Welcome to My House
Don Clarke
I am very excited about this year with the House of Delegates. But first I would like to thank Val Schulz for the great job that she did last year chairing the House. I would also like to thank all of the HoD committee members for their generous support of AAPG. The committee chairs did an excellent job moving the work through their committees and bringing excellent people and ideas to the forefront. I look forward to working with AAPG President Pete Rose and the Executive Committee to make AAPG stronger.
We have many tasks to perform prior to the 2006 AAPG Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas that is just nine months away! I am building the House of Delegates committees. David Hawk of Boise, Idaho has accepted the Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee. There are several pressing items for David and his committee. The Resolutions Committee will be chaired by Sigrunn Johnsen of Oslo, Norway. Sigrunn will lead the effort to bring sister societies and AAPG together. I am very excited about this and look forward to some wonderful results. The Honors and Awards Committee will be chaired by Jeannie Mallick of Houston, Texas. Jeannie's proactive work will again bring us a list of deserving honorees. Ed Dolly will head up the Nomination and Election Committee to bring officer candidates forward. Please give Ed some names of Delegates who would be willing to serve. Patrick Gooding of Paint-Lick, Kentucky will again chair the Credentials Committee. Bob Cowdery of the Mid-continent Section will chair the Rules and Procedures Committee.
Can you improve these committees? Yes! The best way is to get active and offer to join a committee. By doing this you will make AAPG better at serving our needs and the needs of other geologists. The House of Delegates is a great place for local leaders to bring their ideas to the greater AAPG. It is also a great place to make new friends and get to know the inner workings of AAPG. Please use this opportunity to introduce new items for consideration.
At first glance the House is overwhelming to a new delegate. That is because there are a large number of people involved. Every member has something in common. They are all activists who seek to improve the AAPG. Because of this you will find kindred spirits. Committee work allows you to work with others who have widely varying views. Some are meticulous and want every little thing to be perfect while others work for broader concepts and don't need the specifics. Much of the committee work is done via the telephone or the e-mail. This is the place where many of the future leaders and innovators rub elbows with the diverse and international group. The experience is very rewarding.
I plan to attend most of the sectional meetings and the International Meeting this year. Please feel free to share your ideas with me at those meetings. Specifically I will be at the International Meeting in Paris, France, the Eastern Section Meeting in Morgantown, West Virginia, The Rocky Mountain Section Meeting in Jackson, Wyoming, the Gulf Coast Section Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Pacific Section Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Please take the time to talk with me either at a Delegates breakfast or sometime during the sessions. I would like to hear what you have to say.
Over the next nine months I would like to profile some of the HoD committee chairs. You will see that these wonderful people are much like yourself. This will also help you to know them personally.
One of the problems still facing the House of Delegates is how to get international representatives more involved. We need this so that our international members can bring their ideas forward to help improve the Association. Travel to North America can make it difficult for international members. The cost and time needed to travel can be prohibitive. We need some creative ideas on how to do this.
My House is your House. The House of Delegates is our House.