PHILATELIC GROUP OF BOSTON Hello to all! WEB SITE: www.nefed.org/PGB NEXT MEETING: Wednesday - February 17, 2010 LOCATION: Spellman Museum at 5:15 SPEAKER: Bernard Biales - "Salem Massachusetts, First of the Seconds" NAME TAGS: If you are bringing a guest, and if you let me know the name of your guests before the meeting date, I will make up a tag for him or her. Also, I would like to make sure that my list of mailing addresses and email addresses are correct. The easiest way to do this if for each member receiving the email notice to email me back with your mailing address. If you do not mind, I would also like to add your phone number to my list, so please include that also (especially if you receive notices by USPS). We are very actively seeking new members who would enhance the group (and lower the average age). Many of us have philatelic friends who would be welcome as members. Why not invite them to a meeting? A FAVOR PLEASE: In the email address list there are still a few entries for which I do not have real person names. If you are one of those anonymous individuals could you please email me back with your name so I can update the email list. Thanks! LAST MEETING: Due to Nancy Clark's continuing convalescence a last minute fill-in speaker was found. Arriving members when finding that Nancy would not be the speaker threatened a revolt and a few even considered leaving. However pleading from the speaker convinced them to stay and the speaker gave a passable talk. Nancy is rescheduled to the May 19 meeting. January was the annual business meeting and also the two-year term for the existing officers. Unfortunately your president forgot this fact in December and an impromptu nominating committee at the meeting submitted a slate consisting of the existing officers. The slate was voted in by acclamation. Now all of this process was likely not entirely consistent with "Robert's Rule of Order" but I strongly suspect that the net result is the same as would have been obtained had the process been entirely "by the book". DUES: Annual dues remain a paltry $20.00. You may bring a check or send it to Nancy Clark or me. (The Collector's Club of NY charges a LOT more...) INCLEMENT WEATHER: Snow is falling rapidly outside my window as I sit writing these notes. However the prognosis for the Wednesday meeting is quite positive so at the moment the outlook for the meeting is good. However, this is New England, and the prediction can change overnight. As many members travel a considerable distance to the meeting (and thank you all for that) If for any reason the meeting must be canceled I will make a go/no go decision for the meeting when potentially bad weather is forecast no later than Monday evening at 8:00PM. All of the members on the email list will notified in that way. Members with only US Mail can call me (phone numbers are below) to check on the meeting status up to as late as 10:00PM on Monday, and all day Tuesday and Wednesday. MEETING SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS: The 2010 speakers' program is starting to fill with only the fall slots still available. Volunteers are encouraged to fill in those open slots. Again, I want to thank all of the speakers in 2009 for their efforts and fascinating presentations during the year. The 2010 speakers will have a tough act to follow. ONE FRAMER AT THE MEETING: The Museum, thanks to George Norton, has provided a standard exhibit frame at each meeting for members to display their neat stuff. This is good place for the evening's speaker to show the material in his or her slides, or additional material to supplement the presentation. Jim Kotanchik PO Box 684 West Acton, MA 01720-0684 -or- 48 Nashoba Road Acton, MA 01720-2330 Phone: 978-263-4268 (7:00AM to 10:00PM is OK) Weekends 802-368-9918, but first try the 978-263-4268 number email: jimkot@verizon.net (NOTE!!!! This is a new email address)