What's New From the Board Meetings
Esther Berry, Aberdeen, WA
The California Chapters hosted a meeting of the Board of Directors on February 17 with twenty two members present. Board members provide this service to the Society at their own expense and it has therefore become established practice to change the location regularly in order that the burden of long distance traveling may be more evenly distributed and more may have an opportunity to attend some of the meetings, if not all.
Al Martin presented the recommendations of the nomination committee which were accepted and approved. National officers who will be serving for the next two years are:
President - Fred Galle
Western Vice President - John P. Evans, M.D.
Eastern Vice President - George W. Ring III
Secretary Treasurer - Ted Van Veen
Janet Binford, membership chairman, reported on her research into the design and costs of printing a new membership application form which should be ready for distribution this spring. Janet has been contacting some of the chapters about membership activity in an attempt to formulate a plan to assist the chapters in membership maintenance.
Our editor, Ed Egan, reported that there will be a 10% increase in the cost of printing the bulletin. The printer has suggested that substantial savings would result if the size of the bulletin were changed to that of a standard magazine. The board expressed a reluctance to make this change but the matter will be given further consideration at the annual meeting.
Of major importance was the continuing discussion of the proposal for a structural reorganization of the governing body of the Society. Several changes in the proposal were agreed upon and the report was accepted. The President has appointed a committee to bring recommended changes in the By-Laws of the Society to the Board meeting that is to be held May 17. This committee is further instructed to bring the By-Laws into conformity with the Policies of the Board. Changes in the By-Laws will subsequently be presented to the membership for their approval.
Probably, the most significant aspect of these changes that are being considered will be the development of geographical districts composed of three or four chapters which will act together on matters of common interest and which will choose a single representative to serve as their director on the national board.
Ken Gambrill reported on the Species Foundation and presented a proposal that the American Rhododendron Society and The Species Foundation should jointly publish the Rhododendron section of the Chinese Flora. It was agreed that this should be done. It is expected that translation will be completed by November.