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Um século de Tradição

Arthur L Steel

1955 

No other family has given greater service to the Society than the Steels, father Steel having been a Founding Member and serving on the Committee in 1927 and as Vice-President in 1929 and again in 1931. Arthur's big brother Willy will be reported on in the following paragraph, and his son Alastair is a member of the Society.

Our twenty-fifth President was born in Paisley in 1909 where he attended the local Grammar School until coming to Brazil with his family (his father being General Manager of the Linhas (now Coats Corrente) factory at Ipiranga) in 1923. After leaving school here and working for short spells in different British concerns, Arthur joined Linhas, working in Recife, Maceió and Rio de Janeiro as well as Sao Paulo, during the 26 years he was with the Coats concern. He left in 1956 and joined Cia Com e Ind Glossop staying with them until the firm closed in 1965. Although he was retired officially from the import firm which he started up then in partnership with a friend, he can still be found there most days of the week.

Always a keen sportsman, Arthur has the distinction of having not only played regularly in inter-state matches against Rio at soccer, cricket and bowls, but also of having captained São Paulo teams in all three sports in these inter-state competitions. Moreover, he captained the Rio state sides, while resident there, at soccer and bowls in several of their matches against São Paulo teams.

He is an old and valued member of SPAC and continues to play bowls on the green there and indeed still holds his place regularly in São Paulo’s interstate side.

He has an enviable record of service to the Society. A Committee member in 1953 and 1966 and ex-oficio in 1956, He was one of the Honorary Auditors in 1958, 1959 and 1960, Treasurer in 1964 and 1965, Vice-President in 1954 and earned the coveted Presidential pennant which was presented to all Past Presidents at the Jubilee Banquet, by reason of his election to the top post in 1955. An energetic man of firm opinions, Arthur continues taking a keen interest in Society affairs, attending many of its functions and always to the fore with praise, criticism, advice and recommendations at the AGM of the Society. Now that his son and daughter-in-law are again resident in São Paulo, Arthur and his wife Elaine can enjoy and keep youthful in the company of their grandchildren.

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