Director of Membership Report, AFPMA
Seattle, WA; October 2012

At the previous reunion I briefed the Membership on what the Association looked like at that time.  We had 422 total members.  We now have 403.  We had 204 Life Members.  That number is now 188.  We had 103 Surviving Spouses and now we have 107.  The increase in that number merely shows that we married younger women and that they live longer anyway.  But the number we want to concentrate on is the number of members who pay dues annually.  Last year it was 97, while this year it is 90.  And in a couple minutes when I cover the number of people who are being dropped for non-dues payment, you will see that the number could likely be down to 83 next year, without even considering any deaths during that period.  Since dues are our only, even vaguely, predictable source of income, you can predict in which direction our treasury will go.  The $830 that dues will generate annually will not even pay our Newsletter costs, and that number will continually drop as we die off.  So we will be dipping into our reserves.  Of course that is what reserves are for, but despite the fact that our treasury looks healthy now (and depending on how long we assume this Association will last), the picture may not be so bright in the future.  We want to be sure the Association doesn’t fold from the lack of funds.

John Laughlin will cover the Members whose deaths we have learned since the last reunion when he reads the necrology.  Of course there is no way we can replace them in terms of numbers.  We did welcome four new members this year but we may well lose more than that because of the non-payment of dues.  This year I had to write letters to 12 members who hadn’t paid since 2010.  In accordance with our Constitution and By-Laws they have until the end of this year to pay or be dropped from our rolls.  So far we have learned that one of these had died and another had a major stroke and is not likely to recover to an extent that he will be able to consider paying dues.  Of the remaining 10, four have paid;  one for a Life Membership and another for multiple years.  We are still waiting to hear from the remaining six.

I’ll close by covering two projects that have nothing to do with Membership, but while I have the floor, this would be a good time to cover them.  There is a sister organization to ours called the Veterans of the Geodetic Survey Squadron/Geodetic Survey Group.  Several of our members also belong to that organization.  Their membership is composed of folks who were involved in Geodetic Surveying for first the Air Force and later the Defense Mapping Agency between 1959 and 1993.  For the first 13+ years of that period they were assigned to our Photomapping organizations.  As you may have noticed in our last Newsletter, their group had minted a Commemorative Coin recognizing the era of their existence; and they offered these coins for sale to our members.  They had minted 100 coins and these were quickly sold out.  While they were excited about coins, several of their members from the early years became interested in our Photomapping Commemorative Coin—which was no longer available.  Not to be deterred, they sponsored the 50 coin minimum reorder required by the mint.  To date they have sold 40 of these coins.  The mint provided one extra so there are still 11 left to be sold.  If anybody didn’t get in on our initial order or either of our two reorders, or you would like additional coins please see me.  I have the 11 that are available with me and they are for sale at the same $10.30 price as previously.

Lastly, I want to say a few words about the beautiful wood inlay of the AFPMA Crest that has been on display here in the Hospitality Room.  This was created by Life Member Bob Swanson.
He is the same guy who designed and built our equally beautiful Trophy that is the major part of the OPM Club tontine.  As you know, our Crest is etched into the glass faceplate on that trophy.

Bob first became interested in the Crest and its symbolism when working on the trophy; and that was about 15 years ago.  About a year ago, Bob told me he would like to create an inlay of the Crest and asked if I had any images, hopefully artwork.  I found what I could and passed them on to Bob.  About six months later he asked if I had anymore images and could I explain certain symbolism.  Again I gave him what I had.  A couple months later he notified me he had begun the inlay.  About a week ago he called to say he had finished it and would drop it off at my house on 9 October 2012—in time for me to take it to the Reunion.  He wanted to GIVE it to the AFPMA!!
I asked him what he wanted as the ultimate disposition of the Trophy once the AFPMA dissolved.  I suggested we could return it to him or his heirs, we could add it to our memorabilia which will go to the Air Force Museum, or we could pass it on to our Last-Man-Standing as a part of the OPM Club tontine.  He wants it to go to the Museum.

I think you will all agree, it is a piece of art!!  Bob makes one or two inlays a year as a hobby and has never sold any of his work.  He has given a few away to family members.  The Library of Congress became aware of another of his better ones.  It is a portrait of the famous Cartographer, Philosopher, and Mathematician Gerardus Mercator, and they asked if he would consider leaving it to the Library in his Will.  He agreed to do that.  Just recently he decided to give it to them soon, so in the next year it will hang in that prestigious building.  So you see, we are in excellent company as the owner of one of his works.  The Board has decided that custody of the Crest should go to the Chairman of the AFPMA to hang or display as he sees fit; however, with the intent that he bring it for display at all future Reunions so the Membership may also see and enjoy it.