Graphic Arts Association Names 2009 Persons of the Year

The Graphic Arts Association has named Irvin J. Borowsky as the 2009 Neographics "Person of the Year."

Borowsky truly exemplifies all of the characteristics that qualified him as the 2009 "Person of the Year." He will receive this award of recognition at the Neographics dinner and awards ceremony on May 7 at the Union League, 140 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, at 7 p.m.

Born in Philadelphia in 1924, Irvin was the youngest of nine children. When he was 12 years old, he answered an ad in "Popular Mechanics" for a real printing press for $5. The press came with a package of type, ink, and instructions. By the time Borowsky was 14, he was operating his own printing business which he named City Wide Press.

At the end of Word War II, he found Foster Manufacturing Co., which provides custom storage equipment to printers and newspapers.

In 1948, he started a weekly TV magazine called TV Digest, which later became TV Guide.

His innovations in the publishing and printing industries are legendary. Borowsky was the first to present movies on television. He was the first to introduce the marketing of magazines at checkout counters in supermarkets—an all new, innovative approach to the public. His redesign of numerous newspaper composition departments produced major efficiencies which were adopted by newspapers worldwide.

After selling his TV magazine to Walter Annenberg, Borowsky founded North American Publishing and Printing Impressions Magazine. He has edited and published 34 books plus innumerable magazines and newsletters. He has written a number of books on printing.

His writings and innovations have had a great influence on the printing industry, but his interests and influence extend far beyond printing. He serves on the boards of the Salvation Army, the National Bible Association, and the Creative Glass Center of America among others. In 1995, he founded the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia which "aims to defuse violence and bigotry bycelebrating America's heritage of freedom and the wonderfully diverse society it has produced." His latest book is titled "Journey of an Optimist."

The Graphic Arts Association is the regional trade association for the printing industry in Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.

The Graphic Arts Association has also named Lawrence Wilks as the 2009 Neographics "Craftsperson of the Year." He will receive this award of recognition at the Neographics dinner and awards ceremony.

In 1969, at the age of 13, Wilks was introduced to the craft of printing by a neighbor who had a small print shop. He was taught to set lead type and to run a hand fed letterpress, later learning to run a small offset press. This introduction led to a life-long passion for printing.

At the age of 16, Wilks had the opportunity to take part in the graphic arts course at the Eastern Montgomery County Area Vocational-Technical School. His class was the first ever to produce a 36-page + cover year book. The following year, as a senior at Hatboro-Horsham High School, Larry was one of only a handful of students to be selected for the school's co-op program. Through this program, he worked half days at a local quick print shop while finishing his high school education.

After graduating in 1974, he operated a part time printing business called Dynamic Printing from his parents' basement. By 1976, he grew his business to full-time, and Dynamic Printing moved to a 750 square foot building in Horsham. In 1986, he expanded the business yet again.