Service to FTA
Speaker, committee member, researcher, judge, instructor, author and member of the board of directors—all were roles that Page Crouch filled in volunteer service to FTA over the course of his career. While each contributed to his election to the Hall of Fame, several brought him recognition.
For example, in the summer of 1984, Page debuted his “Educators’ Challenge.” It was a two-week, scholarship-funded seminar that he taught and labeled the “Summer Institute in Flexography.” The purpose: to motivate other instructors, expose them to real world situations, get them and keep them excited about flexography and what it had to offer to their students. It was an early workshop in a long line. Other examples include 1989’s “Process Printing by Flexography” and 1993’s “Corrugated Graphics And Color Symposium.”
Co sponsored industry workshops, involving Clemson University’s Graphic Communications Department and FTA, became a mainstay of both Crouch’s legacy and resume.
Charlie Brown, an FTA Hall of Fame member, recalled, “The Graphic Arts program that Page put together was probably one of the best in the country. I spoke on 4-color process at his request and the industry program was very impressive. Page gave so much of himself to his students and the industry at large. His service to FTA was substantial, particularly when it came to developing workshops and co sponsored programs.
“For Graphic Arts students, Clemson was and is a wonderful campus,” Brown explained. “From Page’s glory days, straight through to this day, students and faculty engage in a mutual admiration society and that is a nice thing to see.”
Page was an active member of FTA’s Process Color Standards Committee, FlexSys Advisory Committee and served as an Excellence in Flexography Awards competition judge and a two term member of the FTA Board of Directors and FFTA Board of Trustees (1987-1993).
His work with the FlexSys Advisory Committee was responsible for his selection as a recipient of FTA’s 1993 President’s Award. That year, he was instrumental in research work— Ftrop—and briefed the findings of this parallel project to Flexo Quality Consortium work at Forum 1994.
Oratory skills were exemplified beyond the Clemson classroom as Page took to the stage at Forum 1989 to deliver an address: “Statistical Process Control for Web Printers—How to Measure The Flexographic Process.” He followed that up in 1993 with yet another presentation, “UV Flexo: An Educator’s Viewpoint,” which he converted to a FLEXO Magazine article. His most famous work when putting pen to paper: Flexo Primer.
Fellow Hall of Fame Member Jean Jackson recalled first meeting Page in 1986 at a hands on flexo printing workshop. Then in early 1989, he put together a flexo conference at Clemson University with FTA as a co sponsor. “More than 200 people were there for the conference where four flexo printers from corrugated, flexible packaging, labels and preprint spoke to what they’ve seen, what they were doing and what they needed to move flexography forward, and it was supported with technical sessions from industry specialists.”
“Page always had a relationship with industry,” Jackson remarked. “He believes in diversifying—talking to all and learning from everybody. He’s the ultimate student, always driving forward and forever engaging people. Page was good about pushing the whole movement to drive toward printing to the numbers. He is big on getting kids engaged and involved. While not an easy teacher, he believes in people and pushes them to new levels. He likes to be pushed himself as well. Page is a perpetual student. People still come to him for advice.”
His network, according to Jackson, meets frequently for breakfast at Paw’s Diner—“The Diner”—located right on the edge of the Clemson campus and there is always some discussion of printing.