The Tax Organizer was invented in 1962, by Roy Sturdivant. Working as a public accountant in San Diego, CA, Roy grew weary of clients bringing in boxes, sometimes even drawers of receipts at tax time. He spent long hours sifting through their mess to categorize into income and deductions in order to prepare their personal tax returns. One day, he thought, there needs to be a better way to get his clients organized and make the process more efficient.

The answer came in Roy's invention of the Income Tax Organizer and Deduction Finder. A small booklet that accountants could give to their clients at year end. With the help of a loan from his father-in-law, Roy manufactured, advertised and sold the booklets via the mail. This was the first of its kind and revolutionary in the accounting world.

Roy's original sketch of the 1964 Tax Organizer and Final Product:

The 1964 Sample Package Mailing Contents:

Roy developed a sample package that included a sample of the Sturdico Tax Organizer, marketing letter and return postcard to place an order. He created his mailing list by pulling the list of Accountants out of the yellow pages locally and wherever Roy or family and friends traveled.

1966 and 1967 Tax Organizers

The Organizers sported a new redesigned cover and new logo. They were still 12 pages with a hard cover and die cut front to personalize with a business card.

1970 Sample Tax Organizer Mailing - Brochure

By 1970 the Sturdico Tax Organizers were available for cover and envelope imprinting, if the order was placed by December 1st. 1970 also introduced the use of the clock to represent "time savings" for those accountants that used the organizers.

1970 and 1977 Tax Organizers

The Tax Organizer content was updated each year and incorporated the suggestions from Sturdico customers. In 1977, due to higher postage costs, the Tax Organizer covers were replaced with a slightly lighter stock.

1982 and 1992 Tax Organizers

By 1992, the hard cover was replaced with the same paper stock as the interior pages, to minimize mailing costs. The Tax Organizers were very similar in look and feel to those sold today.

Thank you to all the loyal Sturdico customers who have used our products for many years. We hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane! ~ Cathy S