Re: TAG and web site release for your review

[Neil Frank <nfrank@mindspring.com>]

Nice letter... I offer 3 small changes:

1)After "It is with great regret that I must announce that Neil Frank has
decided to retire from his position as editor of TAG after an amazing run
of 10 years in that position! 

Add: The change takes place at the end of this year.

2) "....with over 900 members and growing, world wide.  "

I think it is ...over 800 members.... 
[Jack should comment]

3)In this regard, I will mention that The Northeast Council of Aquarium
Societies has again invited AGA members to gather for a special AGA event
in conjunction with their Annual Convention in March, 2000. 

change to: 
...in conjunction with the NEC Annual Convention in March, 2000. 

-- Neil

At 11:28 AM 8/22/99 -0400, krandall@world.std.com wrote:
>Please review the attached release.  If everyone thinks it looks good, Erik
>can put it up on the web site, and Neil will print it in the next issue of
TAG.
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>In some ways it seems like a very long time ago that a group of us got
>together in person and hammered out an organizational chart for AGA, and I
>got "arm twisted" into acting as interim chair for the Steering Committee.
>In other ways, that time has flashed by.  We have a good group of people on
>the Management Committee, although there are still openings, but it will
>always be a tough job keeping people this far flung geographically
>organized and working in a cohesive manner.  
>
>It is my great pleasure to report that Bob Cashin has stepped up to the
>plate to take over as our new Steering Committee Chairperson.  Bob has been
>a strong supporter of the AGA and active in his "hats" as Steering
>Committee member and Financial Secretary for the AGA.  I am sure he will do
>a fine job as Steering Committee Chair bringing enthusiasm and energy to
>the position that this beleaguered Mom has sometimes lacked!
>
>Unfortunately, this leaves us needing to find a new Financial Secretary as
>well as needing to fill the still open positions on the Management
>Committee.  For the time being, Bob will be handling both jobs, but it is
>very important that we find a new Financial Secretary fairly quickly, as
>this is simply too much work to ask any one person to do for any length of
>time.  If  you have any suggestions for a replacement, PLEASE contact any
>member of the Steering Committee as soon as possible.  If the person to
>take over the position were a CPA or lawyer, it would be even better.
>
>There are other big changes coming for the AGA.  It is with great regret
>that I must announce that Neil Frank has decided to retire from his
>position as editor of TAG after an amazing run of 10 years in that
>position!  He has done an outstanding job over that period of time,
>producing a magazine that the AGA could always be proud of.  It is due, in
>great measure, to Neil's work on TAG that the AGA has become the large,
>vital organization that it is today, with over 900 members and growing,
>world wide. Neil, you have my heartfelt thanks for the work you have done,
>and I'm sure that is echoed by our entire membership.  Neil will not be
>leaving AGA though, he will continue as a valued member of the Steering
>Committee.
>
>The good news is that we have a fresh, enthusiastic new face waiting in the
>wings to take over the reins of TAG.  That is Mary Macaw.  Mary is no
>newcomer to work for volunteer aquarium organizations and is currently
>serving as a member of the Board of directors of the Boston Aquarium
>Society.  Neil and Mary will work together closely during the change over
>so that the transition is as smooth and painless as possible.
>
>There are all sorts of plans on the horizon, and if you will refer back to
>the organizational chart printed in the Jul-Aug 1998 issue of TAG, there is
>still plenty of room for _you_ to help.  One of the areas that I feel we
>really need to get moving is finding regional representatives to funnel
>information both to and from local members.  I will be taking on this
>position "officially" for the North Eastern U.S. though I have unofficially
>been doing this work for years.  If you are interested in organizing a
>group of AGA'ers in your region, please feel free to contact me or Merrill
>Cohen (our Regional Coordinator) for ideas on how to get started.  We have
>strong pockets of membership in several areas, and it would be good if
>these groups could start sharing information with AGA as a whole.
>
>In this regard, I will mention that The Northeast Council of Aquarium
>Societies has again invited AGA members to gather for a special AGA event
>in conjunction with their Annual Convention in March, 2000.  The NEC has
>invited Claus Christensen to come from Denmark to speak again, and he has
>graciously accepted.  If you missed him the last time, this is a great
>opportunity.  Claus is extremely knowledgeable, and a very entertaining,
>dynamic speaker as well.  AGA members will also have a conference room
>available the first day of the convention for their private use.  Details
>have yet to be worked out, but the round table discussions we've had at
>this event in the past have been well attended, very educational and
>enjoyable as well. Look for more information in the next issue of TAG.
>
>
>