Few would have predicted it. Stickley, an ailing company when we bought it in 1974, would twenty-two years later regain the prominence and popularity it once enjoyed.

Today, on its ninety-sixth anniversary, Stickley's fame has spread throughout this country and well beyond. Rarely a week passes without a major tribute to Stickley from a national publication for the pivotal and leading role it plays in reissuing the historic Mission Collection and making Arts & Crafts furniture available and affordable to "all who wish it and find it congenial to their mode of living."

Early in 1900, Gustav and Leopold Stickley along with other proponents of the Arts & Crafts Movement, advocated a return to simpler ideas, honest craftsmanship and sturdy ornamentation as a rebellion against the ornate Victorian furniture of the time.

Today their Craftsman or Mission furniture is among the most prized and sought after at auction houses and antique galleries.

After the excesses of the Eighties, we witnessed a return to fundamental ideas, to simple, well made and unadorned furniture. Our Mission Collection which began with thirty-three reissued Gustav and L. & J.G. pieces was immediately hailed as a "Revival of the Fittest."

While steeped in history and tradition, the collection has grown to over three hundred pieces designed for today's living. Made of solid quartersawn white oak and solid wild black cherry, each is signed and dated by a skilled and proud craftsman.

Over the years we have survived, prospered, and received many worthy tributes. In 1994 Gustav Stickley was inducted in the Furniture Hall of Fame and in May 1995, Stickley was chosen as the Business of the Year by the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce. Much of the success we have enjoyed is due to the outstanding people we have surrounded ourselves with. They have an understanding of Stickley's past, a commitment to its present, and a vision for the future.

The oldest member of our family is a Stickley. Our most treasured terrace server arrived early in 1964 as a wedding present from Mrs. Stickley, while we eagerly awaited the Stickley bedroom which was our family's wedding present.

I remember vividly my first visit to the E.J. Audi Showroom where Alfred and I chose our bedroom pieces. In the Stickley area was a young couple who, like us, were furnishing their first home. Advising them was one of the most knowledgeable men in the furniture industry, a man with a passion for politics and poetry, who practiced with missionary zeal his commitment "to educate the American public about quality furniture."

No comprehensive course in furniture making could have equaled the intensity of my first serious furniture encounter! Whereas many newlyweds choose their first pieces for design or pure visual appeal, the Stickley furniture we were selecting, we were told, "...is the best furniture money can buy." From tongue and groove joints to dovetailed cross rails and three drawer guides, Stickley's construction story seemed endless. And yet the most memorable aspect of that first experience was feasting our eyes on the spectacular Stickley finish. Stroking a Stickley table top ever so gently, almost reverently, a beaming E.J. Audi announced, "Having breakfast at a Stickley table is like having breakfast with a beautiful woman. It smiles at you."

Over the years we have added many Stickley pieces; yet our earliest ones remain our favorites. They have the structural integrity and unadorned beauty characteristic of Stickley, and they have mellowed beautifully with age, acquiring the unique imprint of a lively family with three active children.

Little did we know then that ten years later we would be rescuing a proud name and upholding Stickley's tradition of excellence! From our first days at Stickley, we espoused a corporate philosophy akin to Gustav Stickley's "ALS IK KAN" which loosely translated means "to the best of my ability." Simply stated our company creed is to offer honest craftsmanship, inherent value and unmatched service.

Our corporate philosophy, though, goes beyond making America's finest furniture for America's most discriminating customers. It is the story of attracting, developing and nurturing people - the outstanding people who add excitement, experience, creativity and new ideas to our corporate structure. Our commitment is both to a vision for the future and to the people who have been selected to get us there. It has been said, "Reputation is precious but character is priceless." The measure of one's character is not what one gets from ancestors but what one leaves to descendants. At Stickley we are keenly aware and justifiably proud of the legacy generated by Gustav and Leopold Stickley. Here in our new plant in Manlius that same commitment to honest craftsmanship is still revered. Our challenge is not merely to continue that legacy but to enhance it, constantly looking for new and creative ideas in our ongoing search for excellence. At Stickley the tradition continues.