[Phono-L] MAPS going strong - (was Looking for the Vernon DalhartBook)

[Douglas Houston]

Good message, Steve. Are you asking me, or telling me? I've been a member of MAPS since about 1981, so I do have an idea what's going on with the group here in Michigan. I've even written articles on occasiion. I did the presentation for, I believe, three of the phonoventions. You're in Philly, 600 miles from here,  and I'm  in Michigan, where this outfit is based. I don't think that you've seen any of what went on here. We see your articles, but we've never seen you. 

My claim that MAPS is falling apart in Michigan is based on the fact that there are no monthly meetings, hosted by members who are collecters. I have a lot of radios (about 600), and probably 20 phonographs, many of them, part of the radios but there's no space here for hosting a meeting. Also, I'm no longer the kid that I was, and that's a factor as well. I enjoy sharing my chatter with the other members in the meetings. Don't get the idea for a second that I'm a freeloader. I sort of read that in your copy. We've lost the cohesion that we once had. Phil Stewart has wanted to pass the editorial torch to someone else, and there have been no takers. That's a thankless job that has to be done. The publication is the foundation of any organization, and you don't find  editors, standing around on some street corner. In the absence of a new taker, Phil consented to stay on for a while longer. How much longer will it be reasonable for Phil to hang on? Like all of us, he's going to 
 need a rest. 

The interest is here, but it has to be re-kindled, and hopefully to the pitch that it once was. That's going to take imagination, dedication, and just plain leadership. It isn't there now. Somebody has to take the reins, and get this rig back in motion. The monthly (or nearly so) meetings were something to liook forward to, and to remember afterwards. That getting together once made a strong, and enviable organization. It's somewhere, asleep, and needs to be awakened. I hope to live long enough to see it.  None of that is going to be easy, but it will be rewarding, once it gets thing going again. 


> [Original Message]
> From: <Srsells1 at aol.com>
> To: <phono-l at oldcrank.org>
> Date: 6/20/2009 10:43:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] MAPS going strong - (was Looking for the Vernon DalhartBook)
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2009 11:05:58 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
> cdh041 at earthlink.net writes:
>
> Something got caught in the machinery here. I must have been asleep  when I
> sent my last message. Fer Pete's sake, all you have to do is contact  Phil
> Stewart at: ITGMail at aol.com. Steve lives in Battle Creek and not far  from
> Jack. Jack has been at several get-togethers in the years since the  book
> was published, so he hadn't dropped out of sight back then. MAPS has  pretty
> much fallen apart, and there are rarely any meetings anymore. I  haven't
> seen Steve for quite a while, sadly.  
>  
> Steve?  Steve who? (you never mention a Steve).  As for MAPS  meetings, 
> they seem to be happening monthly month as they are listed in In The  Groove 
> each Month. (May meeting was at John Haugers). Are you in Michigan? Are  you 
> involved at all in helping host a meeting?
>  
> Also, MAPS has Chapters around the country - Oregon, Wisconsin and New  
> England - not just in MI.
>  
> Actually, from what I know, the monthly meetings are small because only a  
> percentage of members live within driving distance. And the Phonovention was 
>  moved because (as I understand it) they had a host and it was easier for 
> folks  to get to.
>  
> The backbone of MAPS is the wonderful monthly magazine "In The Groove"  
> which is lovingly put together by Phil and Eileen Stewart as Editors and  
> Publishers. It's a lot of work. I know because - for over 18 years (yeesh!) I've  
> been writing a monthly column for ITG (and have yet to miss an issue). I do 
> it  for free and - believe me it IS a lot of work. The articles in ITG are 
> well  written and cataloged in Tim Brooks' "Current Bibliography" in the 
> ARSC Journal.  (I know for a fact that some of the things I write about are not 
> covered  ANYWHERE else.) The Calif. APS magazine  is a quarterly with 
> articles but  no current news. ITG comes on time MONTHLY and has free classifieds 
> (though I  wish folks would send in NEW ones instead of repeating the same 
> ones each month  <g>).
>  
> With postage rates going up they had to increase the dues (but gave  
> everyone a chance at "last year's prices). MAPS is a non-profit and the folks  
> putting out ITG are not getting rich. 
>  
> So, I'm not sure what the issue with monthly meetings is -(again, only  a 
> small portion of members reside in MI) Anthony Sinclair, Ron Dethlefson and I 
>  are still cranking out what we hope are useful articles and columns for 
> its  readers. (And a tip of the hat to the MAPS website webmaster who keeps it 
>  current.)
>  
> Steve Ramm
>  
>  
>
>  
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