The Society developed from a conversation between Todd and Jim Knox at Tower Records in Ann Arbor in the fall of 1995. Todd complimented Jim's selection of a CSO recording of Alexander Nevsky, saying that the tuba sound on the recording was exceptional. Jim concurred saying that he had studied with the tubaist, Arnold Jacobs, in 1961. Todd said that he was a current student of Jacobs and proceeded to point out that three other guys standing around were also his students. Five students in the space of a few square feet! We all began wondering how many students Arnold Jacobs had had over the years, and the idea of a Society was born.