From the President
Lynn Watts
Bellevue, Washington

As of this writing we have just completed a very successful annual convention in Bellevue, Washington. The weather, for the most part, was pleasant, the speakers were outstanding, the tours received rave reviews and, from what we heard, all who attended were glad they had come.

Those of us who were able to attend the convention were reminded by several speakers of the importance of increasing our membership. Retention of current members and enrollment of new members must receive equal emphasis if our Society is to thrive. Talk to your membership chairperson about how you can assist.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank Bud Gehnrich for his energetic and effective leadership of our Society for the past two years. With your help we can make the next two years equally successful. With the able assistance of your senior vice-president, Ed Reiley (Eastern Vice-President), and Western Vice-president Mike Stewart, we hope to strengthen the committee structure and improve the relationship between the Society and the local chapters. Your district director will continue to be the vital link between your Society officers and the local chapters and are always ready to assist you in your membership drive efforts.

The person upon whom we all depend to insure the smooth functioning of our Society is our executive director, Dee Daneri. Although Dee has been our executive director for just two short years, many of us consider her to be the one person with all the answers. She is finding that there are not enough hours in the day to research and respond to all of the inquiries that she is receiving so please don't burden her with requests that can be answered at the chapter, district, or regional level.

Two wonderful regional conferences are scheduled for this fall. The Western Regional Conference is scheduled for September 30 to October 3 and will be held in the beautiful Northern California city of Eureka. The Eastern Regional Conference will be held in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, November 5 to 7. It would be a real treat to see all of you at one or both of these events.