Martha Bixler's Memoir- "The ARS and Me"

Martha Bixler’s memoir “The American Recorder Society and Me” is complete and now available to members
 
Martha Bixler has been a member of the ARS for a large part of its history. Throughout this time-span she served the society in several leadership roles, including several stints as President. In recognition of her considerable contributions to the ARS, she was given our Distinguished Achievement Award in 1996.
 
Martha has written a personal memoir of the history of the ARS. It has been pieced together from historical records, letters, photographs and the author’s recollections. The manuscript tells a rather inspiring story of a group of dedicated people trying to promote the joys of recorder playing in what began as a barren territory, and succeeding in raising membership to more than 4,000 at its peak. As with many institutions involved in limited niche markets, the struggle to survive was often harrowing, and required extreme efforts by many people, including Martha Bixler. The author structures the history on eight chapters, each describing a decade of time. Of course, as with any institution, there are ups and downs, conflicts of will, rivalries, joys and disappointments, and these are all described.
 
This is an important work. Parts have already been published in the AR magazine. Chapters 1, 2 & 3 appeared in the March 2007 issue and Chapter 4 and “Key Players” appeared in the May 2007 issue. Now the full document is available to ARS members at no charge at the following website: https://issuu.com/bixlerm. You may download the 257 page PDF of the memoir and read it offline. Of course Martha’s personal recollections do not necessarily reflect the views of the ARS, its Board or its members.