"Become part of MAKC history and tradition...."
History of the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club he history of the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club (MAKC) formally began on Sunday, June 8, 1986, in a meeting at John & Helen File's home in Philadelphia, Pa. The meeting was the culmination of John's desire to learn more about Koi. John had first seen Koi at Martin's Aquarium in Philadelphia and had been referred to Joe Zuritsky as the local Koi authority. John saw Joe's ponds and fish and was introduced to the magazine, KOI USA.
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John File
Joe had been keeping Koi for many years but had not had success in trying to start a club. John put a notice in KOI USA in the "Is there anyone out there" column and received letters from Betty Roemer in Virginia, Bob Bransfield in New Jersey, and Len Smiley who lived just outside of Philadelphia. The letter writing continued for a Joe Zuritsky while until the first meeting, which was attended by members from the families mentioned above. It was quickly decided that since there were so few Koi persons known on the entire East Coast that the club would have to span the entire region in order to gain enough membership strength and knowledge to succeed. So even from its very beginnings, MAKC has lived up to its name "Mid-Atlantic" and has included members from the entire region. The club began with a purpose of gaining and sharing knowledge and appreciation of Koi, a goal that has shaped and guided
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all follow-on activities. John File thus was the founder of the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club and was its first President, a position he held for the first three years of the club's existence. Since then, John has served as our long-range planner and a charter member of the Executive Board Advisory Committee, one of our "Wise Men" who give sage advice whenever asked. John was the first to advocate that the MAKC sponsor the Associated Koi Clubs of America (AKCA) seminar here on the East Coast, so he can be thought of as the father of the 1994 AKCA seminar as well (more about that later). The second meeting of the new club was held in August 1986, at Joe and RenĂŠ Zuritsky's home just outside of Philadelphia. Everyone there was treated to a real Koi thrill at seeing his lovely pond and the beautiful Koi that could be viewed either from the bridge over the pond leading up to his front door or through the window in his basement recreation room that is cut into the side of the pond. More new members attended the meeting, including Lester & Rhoda Berkow from New Jersey who hosted the third meeting. (They have since moved to South Florida where Lester has founded the Tropical Koi Club while also keeping active in MAKC.) It was at that third meeting that Alan & Judy Hoborn attended from New York. Alan immediately volunteered to be the editor of the club's newsletter. He said it was the newsletter editor who became at the center of activities of any club and he wanted to do it. So that was the beginning of what has become first the MAKC News and now the Mid-Atlantic Koi. Lester Berkow They have served as a major unifying factor for the far flung club. Alan was the editor of the newsletter for most of two years. Susan Boland served as editor from 1992 to April 2008 and made the newsletter into a magazine that is a nationally and internationally known and admired source of information on Koi lore and science. Carolyn Weise is the current editor.
May 2011
The club's fourth meeting was at the home of Ed Gillenwater in Virginia, proving once more the geographical spread of MAKC. Again, members were treated to a marvelous display of beautiful Koi and also a lovely Japanese style garden. Ed became the initiating force in the club holding its first Koi Show, which was held in 1989 during the annual Koi Festival at Lilypons Watergardens in Maryland. The first show was a very major undertaking for a new club, as we had to do it all ourselves, with no other club anywhere around to lend tanks, equipment, or advice. Under Ed's leadership and planning the show was a great success, teaching us and many new members much about the beauty and appreciation of our lovely jewels of the pond. Our second Koi Show was held at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia. These world renowned gardens have formed a spectacular background and surroundings for all of our following shows. A major learning step for club members before putting on a show was having fish auctions, which were held in June of 1988 and 1989 Nicole and Art Lembke before that first Koi Show. The auctions gave us experience in transporting Koi from their home ponds and in preparing a temporary homeaway-from-home for them. The South Chapter has made a Koi auction a part of its annual calendar and other chapters have held auctions from time to time.
One of the many innovations (at least they seemed so at the time) that John File started during his three years as Club President was that of having an executive meeting of club officers and committee members in February, while our ponds are sleeping and we can focus our thoughts on plans for the upcoming year. These meetings began in 1987, and it was at the meeting the following year that the concept of having club regions began (North, Central and South initially). These now have become Chapters, each Debby and David Hester with their own VicePresidents who plan meetings and activities in their own areas in addition to the annual club wide activities that include an annual meeting to elect officers, and the annual Koi Show. The Club has since added Long Island and Metropolitan (now Suffolk) Chapters and there are rumors of interest in other areas of forming MAKC Chapters, thus drawing on the strength and expertise of the club as a whole and sharing information through our magazine, the MidAtlantic Koi. A major strength of the club has been the continuity of the people involved with it. After John File served three years as President, Wayne Orchard served for two years as has Joe Zuritsky, Betty Roemer, Art Lembke, and David Hester. Similar continuity has marked many of the officer and committee positions, (with space too short to recognize all of the many eager and loyal contributors to the club success). We do believe that one year in a position, however, is simply too short for maximum effectiveness. Today MAKC has a membership of over 1,100 families that represent almost every state in the country, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. We have evolved differently from every other Koi club in the country partially because of necessity and partially because of the ideas and goals of many talented members who have joined together to share and advance a knowledge and love of Koi. v
Wayne Orchard and Susan Boland
May 2011
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