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Fall 2009 Vol. XXXVII, No. 3
The 37th Annual Meeting of the Society is fast approaching.
By the time you receive this Switchlist it will be less than a month
away. Finalize your plans now to attend this event which is being held at the
Hampton Inn and Centre in Union City, TN on October 9/10/11. See the
included show flier for specific information. Please make your room
reservations directly with the hotel at (731) 885-8850 and remember to mention
the GM&OHS to receive the discounted room rate. Please note that all
Society functions will take place in the Ballroom of the Hampton Centre at the
south end of the facility.
The festivities begin on Friday night October 9th at 7 pm with the Friday
Night Hospitality Suite. This is an event open to all, members and
non-members alike, and is free of charge. Stop by and enjoy the friendship,
refreshments and slide presentations.
Saturday October 10th opens with the Railroadiana and Model Show.
Doors open at 9 am to the public and the event runs through 3 pm. Admission is
a very reasonably priced 3.00 per adult with children under the age of twelve
being admitted for $2.00 each. This is a great event to find that sought after
model or rare antique (and the only way to get an official GM&OHS license plate
frame). We will also have the GM&OHS Model Contest and Display so
be ready to show off that exceptional model in your collection. There are a
limited number of dealer tables remaining, and may be reserved by using the
included show flier. Contact show coordinator Dave Wagner at (773) 581-4809, or
at
railfest2009@gmohs.org , if you have any
questions.
Saturday evening begins with the Social Hour at 6 pm in the Ballroom.
This is a great time to spend with guests and friends reminiscing about days and
events past. This year Terry “Foots” Quinn of Bogalusa will entertain us
with renditions of various railroad ballads from 6:30 to about 6:50. At 7 pm we
will begin the banquet portion of the evening, with dinner concluding at 8 pm.
A short business meeting will follow to include the announcement of the newly
elected Officers and Board of Directors for 2010, the winners of the Model
Contest, among other agenda items.
After a short
break, we will have a presentation on the cosmetic restoration of GM&O no.72, a
ten-wheeler at Franklinton, LA. “Foots” Quinn will host this portion of the
evening’s activities and tell us about the incredible efforts it took to get no.
72 looking as good as she does now. We will cap the evening off by showing
slides from the personal collections of guests at the banquet. This has become
a GM&OHS tradition and many people feel it is often the highlight of the
evening. So don’t leave early, as we have an entire night’s activities planned
for you.
Message from
President Kenneth Donnelly...The current Publications Committee will turn
over the keys to a new consortium on the first of January. The new committee
will be headed by long-time standout authors Harold Weber and Stephen
Parsons, and supported by many of the people that made the GM&OHS NEWS
a success from 2002 to 2009. I strongly urge everyone to throw your support to
these gentlemen after the New Year, and let them know they can count on the
membership to help ensure the continued publication of our beloved magazine.
Support by the membership coupled to a responsible Publications Committee is
paramount to our survival. As we witnessed in 2000-2001, even the slightest
lack of vigilance on the part of the BOD and the Publications Committee can, and
will, result in an exodus of members en masse. During that period we lost nearly
300 members, only a fraction of which ever returned. Another loss of membership
anywhere along those lines would be one this Society could not survive.
Message from Secretary Marc Liberta...
Enclosed is your ballot for the election of Officers and Board of Directors for
the 2010 membership year. The offices of Secretary, Treasurer and Board of
Director seats are one year terms, while the offices of President and Vice
President are two year terms. As you will have noted , there were no
nominations received for President and Vice President, myself and current
Treasurer David Johnston are running unopposed, and there are only four
candidates for Board of Director seats where five are needed. Frankly, this
level of participation does not bode well for the next two years. Please take
the time to vote, as this is one of your privileges of membership (and is still
needed so as to comply with our by-laws). Return ballots via one of two methods
indicated and by the stated deadlines. If mailing the ballot please do not use
staples to close, as these get caught in the machining process used by the post
office and arrive damaged.
2010 GM&OHS All-Color Calendar
With this mailing you should have an order form for
the 2010 GM&OHS All-Color Calendar. We would like to first thank everyone that
ordered one last year, making the program a success. We also want to remind the
membership that this is the last year that Ken Donnelly will be in charge of
this program. Anyone interested in putting their mark on this program, please
contact him at either
kennednn@aol.com
or (815) 278-0384. Of all the Society sponsored programs this is absolutely the
easiest to put to together, and Ken will walk you through the entire process.
Book Announcement
Society member Joe Petric has assisted
author Jim Boyd in completing GM&O-The Alton Route: In Color Volume 1,
which will be released by Morning Sun Books in September. Contact your
local hobby shop or book store to view a copy first hand.
In Memoriam
The loss of two
members must be noted at this time. Both Howard J. Eslinger of Eugene,
OR and Ernest R. Smith of Baton Rouge, LA were early members of the
Society. Our condolences go out to their families.
The Switchlist
is a quarterly publication of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Historical Society,
Inc. and is provided as a benefit of membership. The Switchlist is
produced for the purpose of increasing communication between members and is
edited, except where noted, by Dave Wagner. Members with information suitable
for publication in the Switchlist should forward it to; GM&OHS
Switchlist, P.O. Box 1753, Marion, IL. 62959. |