Outgoing CFMS President passes the gavel to in coming President Jim Brace-Thompson
Photo Credit: John Martin
Excerpt: PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE from the December Issue of the C.F.M. S. Newsletter
Grow the Federation!
By Fred Ott
As this is my last newsletter article as President, I’d like to share some observations that I’ve made during the year.
Past: Our Federation exists today based upon a solid foundation of successes constructed by our predecessors. We owe each of them a debt of gratitude that can best be expressed by building upon past efforts and successes and growing our individual Societies and the Federation. Imagine starting your own business and building it up to be a very successful venture, only to have it fail shortly after ‘turning the reins’ over to someone else; what a disappointment! Conversely, there is no greater satisfaction than to have subsequent owners capitalize on the birth and growth of your business by bringing it to new heights. So, too, is it with our societies and the Federation. Not only should we ‘thank’ those who came before us; we need to show our sincerest appreciation by continuing their legacy.
Present: I’ve found that members of most (if not all) societies are eager to learn new ideas and tools to make their jobs easier, our passion for rockhounding more fun and the shows more profitable. The challenge has
always been to develop a system of ‘sharing’ this information and I’m proud to say that we are well on our way of using the Internet, modern technology and the Federation meetings and conventions to do just that. The ‘key’ is constant communications. When gathering email addresses for our new database, I was often surprised to find societies for which there was no way to contact them except by US postal mail. The information on the Federation’s website was either inaccurate or incomplete; all the more reason to capitalize on the new technologies!
Future: Looking ahead, I am very excited about the future of our Federation! We are indeed fortunate to have incoming officers and directors who are talented, motivated and energized to make their contributions and continue leading us to future successes. Please give them your support at every opportunity.
Thank you for allowing me to be the CFMS President this year.
Remember: rockhounding is MORE than a hobby; it’s a PASSION!
Fred Ott, President 2010
There are several regional Federations - find the one that is nearest to you and get involved - links in the right hand column.
For more info on the AFMS go to: http://amfed.org
