In just a few weeks, we will begin celebrating the 50^th anniversary of USGlass (full name USGlass, Metal & Glazing) magazine. In magazine years, 50 is, well, a very, very long time and an anniversary that very few publications get to experience. So I feel lucky we begin ours very soon.

We’ve been getting ready for this anniversary for more than a year and plan a series of publications and events around it. Maybe you’ve already seen “Throwback Thursdays” on every week in our USGNN.com™ daily e-newsletter (free subscriptions at www.usglassmag.com). Or perhaps you’ve perused the “USGlass at 50” section that is running in the magazine this year.

Our August issue will not only be a celebration of USGlass, but of the glass industry as a whole. Our preparation for it began more than a year ago and caused us to ask a number of interesting questions internally. For example:

1. What are the most important industry inventions of the past 50 years?
2. What are the top news stories?
3. What are the most important glass buildings constructed in the past 50 years?

You get the idea. Asking, and attempting to answer, a series of questions such as these led us to an incredible amount of examination and depth of introspection. What really, are the set of characteristics that define an industry and a material? Is there one? I know I have always felt that the industry is characterized by some of the nicest people in the world and I feel lucky to work for them but it goes beyond that.

I hope you will be pleased with this landmark issue. And as we ready it for production, I have a question for you. Do you have a favorite memory about USGlass magazine? Is there some way it was helpful to you or enabled to do your job better? Please write to deb@glass.com. If you are willing to share, I would like to know.