G. Bruce Lemmon III, head of AAPG's International Development, has resigned to pursue personal interests.

Lemmon, a graduate of Colorado College, joined AAPG in 1985 and was exhibits manager prior to his appointment to the international development office in 1996. He began to manage AAPG's international conference and exhibitions in 1993.

Lemmon is a native of Springfield, Mo. His wife, Jean, is an AAPG member. They have two sons.

The AAPG Service Team is alive and well, spreading AAPG's sphere of influence and benefits well beyond existing members and across geoscience communities worldwide.

Service Teams are laying the groundwork for AAPG to continue to be the world's largest geoscience organization, with strong grassroots support in more than 100 countries.

During Bali 2000, the Association's annual non-North American international meeting that was held in October (see story, page 3), the Asia/Pacific Region met together with members of the Southeast Asia/Australasia/Pacific Service Team to report on various successes and initiatives. (In fact, it is in this AAPG Region more than any other where the Service Teams work hand-in-glove with regional officials, successfully tracking and advancing interests in this vast area.)

Anticipation is high for upcoming Distinguished Lecture and other special tours to occur in the next year, recognizing that internationally AAPG is perhaps best known through its series of top lectures.

Stan Paxton will be through the region in May, followed by Paul Crevello's multiple tours and AAPG president-elect Robbie Gries' trip in late 2001. Check the AAPG Web site for schedules.

Asia/Pacific is looking into inaugurating its own regionally based Distinguished Lecture Tours, based upon the highly successful European model and Paul Crevello's lead (he is based in Brunei).

Membership is growing throughout the region, especially in Southeast Asia. A 14th delegate will be added from Asia/Pacific to the House of Delegates at the meeting in Denver next June, and a new affiliated society will also be up for approval, from India.

Where the Service Team has clearly shined has been in the establishment of ties with academia throughout Southeast Asia. There are five new student chapters in Indonesia alone, thanks to the generosity of sponsors like Schlumberger and the First Ladies Initiative (where wives of AAPG past-presidents underwrite the costs of membership for nine students and the faculty sponsor). More are on the way in Malaysia and Thailand.

The Visiting Geologist Program is also becoming very active: Industry geoscientists are beginning to schedule stops at universities on a regular basis.

The Service Team is also playing a major role in putting together local societies and AAPG to work cooperatively on upcoming conferences. AAPG will "endorse" next year's sedimentary basins conference in Jakarta, being organized by FOSI, and the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia is formulating an invitation to AAPG to support an Eastern Australia geoscience conference in 2002.

Service Teams continue to act as an extension of the headquarters staff in their efforts to generate new business, opportunities for presence and the expanded services that will increase membership in the AAPG. For a current list of Service Teams, their locations and their leaders contact the international development office at AAPG headquarters.