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Potomac Chapter 2002 Board Minutes

Minutes of the 2001 Directors' Meetings

Potomac Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Inc.

December 12, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Rick Davidson, Membership Agent
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
Absent:  
John Sery, Director at Large  

Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:02 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth read the minutes of the November meeting.

Directors approved a new member, Dan W. Sell, II, of Germantown.

Jay Creswell gave the Treasurer's report.

Director approved a motion authorizing up to $100 travel expenses for Walter Minnick, who will be presenting an upcoming program.

Directors discussed possible candidates for the small grants program. Leading candidates at the Wilmington and Western, Baltimore and Ohio museum, and the Ma & Pa Historical Society. Directors also discussed next year's banquet.

The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m. One eastbound train passed during the meeting.

November 20, 2001 (Special)

The board of directors held a brief meeting shortly before the membership meeting. Directors approved a motion authorizing travel expenses not to exceed $300 for the presenter of the April 2002 program.

County Executive Office Building
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Absent:  
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large Marc Laborde, Vice President

November 14, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Rick Davidson, Membership Agent
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
Absent:  
Marc Laborde, Vice President  

Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.

Directors listened to a presentation by the Forest Glen Commonwealth. This organization has a plan to transform the historic National Park Seminary, mothballed by the Army, into a National Longevity Center. The center would serve as a home for non-profit organizations and government agencies. The group would also like to acknowledge the site's railroad history in its redevelopment.

Directors approved two new members, Douglas Faucette and Michael Binder.

Bill Holdsworth described his plans for getting together a group to ride the first day of MARC service to Frederick December 17.

Jay Creswell reported that the board will need to authorize travel expenses for the presenter of the April program.

Jerry Hott announced that those attending the 2002 national convention at the Grand Canyon will be able to pre-register until January 5. The host chapter doesn't plan a mass mailing on the subject. The pre-registration form can be downloaded from their website.

Directors discussed the upcoming election of officers. They agreed that the election may need to be postponed a month, because of insufficient notice to the members. Directors also discussed next year's banquet.

The meeting adjourned shortly before 10 p.m. Two eastbound trains and one westbound train passed during the meeting.

September 12, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large
Absent:  
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large  

Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:06 p.m. Gordy read a letter of thanks from the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority for the chapter's $3,750 donation to Miller Tower.

Bill Holdsworth read the minutes of the March meeting.

Jay Creswell gave the Treasurer's report. Jay reported that the purchase of the Flack films was nearly complete.

Jerry Hott reported on the dues increase approved by the National Board of Directors. Dues increased by $3, raising the national portion of the dues to $20. Total dues for chapter members will be $30 for individuals and $36 for family. The national organization eliminated half-year memberships.

Directors discussed the increased cost of the storage locker, now $1,050 annually, up from $870. Directors discussed the possibility of moving to a smaller space to save money. They discussed inventorying the contents to determine whether a smaller space would be adequate.

Directors discussed next year's banquet. They agreed we should start investigating possible sites immediately. Bob Cohen said he would check with the Washington chapter on the feasibility of a joint event.

The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Remarkably no trains passed during the meeting.

July 17 , 2001 (Special)

The board of directors met during the recess between the membership meeting and the program. Directors approved three new members: Elliot Goodman of Silver Spring, William Blackburn of Silver Spring, and Warren Schur of Bethesda. Mr. Schur will be a chapter-only member.

County Executive Office Building
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Rick Davidson, Membership Agent
Absent:  
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large  

April 18, 2001 (Special)

The board held a brief meeting before the membership meeting at the County Executive Office Building. They approved three new members:.

March 14, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Rick Davidson, Membership Agent
Absent:  
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large  

Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:02 p.m.

Directors approved two new members, Mrs. Bill Edson who is joining as a spouse and James Mixter Jr. who will be a chapter only member. Rick Davidson reported that he has provided membership applications to three others.

Director approved a motion to recommend that the membership authorize a $2,500 grant to the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority for restoration of Miller Tower. Directors approved an amendment to recommend authorization of an additional $500 to be used to match individual donations from chapter members made by June 30, 2001. Members would make their checks payable to the chapter with an indication that the funds were to be donated to Miller Tower. The Treasurer would then write a check to the roundhouse authority for the members' donations plus the matching amount.

John Sery suggested that the chapter assemble a list of its grant activity over the last 10 years to help remind members of the chapter's contributions.

Jay Creswell gave the Treasurer's report. Jay suggested an idea for a future program -- a History Channel video on the San Bernandino runaway in 1989.

Jerry Hott reported that he expects the National Board of Directors to approve a dues increase at their upcoming meeting.

Directors discussed the suitability of the present location for membership meetings.

The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Two eastbound trains passed during the meeting.

February 14, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large
Absent:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President  

Marc Laborde called the meeting to order at 8:01 p.m.

Bill Holdsworth read the minutes of the January meeting. Directors approved the minutes as read.

Jay Creswell gave the Treasurer's report.

Bill Hopkins suggested holding a special event at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick. The chapter could show its recently acquired silent movie with organ accompaniment by Ray Brubacher.

Directors discussed John Sery's suggestion that the chapter install a Webcam at Point of Rocks.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. One eastbound train passed during the meeting.

January 10, 2001

Kensington B&O (MARC) Railway Station
Present:  
Gordy Bjoraker, President
Marc Laborde, Vice President
Bill Holdsworth, Secretary
Bob Cohen, Director at Large
Bill Hopkins, Director at Large
John Sery, Director at Large
Jerry Hott, National Director
Wayne Sherwin, Director at Large
Absent:  
Jay Creswell, Treasurer  

Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.

Directors dispensed with the reading of the minutes.

Directors approved a motion to authorize Bill Hopkins to make a deposit to reserve the Knights of Columbus Hall in Forest Glen for the chapter banquet. April 7 is the chapter's first choice for a banquet date. Bill reported the deposit would be $100. The price of $27.50 includes one entree (no choice offered) and an open bar. Directors agreed that Bill should explore the cost of adding a choice of entree. Bill suggested Steve Salomon as the program speaker. The board will finalize details at the membership meeting.

Directors approved a motion to recommend that the membership authorize an amount not to exceed $4,500 for purchase of Bob Flack's film collection from his widow. The purchase would include all rights, including the ability to copyright. One board member, Bob Cohen, voted against the motion that was approved.

Approval of the previous motion followed a lengthy discussion of the topic. John Sery evaluated the 16 mm film collection and suggested a higher amount, $7,000. John reported that the collection included 65 films -- 50 domestic subjects and 15 foreign. About one-third to one-half of the domestic films featured excursions.

Marc Laborde reported that he and Gordy have started working to build a database of the Bob Flack slide collection.

The meeting adjourned at 9:29 p.m. No trains passed during the meeting.