A Short History of FOTAS

The Beginnings...

June 21, 1952: J.L. Baughman, Chief Marine Biologist at the Marine Laboratory in Rockport, suggested to some visiting aquarists that the Texas aquarium societies should form a state-wide organization and that he would be happy to host the first annual meeting or convention.

June 28, 1953: Several leading aquarists attending the Alamo Aquarium Society show called a meeting to the set the stage for the formal convention. A second meeting held that September resulted in the formation of the Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies (FOTAS).

And that's how it began!

The Charter Clubs...

Aquatic Researchers of San Antonio
Houston Aquarium Society, Inc.
Oklahoma City Aquarium Society
And the missing club is?*
Based on information in the annual convention directory published by the Alamo Aquarium Society in 1978.

Significant Years...

1980: FOTAS established the Raymond Head and Ernest May Altruism Award to honor a person who has contributed to the aquarium hobby in Texas in a significant way. Hazel Hall of the Alamo Aquarium Society became the first winner.

1980: FOTAS established the Exhibitor-of-the-Year Award for participation in FOTAS sanctioned shows. Allen Monroe of the Brazos Valley Aquarium Society won that year.

1983: The FOTAS Board set up a permanent endowment fund to help underwrite expenses. Later that year, the Board decided to establish a separate fund for the Braz Walker Program in Aquarium Sciences. This program consists of three parts: a research award; a special literature collection (housed at the Texas A&M University Sterling A. Evans Library); and a program to promote writing by FOTAS club members. Thus far, three research awards have been granted and the literature collection continues to grow. The writing program remains inactive.

1993: The Houston Aquarium Society presented a check in excess of four thousand dollars to FOTAS to support the Braz Walker Program. This represented a significant boost in the ability of FOTAS to carry out the goals of that program.

2002: The Texas Cichlid Association hosted the 50th Anniversary of the founding of FOTAS!

2009: Dr. Keith Arnold FOTAS Patron Award presented for the first time. The award is to be presented annually to a person or persons that have contributed in an exemplary fashion to one or more FOTAS clubs financially or otherwise. The recipient will be able to designate a selection of books to a specific library, the number depending upon the amount of funding available at the time the award is presented.

Convention Sites and Hosts...

• 1952 | Corpus Christi - Organizational meeting
• 1953 | Rockport - Game-Fish and Oyster Laboratory
• 1954 | Galveston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1955 | Corpus Christi - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1956 | Austin - Austin Aquarium Society
• 1957 | Dallas - Dallas Aquarium Society
• 1958 | Fort Worth - Fort Worth Aquarium Society
• 1959 | Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi Aquarium Society
• 1960 | Dallas - Tropical Fish Hobbyists of Dallas
• 1961 | Lake Texoma - Lake Texoma Aquarium Society
• 1962 | San Antonio - Aquatic Researchers of San Antonio
• 1963 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1964 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1965 | Dallas - Tropical Fish Hobbyists of Dallas
• 1966 | Houston - Houston Aquarium society
• 1967 | Fort Worth - Fort Worth Aquarium Society
• 1968 | Dallas - Dallas Aquarium Society
• 1969 | Lubbock - South Plains Aquarium Society
• 1970 | Amarillo - High Plains Aquarium Society
• 1971 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1972 | Dallas - Tropical Fish Hobbyists of Dallas
• 1973 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1974 | Fort Worth - Fort Worth Aquarium Society
• 1975 | Arlington - Arlington Aquarium Society
• 1976 | Austin - Austin Aquarium Society
• 1977 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 1978 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1979 | Waco - Cen-Tex Aquarium Society
• 1980 | Houston - Houston Aquarium society
• 1981 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society**
  **First appearance of the Braz Walker Mystery Fish
• 1982 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1983 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1984 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 1985 | Dallas - Texas Cichlid Association
• 1986 | Galveston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1987 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1988 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society ***
  *** Co-sponsored the American Livebearer Convention
• 1989 | Austin - Capital Aquarium Society & Hill County Chapter of the Texas Cichlid Association
• 1990 | Grand Prairie - North Texas Chapter of the Texas Cichlid Association
• 1991 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1992 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1993 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 1994 | Austin - Capitol Aquarium Society
• 1995 | Fort Worth - Texas Cichlid Association
• 1996 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 1997 | San Antonio - Alamo Aquarium Society
• 1998 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 1999 | Arlington - Texas Cichlid Association
• 2000 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 2001 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 2002 | Arlington - Texas Cichlid Association: 50th Golden Anniversary Celebration for FOTAS
• 2003 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 2004 | Arlington - Texas Cichlid Association
• 2005 | College Station - Brazos Valley Aquarium Society
• 2006 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 2007 | San Antonio - Hill Country Cichlid Club
• 2008 | Arlington - Texas Cichlid Association
• 2009 | Houston - Houston Aquarium Society
• 2010 | Oklahoma City - Oklahoma Aquarium Association
• 2011 | San Antonio - Hill Country Cichlid Club