Potomac Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Inc.
| Montgomery County Executive Office Building | |
| Present: | |
| Gordy Bjoraker, President Jay Creswell, Treasurer Jerry Hott, National Director |
Bob Cohen, Director at Large John Sery, Director at Large Bill Hopkins, Director at Large Rick Davidson, Director at Large |
| Absent: | |
| Marc Laborde, Vice President | Bill Holdsworth, Secretary |
Meeting convened at 8:30 p.m., President Gordy Bjoraker presided.
Treasurer Jay Creswell reported that approximately $375.00 had been donated toward the Silver Spring Station video. Under the terms of last month's resolution we were obligated to donate a minimum of $375.00, for a total of $750, but that we could donate an additional amount of our choosing up to a total of $1500 plus the amount contributed by the members.
The consensus was that the combined donations plus match should equal the $1500 total that would bring the cumulative donation of the Chapter to $5000.
John Sery made a motion to that effect and Bill Hopkins seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
No other business was discussed. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jay Creswell, Treasurer
acting for Secretary Bill Holdsworth
| Silver Spring B&O Station | |
| Present: | |
| Gordy Bjoraker, President Marc Laborde, Vice President Bill Holdsworth, Secretary Jay Creswell, Treasurer Jerry Hott, National Director |
Bob Cohen, Director at Large John Sery, Director at Large Bill Hopkins, Director at Large Rick Davidson, Director at Large |
| Absent: | |
President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.
Directors discussed the banquet for 2008. Bill Hopkins will contact Frances Mohr to determine whether she is willing to organize the event. Directors are happy with the location for the last two banquets.
Walter Gottlieb, filmmaker on the Silver Spring B&O station documentary, spoke to the board, seeking funds to finish his film. Highlights from his discussion:
Directors approved a motion to recommend that the membership authorize the chapter match donations up to $1,500 for the Silver Spring documentary.
Jay gave the Treasurer’s report, detailing August expenses.
Jerry Hott summarized the activity from the national board meeting, which Rick Davidson attended. The next convention will be in Ft. Worth, TX. Meeting lasted 5½ hours.
Bill Hopkins reported that Ara Mesrobian has offered to allow the chapter to make an electronic copy, CD, of his slide collection of West Penn trolleys. Bill will gather more information on possible production costs.
Directors approved a motion to recommend that the membership authorize a matching grant program of $1500 for Silver Spring Media Arts, to complete the documentary about the B&O station. The chapter would match member donations dollar-for-dollar. The deadline would be the October membership meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 10:09 p.m.
One eastbound train and one westbound train passed during the meeting.
On July 31, the board passed a motion via email to recommend that the membership approve an honorary life membership for Alex Mayes. The chapter received written nominations from Bob Cohen, Gordy Bjoraker, Bill Hopkins, Bill Holdsworth and Jay Creswell. The motion passed unanimously with all nine board members voting in favor.
| Silver Spring B&O 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 Bill Hopkins, Director at Large Jerry Hott, National Director |
| Absent: | |
| Rick Davidson, Director at Large | |
President Gordy Bjoraker called the meeting to order at 8:07 p.m.
John Sery reported that Walter Gottlieb, filmmaker on Silver Spring station documentary, is seeking funds to finish the film.
Directors discussed the proposed national dues increase. John wants to survey chapter membership to get their feedback on what services from the national organization value most. Directors agreed that the dues increase should be “sold” to the membership. They discussed short briefing at a membership meeting, as well as information in the newsletter.
Marc Laborde reported on sales of B&O Steam Finale Volume II through eBay. The sales have been successful and Marc wishes to continue.Marc has prepared a CD with images of 190 B&W photos from the Bob Flack collection. He plans to continue scanning them. The image files could be made available to people interested in the collection, as a preview.
Jay Creswell said that he will inform Robert Burns that we will accept his offer of 60 copies of his self-published book on ex-B&O Lines of NW Pennsylvania.
Directors approved a motion to donate $100 to Railcamp in memory of Bill Duvall.
Directors discussed the frequency of board meetings. Sense of the board is that monthly meetings are unnecessary, but a some sort of regular schedule is desirable. Gordy will strive for a more predictable schedule.
Directors discussed the possiblity of nominating someone for a life membership in the chapter.
Directors discussed an update membership directory to the membership directory. If it can be accomplished by October 1, they felt it was worth pursuing. Otherwise, we should wait until the renewal cycle is complete.
Jay distributed the Treasurer’s report. Directors discussed the grant commitment for the Southeastern Railway museum.
Jerry will be unable to attend the national board meeting. If we want to nominate an alternate, we must notify the national organization by July 24.
Meeting adjourned at 10:09 p.m.
Three Eastbound trains and two westbound trains passed during the meeting.
On June 28, the board approved the following motion:
The 2007 Potomac Chapter Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 6 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Gaithersburg City Hall Park. The cost will be $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for children 12 and under, and the fee will be waived for those bringing food contributions of comparable or greater value.
This date is being chosen in response to the objections of one member that the original date created a great conflict for him and a few others. It is recognized that any date will probably create a conflict for some, and that permitting members time to plan to come requires giving them adequate advance notice.
Gordy Bjoraker, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Jay Creswell, John Sery, Jerry Hott and Bill Hopkins voted in favor of the motion.
On June 13, the board passed a motion via email to approve Rev Kenneth Jones and Mrs. Larocca T. Jones as chapter only members. Gordy Bjoraker, Jerry Hott, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Bob Cohen, Jay Creswell and John Sery voted in favor of the motion.
On April 26, the board passed a motion designating Jonathan Eau Claire as the chapter's scholarship recipient for Railcamp 2007. Gordy Bjoraker, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Jay Creswell, John Sery, Bob Cohen and Bill Hopkins voted in favor of the motion.
| Montgomery County Executive Office Building | |
| Present: | |
| Gordy Bjoraker, President Bill Holdsworth, Secretary Jay Creswell, Treasurer Jerry Hott, National Director |
Bob Cohen, Director at Large John Sery, Director at Large Bill Hopkins, Director at Large Rick Davidson, Director at Large |
Directors approved a motion recommending that the membership authorize an amount not to exceed $1,250 to send one person, to be designated by the board, to Railcamp.
On February 12, the board passed a motion via email to invite Robert A. Truax, Rudolph H. Volin, and Thomas L. Underwood to the banquet at chapter expense to receive their anniversary pins. Gordy Bjoraker, Jerry Hott, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Jay Creswell, JohnSery and Bill Hopkins voted in favor of the motion.
On January 14, the board passed a motion via email to authorize funds for the reimbursement of travel expenses for the speaker at the Chapter's Banquet, Dr. Jim Kleeman. Those expenses include expenditure of up to $100 for accommodations, plus mileage as outlined in the chapter by-laws. Gordy Bjoraker, Jerry Hott, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Bob Cohen and John Sery voted in favor of the motion.
On January 14, the board passed a motion via email to approve Roger E. Vail as a member of the chapter. Gordy Bjoraker, Jerry Hott, Rick Davidson, Marc Laborde, Bill Holdsworth, Bob Cohen and John Sery voted in favor of the motion.
| Silver Spring B&O Station | |
| Present: | |
| Marc Laborde, Vice President Bill Holdsworth, Secretary Jerry Hott, National Director |
Bob Cohen, Director at Large John Sery, Director at Large Bill Hopkins, Director at Large Rick Davidson, Director at Large |
| Absent: | |
| Gordy Bjoraker, President | Jay Creswell, Treasurer |
Vice President Marc Laborde called the meeting to order at 8:06 p.m.
Bill Holdsworth distributed copies of the 2006 minutes.
Directors approved a motion setting the price of the banquet at $37.50.
Directors discussed the possibility of sponsoring someone for Railcamp. Bob Cohen will determine whether a young man who regularly attends the membership meetings is interested. There should be a notice in the February and March PRNs. If the chapter is unable to find candidate to sponsor, consensus of the directors is that the chapter should make a donation to the national organization’s scholarship fund.
Directors discussed alternate dates for the picnic. They decided to table the discussion of dates until a future meeting.
Marc said that sales of B&O Steam Finale Volume II on eBay are approaching 100.
John Sery suggested that the board consider alternate locations for the membership meeting.
John urged the board to consider a strategy session.
The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.
Two eastbound trains passed during the meeting.
