SEM has a long and rich history, dutifully recounted by Chuck Taylor, SEM’s Historian. It helps us all to place events by landmarks. Here Chuck outlines the milestones of the past 50 years of SEM history.

1952

• Tom Dolan was the SESA President. 
• Bill Murray was the SESA Secretary-Treasurer. 
• 1952 Spring Meeting was held in Indianapolis, IN, May 14-16. 
• W.V. Covert was the meeting chairman. 
• 1952 Annual Meeting was held in New York City in December. 
• George Herrmann was the meeting chairman. 
• Bill Murray presented the first Murray Lecture.

1962

• Irwin Vigness was the SESA President. 
• Bonney Rossi was the Executive Secretary. 
• 1962 SESA Spring Meeting was held at the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel in Dallas, TX, May 16-18. Bob Franklin was the meeting chairman.
• "Practical Applications Sessions" were held in addition to the traditional sessions. This was the first time that the Society scheduled simultaneous sessions. 
• 1962 SESA Annual Meeting was held at the Hotel Schroeder in Milwaukee, WI, October 24-26. Attendance: 330. Bill Bloedorn was the meeting chairman. 
• Ray Mindlin presented the Murray Lecture.

1972

• Bonney Rossi was the Managing Director. 
• 1972 SESA Spring Meeting was held at the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland, OH, May 23-26.
• Aldie Johnson was the SESA President.
• Charles Mathay was the meeting chairman. 
• 1972 SESA Fall Meeting was held at the Olympic Hotel in Seattle, WA, October 17-20. James Chalupnik was the meeting chairman. 
• Milt Leven presented the Murray Lecture.

1982

• Ken Galione was the Managing Director. 
• 1982 SESA/JSME Spring Meeting was held at the Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu, Oahu, HI, May 23-27 and at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Lahaina, Maui, HI, May 29-30. Attendance: 300 
• Dave Willis was the SESA president. 
• Bob Mark presented the Murray Lecture. 
• 1982 SESA Fall Meeting was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Hartford, CT, November 7-10., Attendance: 230. T.F. Guzofski was the meeting chairman. 
• The First International Modal Analysis Conference and Exhibit was held, Nov 8 – 10, Holiday Inn, International Drive, Orlando, FL. 
• David Brown was the Keynote Speaker on Modal Analysis: Past Present and Future

1992

• Ken Galione was the Managing Director 
• 1992 SEM VII International Congress on Experimental Mech-anics was held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, June 8-11. 
• Bill Fourney was the SEM President 
• Hal Brinson presented the Murray Lecture. 
• 1992 Joint Conference with the American Society for Nondestructive Testing was held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel in Chicago, IL, November 16-20. 
• IMAC-X was held Feb 3 – 7, at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego, CA 
• Jan Leuridan was the keynote speaker on Modal Analysis: A Perspective on Integration

2002

• Tom Proulx is the Executive Director 
• 2002 IMAC was held at the Westin Los Angeles Airport, Los Angeles, CA February 4 - 7, theme "Smart Structures and Transducers." 
• Ephrahim Garcia was the keynote speaker on Future Aerospace Concepts for Multifunctional Systems 
• 2002 SEM Annual Conference on Experimental Mechanics was held at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, WI June 10-12. 
• Mike Sutton was the SEM President
• Bill Sharpe, Jr. presented the Murray Lecture.