Business meeting, Nov. 12, 2010- Minutes

[Norman Fiering]

Dear Members of the ERH Society:

Attached are the Minutes of the business meeting held on Nov. 12, the very first such meeting of the Society. Also attached is a revised constitution, which now officially supersedes the 2009 original version. 

With regard to the constitution, the changes consist mostly of  streamlining––four officers rather than five, and three Council members rather than six. Some ambitious wording in the original was also reined in––we hope to have biennial "gatherings" of some sort, as distinguished from mounting a full-fledged conference so frequently. 

A new article was added establishing that should the Society cease to operate, its assets will be transferred to the ERH Fund of Essex, Vermont. This provision seemed necessary because it was voted at the meeting to create a ten-year membership for $150  ($50 less than what ten years would normally cost in dues). The question then arises, if you paid in for ten years and the Society fails in some fashion, what happens to your money? It will go to the Fund, a 501(c)(3) operating foundation, now more than thirty-five years old,  that promotes the work of ERH, including the maintenance of Argo Books. 

One important topic of conversation at the meeting was our plans for creating a new, customized Society web site that will meet our needs better than Googlegroups.  It is a move partly compelled by changes that Google is making in all Googlegroup sites, which when implemented in February will make that site nearly useless for us. An announcement about the new website will be coming along eventually, when it is ready for you to access it. 

Most important coming up, Clint Gardner, the president of the ERH Society, will soon be forming a nominating committee, which as the outgoing president he will chair (see V. 2. in the Constitution). The committee's task  will be to prepare a new slate of officers and council members, who will take office September 1, 2011. The names of the members of the nominating committee will be mailed to you in a letter from Clint, which will also implore you to suggest people who might be willing to serve as  officers and council members, or to volunteer yourself.

Norman