President’s Message August 2017
Respectfully,
Larry Rathbun
We Continue to Serve
President’s Message July 2017
On June 15, BCMOAA hosted SACMOAA for the third annual joint meeting. Charlene worked with Nick Matranga (President of SACMOAA) and Tammy Wintzell to ensure a smooth operation and provide a great atmosphere and food at the Venue. The menu was modified, by making it Italian instead of our usual fish and chicken. Thanks to Charlene (1st VP) for handling the logistics and making this a special occasion.
Following dinner, we sat entranced as William C. (Billy) McDonald III spoke to us about his father and his association with General Claire Chennault and the Flying Tigers. A history lesson made very interesting. Billy has written a book concerning his father’s aerial successes against the Japanese with the Flying Tigers. McDonald had copies of his book, Shadow Tiger, which he autographed. Needless to say, sales were brisk.
Jerry Davis, our Immediate Past President, is preparing for an extended cruise. It is quite strange that a retired Army officer has such a love for the water. I have asked him to serve again, by selecting the Nominating Committee for 2018. Nominations of the proposed slate of officers of the Board of Directors will be held on October 19th, the candidates will be presented to the Members for election on November 16th. The officers will then be installed at the January 18, 2018 meeting.
Respectfully,
Larry Rathbun
We Continue to Serve
Presidents Message December 2017
It seems highly unlikely that you can imagine the thrill of leading such an august group as BCMOAA. Many of you have 4-5 years helping to build BCMOAA. Some of you have 0-2 years with BCMOAA. It makes absolutely no difference. We are us, and we stick together, helping each other when possible. Next month will have more days, so this will be more inclusive.
We now have 121 Regular members and 1 Honorary member. Let’s keep up the momentum and add 20 – 25 more this year
They also serve who only sit and wait.
NEVER STOP SERVING
Larry Rathbun
Presidents Message November 2016
November – has been a busy month for all of us with our Baldwin County Chapter’s
annual business meeting & Dinner plus Thanksgiving. I was very pleased that we had 80 attend our first annual business meeting. The budget for 2017 was approved and our annual dues stayed at $15.00. Additional the slate of officers provided by the Nominating Committee was approved with the following officers:
| President 1st VP 2nd VP Secretary Treasurer Director Director Director |
Larry Rathbun Richard Geiger Jerry Morrison Jim Beck Frank Connell Chuck Dumas Patrice Tiggs Richard Jaehne |
As the past president I will remain on the board until Larry becomes the Immediate Past President.
2017 Membership Drive – our chapter continued to grow through 2016 and as we look to 2017 we know we will continue to attract new members but our #1 goal is to retain all our current members. You have already received an Email from Jerry Morrison requesting your renewals for 2017 and I want to emphasize that if you have not paid your 2017 dues please go to the “Join MOAA” tab on this web site and on the 4th paragraph down find the purple lettering BALDWIN COUNTY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION link. Print this form and if you are renewing, it is not necessary to complete all the blanks except for information that has changed. Your name, signature, and date are sufficient. Send your application and check (made out to BC-MOAA) to the address on the application. December is a busy month so I ask you to renew now before the Christmas season begins to dominate your lives. Remember your BC-MOAA dues run from January to December but your National MOAA dues begin and end with the anniversary month of your initial membership. National will notify you when those are payable.
December – due to the significant amount of activities surrounding Christmas and the end of the year, BC-MOAA will not hold a meeting in December but please mark your calendars for January 19th as our dinner meeting will be at the Fairhope Yacht Club and our officers will be installed. The speaker for the evening is being finalized and will be included in future Emails.
IRS 501(c)(19) Approval – we just received a confirmation letter from the IRS informing us that our Baldwin County Chapter’s application for 501(c)(19) status has been approved as of November 10. This means that any contributions to BC-MOAA on or after November 10, 2016 are fully tax deductible. I sincerely thank Bill Scully for his assistance in completing this application.
VFW’s Honor Guard – many of our MOAA members continue to provide this important support to funeral services of veterans in Baldwin County. There is a real need for additional Honor Guard members and I would encourage you to talk with any of those now serving to offer your support.
Email Notification Challenges – we continue to experience a few problems with Email notification of some of our members. I will be working with Charlene Rathbun in December to find and correct the problem. This may involve some test Email messages and your timely response to those messages to correct the errors so please be patient and understanding. If you do not receive any of these messages please send me an Email message at jdjpdavis@aol.com.
Future Group Trips – In the coming months you will be asked about your personal interest in some BC-MOAA group trips. Two possible trips are: an overnight trip to The National WW2 Museum in New Orleans, and a 5 or 7 day Cruise from Mobile.
For the past 5+ years I have been sincerely honored to serve as your group, satellite, and finally chapter president. I do not plan to fade away but it is important to keep new blood flowing into our organization and I pledge to you that I will always live by the MOAA moto of NEVER STOP SERVING. Thank you for your continued support and I wish you and your families the best Christmas ever and a most prosperous new year.
See you in 2017,