Pharand	John Pfeiffer David Rose Ann Saddlemyer Isidor Saslav Julie Sparks Jay Tunney Tramble T. Turner Rodelle Weintraub Stanley Weintraub Don Wilmeth

I S S C O U N C I L - 2004
E X E C U T I V E	A D V I S O R Y
R. F. Dietrich, President dietrich@chuma1.cas.usf.edu> Don Wilmeth, Vice President <Don_Wilmeth@brown.edu> Lagretta Lenker, Treasurer <Llenker@admin.usf.edu> Norma Jenckes, Recording Secretary <norma.jenckes@uc.edu > Lori Ruse-Dietrich, Membership Secretary <lruse@tampabay.rr.com>	Sidney Albert Charles Berst Leonard Conolly Bernard Dukore T. F. Evans Anthony Gibbs Nicholas Grene Denis Johnston --------------------------- Jacques Barzun, Honorary Eric Bentley, Honorary	Dan H. Laurence Martin Meisel Rhoda Nathan Margot Peters Sally Peters Ann Saddlemyer Al Turco Stanley Weintraub ----------------------------- Ron Bryden, Honorary Barry Morse, Honorary

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MEMBERS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE FOUNDING OF THE ISS -- 2004

FOUNDING PARTNERS ($500 OR MORE)

Sidney Albert

Charles & Roelina Berst

John & Mary Ellen Bertolini

Tracy Collins

Richard Dietrich

Tony Gibbs

Aubrey Hampton & Susan Hussey

John Pfeiffer

Margot Peters

FOUNDING SPONSORS ($200 OR MORE)

Stuart Baker

Leonard Conolly

Lori Dietrich

Norma Jenckes

Gale Larson

Lagretta Lenker

Jean Reynolds

Jay Tunney

Al Turco

Rodelle and Stan Weintraub

Don Wilmeth

FOUNDING CONTRIBUTORS ($50 OR MORE)

Alan Andrews

Thomas Bahring

Albert Braverman

Al Carpenter

Wendi Chen

Nancy Cole

Mary C. Crane

Sara Deats

Howard Einsohn

Peter Gahan

Husne Jahan

Mitchell Klein

Dan H. Laurence

Martin Meisel

Michael O’Hara

Sally Peters

Harold Pagliaro

Michel Pharand

Gary A. Richardson

Nelson Ritschel

Ann Saddlemyer

Isidor Saslav

Julie Sparks

Tramble T. Turner

Nicholas Williams

Jonathan Wisenthal

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Elaine Amromin

Alan Andrews

George Austin

Cary Barney

Patrick Berry

Michael Bertin

Elisa Beshero-Bondar

A. K. Bhatt

Ronald Bryden

Toni Burke

Richard Cheski

James Chow

Glenda Cimino

Nancy Cole

Mary C. Crane

MaryAnn Crawford

Sara Deats

Vincent Dowling

Bernard Dukore

Anthony Ellis

Evelyn Ellis

Kathleen Erwin

Michael Fountain

Peter Gahan

Robert Gaines

Angela Grayson

Nicholas Grene

Polly Guerin

Cynthia Halpern

Kim Hanna

Arthur Horowitz

Christopher Innes

Denis Johnston

Gale Larson

Kay Li

Valerie Lipscomb

John MacDonald

Masahiko Masumoto

Jackie Maxwell

Donal McManus

Charles Mehler

Hisashi Morikawa

Rhoda Nathan

Sasha Normand

Mia Nottoli

Julius Novick

Donall O’Luanaigh--National Library of Ireland

Zeljka, Radelic

Rosemarie Rowley

Lynn Marie Ruse

Travis Ruse

Toshhiko Sato

Hannes Schweiger

Totaro Shimamura

Rev. Alexander Seabrook

Julie Sparks

P. S. Sri

Margaret Taylor

Michael Timko

Joy Timko

Douglas Warsett

Susan Warsett

Leo Wong

Christa Zorn

HONORARY MEMBERS

Jacques Barzun

Eric Bently

Tom and Frances Evans

Peter French (USF at Sarasota VP)

Dan H. Laurence

Barry Morse

Laurie Stryker (USF at Sarasota CEO)

Joan Templeton (Ibsen Society President)

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