View from HQ
Joyce Hager, Executive Director
Here it is — November, and the holidays are right around the corner. Membership renewals are coming in at a steady pace. By the time you receive this issue, we will have mailed more than 70,000 AMA membership cards for 2003.
I must remind members that at this time of year the telephones are very busy and the mail is very heavy. New memberships are processed on a daily basis so that we can mail the license cards quickly. Renewals take a little longer.
If your club needs to confirm that you have renewed your membership for 2003, you can verify memberships on our website, www.modelaircraft.org, under Membership Services.
Holiday catalog and membership manual
By now everyone should have received his or her 2003 merchandise catalog. It contains good ideas for gifts! I think this is the best catalog we have produced so far. A special thanks goes to my staff in the magazine and the merchandising departments.
I hope you noticed that this year we sent a condensed version of the Membership Manual to our members. If you want the full version, you can request a copy by mail or check our website for the entire manual.
After comments from members and a review of the manual's contents, we felt it contained too much information and was overwhelming to many. Many members didn't even take the time to look through it. We felt that condensing and printing the manual in color might encourage members to leaf through it. Additional information is available upon request or on the website. Let me know what you think of this version; all comments are welcome.
Volunteer spotlight
This month I want to feature one of our National Model Aviation Museum volunteers. Tom Gurbach has had a longtime interest in airplanes, and as a youth he built solid models of airplanes and cars. As with most individuals, other priorities — including school and family — drew him away from modeling.
A draftsman, Tom taught technical drawing and computer-related classes at Rose Polytechnic Institute (now the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN), the University of Cincinnati, and Ball State University (in Muncie, IN) between 1955 and 1994.
After retirement, Tom merged his interest in aircraft with his drafting skills and became an aviation artist. His continued interest in aircraft, tied with his memories of modeling, eventually led him to the museum.
Tom began volunteering roughly three years ago, and we quickly tapped his drafting and building skills. He has helped in the design of various museum projects and the construction of the literature rack that greets visitors as they enter the museum.
As with any organization, volunteers are a tremendous help. We appreciate the efforts of Tom and every other volunteer.
Safety at flying sites
Safety at flying sites should always be the first item you consider. It is important when you are at the flying field that you have at least one other person there. I also recommend that you notify the nearest health facility of your field location so it can respond quickly in case an accident occurs.
To illustrate how important it is to have access to emergency care at the field, I want to share a letter I received from one of our members, Frank W. Beatty:
"Early Monday morning, July 8, I stuck my right hand in the propeller of a Control Line Scale model I was prepping for my official flight.
"In less than ten minutes, a man arrived who examined the wound, gave first aid, and wrapped it. More important, he convinced this mulish old geezer that the wound should receive immediate treatment rather than to follow my inclination of waiting until flying was over for the day. He then recommended that I seek treatment at a nearby 'Immediate Care' center. The people at that clinic did all things necessary in a caring and expeditious manner.
"I am back home, on the mend, and the stitched-up wounds are doing very nicely. I wonder how all this would be playing out if I hadn't been in the good hands of the event director, fellow fliers, and caregivers who handled this so very well."
On the subject of safety, the following is part of an article published in the October 2002 District VII column:
"What is your life worth? What would it be worth to you in a time of crisis at one of your club's modeling activities to have someone certified in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) immediately at hand?
"Chris Beard, president of the Ft. Worth Thunderbirds, informed me that his club offers a year's free membership to those certified to administer CPR. All a member needs to do is present his/her CPR certificate to an officer to have the membership renewed automatically."
That is not a bad idea; more clubs should consider offering this to their members. It could be a matter of life or death.
Notes and well wishes
Many enjoy reading the Microhenry cartoons in Model Aviation. I was informed that the author, Ed Henry, is not in very good health and would love to receive cards and notes.
Please mail your good wishes to: Ed Henry c/o Christine Bauer 347 Carriage Trail Ct. O'Fallon, MO 63366
Happy flying,
Joyce Hager Executive Director jhager@modelaircraft.org
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
