[Phono-L] MAPS going strong -

[Douglas Houston]

Interesting. Indeed, my name doesn't appear on my messages. I'm not trying
to hide, but the system does that My name is Douglas Houston. That should
be on the signatures, but isn't. I'll have to do something about it. 


> [Original Message]
> From: <Srsells1 at aol.com>
> To: <phono-l at oldcrank.org>
> Date: 6/22/2009 12:48:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] MAPS going strong - 
>
> In a message dated 6/20/2009 6:30:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
> cdh041 at earthlink.net writes:
>
> Good  message, Steve. Are you asking me, or telling me? 
>  
>  
> Asking. BTW, maybe it's a senior moment (and I don't get on Phono-L a
lot)  
> but I can't remember who you are by name. (Sorry but you haven't signed 
> your  last postings and your email doesn't give me a clue. Did I miss it?)
>
> 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 guess is that MAPS is based in MI but has regional chapters. The
meeting 
>  in I are really the regional meetings. We don't have a regional group
here 
> - and  I don't think we will either. I did come to one Phonovention and 
> made a trip of  it but I have other alliances for my travel time and I
choose 
> to go to ARSC's  Conference every year - for the last 20 years. I'm also 
> their volunteer  Treasurer (8th term). Anthony Sinclair in Australia and
Rond D 
> in CA aren't  coming to meetings in MI but they, like me, sure contribute
a 
> lot of time to  input on ITG. From the emails I get thanking me, I guess 
> folks appreciate my  efforts as well. MAPS is more than monthly meeting
in MI, 
> as I said before. At  least I think that's what those members outside MI 
> (the majority) feel. (Hey, I  could be wrong. <g>)
>
>
>
> 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. 
>  
> I can't help with the local meeting issue. Maybe you folks want to go  
> bi-monthly (every two months). I thought I saw a local meeting listed
each  
> month. Yes, Phil wanted to retire but they wanted an Editor in Mich),
Maybe  
> someone outside Michigan could be editor (NO, I'm not volunteering). But
it's  
> the members OUTSIDE MI who pay their dues - really a subscription - which 
> allow  the high quality offset graphics and layout. (Guess you may not
have 
> seen the  earliest mimeographed issues. (I have them!). Again, I have no 
> answers  here.
>
>
>
> 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. 
>
> Then maybe new younger members need to be found. That's all I can think
of. 
>  I feel your pain. Until he died about 5 years ago, Dave Heitz would hold 
> an  annual gathering at his house (a more generous man I have yet to
meet.) 
> These  are now long gone and miss seeing the fellow collectors. But, here
in 
> the east,  no one is taking the reins.
>  
> I hope my comments don't sound harsh. They are not meant to be. I'm not  
> sure anyone here has the answer but I hope all realize that without
members 
> (or  subscribers, if you wish) MAPS and ITG cannot grow. So spread the
word 
> (this is  to all Phono-Lers) and get new members or subscribers. It's
still a 
> great  bargain.
>  
> Steve Ramm
>  
>  
>  
>
>
>
>
> **************Make your summer sizzle with fast and easy recipes for the 
> grill. (http://food.aol.com/grilling?ncid=emlcntusfood00000004)
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