As we enter into the new year, we do so with a feeling of hope, renewal, and greater expectations for the future. The country will have new leadership, and despite the serious economic, political, and social fallbacks of the past year still facing us, the outlook is positive over the longer term.
The SGVMUG also is anticipating renewal. Following our Elections at the December 15th Annual Business Meeting, our Board of Directors, most of whom were re-elected, will continue the support and guidance they have been providing the Group for several years: Billy Chang, Frederic Fletcher, Gautam Godse, Scott Harrell, Bud Keville, Sean McKinley, Al Richardson, Thomas Ritter, Andrew Zima, and myself. We welcome Ben Ritter as a new member of the Board.
On behalf of the Board I would like to express here a very special Thank You to Les Fedor, our Treasurer for the past several years, who has decided the time has come to retire. Good luck, Les, in all your future endeavors.
In accord with the recently approved revised Bylaws, at its meeting on December 29th the Board selected the following members as its Officers for the coming term: President, Ron Streicher; First Vice-president, Bud Keville; Secretary, Andrew Zima; and our new Treasurer, Thomas Ritter.
Recent correspondence from one of our members has prompted me to reflect on our name: The San Gabriel Valley Macintosh Users Group. It is the word “users” that provides insight to the goals and activities of our organization. As users we encompass a range of expertise from novice to systems consultant; span ages from school student to retiree; and cover a broad spectrum of interests from simple personal correspondence to writing and publishing, education, scientific exploration and development, movie and television production, personal and corporate finance management, government business, and on and on … As users we all have the desire to achieve the maximum benefit from our Macintosh computers. As Macintosh users we also have developed a camaraderie unique to our “sub culture” within the larger world of personal computers. It is this desire and need to share our experiences, problems, solutions, and ideas for using our computers that has brought us together into this Macintosh Users Group. With our common goals and expectations, we all must involve ourselves in ensuring the success of the SGVMUG.
Direction of the SGVMUG doesn’t depend on just your Board of Directors — your participation is critical to the continued growth of our programs and activities. Please click the “Contact Us” link on our Website and let us know what you want the Group to do and become, and then please help us to achieve it. All of us on the Board are volunteers, with our own lives, businesses, personal activities and obligations, and limited time. Working together, you can help us share the tasks necessary to keep the SGVMUG vital and productive for all of us.
Under the guidance of the Board of Directors, the following Working Groups do the “legwork” to develop the projects and programs of the SGVMUG:
- Program Content and Development, chaired by Gautam Godse: plans the topics, secure the speakers, and prepare for the presentations at our monthly meetings.
- Promotions and Publicity, chaired by Scott Harrell: develops methods and materials to spread the word about the activities of the SGVMUG and encourage growth of our membership.
- Drawing Management, chaired by Al Richardson: selects and purchases the prizes for and administers our monthly drawings.
- Website Management, chaired by Ben Ritter: keeps the news of our activities current and secures articles and items of interest for our website. It is one of our goals during 2009 to expand the features on the website to include a special “Members’ area” with interactive forums for the exchange of “tips and tricks, ” Q&A, and other topics relating to Macintosh applications and operations.
- Membership Development, chaired by Ron Streicher: develops strategy for growing and providing more services to benefit our membership.
Participation in these Working Groups is not limited to Board members. We invite and encourage you to become active and involved as well. Just contact us and we will welcome you aboard any of these Working Groups.
And, if you have a suggestion for or would like to give a presentation to a general meeting, please also let us know.
Remember, the word “user” begins with a you, and “we” begins with a double-you.
