On February 14th, I sent a letter to all the past presidents of the coffee association. It appears below, along with a period image of the author. -DNS

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

This year commemorates the 35th Anniversary of the founding of SCAA. To those of you who remember when I had 20/20 vision, black hair and a 33” waist, I raise my SCAA mug to each of you in turn, and wish you well , and thank you for your service to the trade. To those of you who led in later generations of coffee, I thank you too, for carrying on the sentiment, and traditions, bringing them to ever newer, cohorts of coffee professionals.

It was my hope, back then in 1983, that we were creating something that would stand the test of time, that, as General Washington, said, would “…raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair…” I hope that future generations of coffeepeople will look upon our work, overlook our human frailties, and say in judgement that we were friends of the trade, and that we did our level best for our fellow tradespeople at home and abroad.

I thank you all for your personal friendship through the years, and leave you this evening with my wish to each of you for a joyous, and warm Valentine’s Day evening spent with a warm friend, and a hot cuppa.

Sincerely,
Donald
Brooklyn, New York
February 14, 2018