From the President
Lynn Watts
Bellevue, Washington

Greetings to All! The days are shorter, the nights longer. We have just gone into the tunnel but, judging from past experience, a few short weeks from now we will welcome the first signs of spring.

In my last message I discussed the responsibilities of the two regional ARS vice-presidents. In this issue we will look at the responsibilities of the District Directors who are elected by the chapters of the districts in which they serve. Article VII of the ARS bylaws, section A, outlines the duties of the District Director.

These duties include: assistance in obtaining new members; providing assistance to the Registrar of Plant Names to promote registration of plants; serving as liaison between the region and the chapters in his or her district; coordinating with the regional vice-president regarding liaison functions and district activities; conferring with chapter presidents and with boards of chapters in his or her district on a regular basis and helping to coordinate Society activities of the chapters within the district; communicating the needs and concerns of the district to the regional vice-president and the ARS Board of Directors; informing the chapters of pending and completed actions of the ARS Board of Directors.

Those loyal and dedicated individuals who serve as our District Directors and our Director-at Large are the cohesive force which binds our Society. The time and effort which they expend enables us to continue as an effective organization. We extend to each and every one of our District Directors and our Director-at-Large a standing ovation.