Fifty years ago there was no way for physics teachers to communicate with each other, no way to share either their successes or their frustrations. Teachers had no professional standing as such, and teaching itself seemed to merit little if any recognition or reward. In December 1930 the American Association of Physics Teachers was organized as “an informal association of those interested in the teaching of physics.” By the end of 1931 the Association had grown from an original 42 to more than 500. The AAPT now has more than 10 000 members and serves the entire physics community.