The CLEVELAND TECHNICAL SOCIETIES COUNCIL was organized on 13 Oct. 1941 by 24 technical societies in Cleveland to coordinate the activities of local engineering and technical groups. The organization's goals were to function as a unifying force in technical fields and provide expert counsel on technical matters. The founding technical societies and their 5,000 members also coordinated the efforts of engineers and made their information more accessible. The organization's first president was James H. Herron (of the James H. Herron Co.). The Cleveland society served as a model for more than 65 similar groups that were formed in the following decade in the U.S. as well as abroad.
In recent years the council has continued to coordinate efforts of various member societies, share information, and promote programs of general interest. It has also sponsored educational endeavors in the engineering and technical fields, operated a scholarship program, established a student loan fund, maintained a career guidance program for high school students, held student workshops, and sponsored plant tours. At the annual banquet two awards are given, the Distinguished Service Award and the Technical Achievement Award, the latter to someone not yet 37. By 1978 51 societies and their 20,000 members in the Greater Cleveland area were part of this organization and through the 1990s these figures remained similar. The council issues a newsletter, Council Counterpoint, and maintains an office in the Hanna Bldg. at 1422 Euclid Ave. In 2003, Dr. David W. Ball, a member of the department of chemistry at CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY, served as president of the council.