V.G.C.A NEWS FEBRUARY '00

Election

The meeting for the election of officers took place as scheduled on January 27, 2000.   Three of the officer billets have new faces.  Addison Hurst is the President, Sonny Laine is the Vice President, and Mike Vargosko is the Secretary.  Ed Costello was reconfirmed as the Treasurer.  Approximately 100 members attended and voted by secret ballot instead of the usual "show of hands".  Those in attendance were treated to an outstanding presentation by Mo Phillips on Maynard rifles and ammunition.  Mo had a few rifles the membership was allowed to handle.  Mo's presentation was followed by Show and Tell, which was outstanding and educational - as always.  Space limitations and my not knowing everybody preclude mentioning the who and the what.  Mo also presented a check for $4,000.00 to the NRA Museum.  Doug Wicklund graciously accepted for the NRA.

Addison closed the meeting by announcing that two seats on the Board of Directors need to be filled, and that the election will take place on 24 February. Since then, Jim Burgess announced that he too is resigning from his position. As of this writing, the following members have agreed to put their names into nomination. Alphabetically, they are Blair Gluba, Larry Hare, Gary Holderman, Ernie Lyles, Rick Nahas, and Mo Phillips. In addition, nominations will be accepted from the floor. Please plan to attend and vote. This is the first time three interim one-year positions will be filled simultaneously. The Board will return to a two-year cycle in January 2001.

Next Meeting

February 24 at 7:30 PM. Roger Sherman will present the program. We will get to see some of the most outstanding examples of Japanese collectible weaponry available anywhere.

EXCOM Meeting

Your Executive Committee met on 2 February, and all serving members were present. Many things were discussed. One was the Board of Directors. In the last three years the Board has, for the most part been ignored. One reason is because of the dearth of EXCOM meetings. Another is because of the previous lack of regard for the Bylaws. This will change!

An item of extreme importance to the Association is Jim Burgess retiring from running our twice-yearly gun shows. Jim has agreed to continue to be in charge of the next two, but a replacement must step forward to understudy him and then assume his duties. Our shows are special. We get a different crowd than do the glut of local shows. Jim is the primary reason for that. He should be commended for his hard work, honesty in his dealings, and loyalty to the VGCA.

Other committees also need to be chaired and filled: Program, New Show Location, Display, and the numerous groups that help support the shows.

Secretary's Subtleties

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my first Newsletter for the VGCA. In the previous issue, I made some very pointed comments. Since nobody voted against me, I will do what I said I would do. As to my comments, many members congratulated me for having the intestinal fortitude and honesty to put my thoughts into words.

So let's get started. The new Officers are unanimous that the Bylaws must be obeyed. Addison has appointed a noted lawyer to review both the Bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation. I will take charge of reviewing the result with a committee. When finished, the proposed document will be presented to the membership for approval.

My first sentence in the previous Newsletter said that I would work to reconsolidate the Association. This may require more effort than I anticipated. This Association, at least in the six years I have been a member, has been rude, crude, and generally crass not only to each other, but to guest speakers as well .The outbursts at the close of the last meeting were nothing new and exemplify the previous sentence. This time though, much of the rudeness was directed at the new President by people who were not happy with the election results. The constant blurting out of statements and drowning out those who had the floor did not help. Please, those of you who regularly attend meetings, think twice about screaming your opinion while others are expressing theirs. As for the treatment of guests, let's stop walking out, carrying on private disruptive conversations, and conducting retail or other sales during guest presentations. So, fellow members, all of you who complained should have started complaining a long time ago. Again, what happened is nothing new and is not the fault of the newly elected Officers.

I also promised to report more thoroughly in the Newsletter. I just did, both for the last meeting and giving you an insight into the workings of the Executive Committee.

I plan to continue in this fashion. For those of you who take offense at anything I have to say, I assure you there will be (and are) many more who will applaud. This is already a fact.

In conclusion, I welcome the opportunity to serve this organization and I will do that: i.e., serve the organization, not any real or imagined special-interest group within the organization.

President's Column

I am absolutely honored in the extreme to have been elected President of the VGCA. I truly rank it next to the Bronze Star I won during the "late unpleasantness" in Viet Nam. I am ever mindful of several things: what we have accomplished during nearly two decades since a few of us met in Ed Johnson's living room; that the shoes I must fill are large indeed; and that the responsibility of managing our affairs is vastly important since we are the best gun club in Virginia. That having been acknowledged, I will tell you that as long as I am able to draw a breath, I will never let you down. I have worked for this Association since I was drafted as Secretary in 1983. (You can thank Gary Holderman for that.) Many may love the VGCA as much as I do, but none love it more. I extend my hand to all members. We can accomplish a lot if we work together. If we do not, then our antigun foes will win. We must fill three Director positions, and I urge you to come out and vote for your choice of Board members. The folks who are running are all simply outstanding. I call on all members to get involved and make your wishes known. We must never forget that we are a hobby organization whose aims are to promote gun collecting and, hopefully, have some fun and enjoyment in the process. I must add, however, that all Officers (and the Board members who will be elected) are now and will be studying "Robert's Rules of Order." Debate is welcomed, but it must be conducted in an appropriate manner. With your help, Mr. Robert's dictum of 1876 will be preserved; i.e., that the majority has the right to decide; the minority has the right to be heard; and that absentees and individual members have rights. I hope we can all come together. I will certainly work toward this end. Ask yourself the following: Is what I am proposing or doing going to help the VGCA? If no, think it through and do the right thing. If not, don't do it!!! We are the sun of our parts, and I think we can do lots of interesting things if we continue to work together. I will sign off with something I have seen on many 19"' Century letters in Ordnance files etc ....... Your obedient servant .... Addison

P.S. I visited Ed Johnson recently, and he has amazed his doctors (and me) with his recovery! I haven't ever seen him look better!! I hope we can all be so lucky to be as healthy when we are his age!!! Ed will always be the CO of the outfit as far as I am concerned. Life is short - enjoy.