WEST POINT SOCIETY of the MONTEREY PENINSULA

                           Bylaws

MISSION :  The West Point Society of the Monterey Peninsula (WPSMP) is established  to foster the spirit of DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY among potential new cadets, its membership, the members of the other academy societies, and the communities comprising the central coast and nearby inland areas.

CONCEPT:  The primary focus of the Society is the identification and encouragement of young men and women of the central coast who may be interested in attending the USMA.  Towards that, the Society will continually present the “USMA Story” to the high schools of the central coast and to DLI .  Also, the Society will sponsor a series of activities for its members.  These include the annual Founders’ Day Dinner, an annual Army-Navy football game victory bash, an annual joint USMA, USNA , USAFA, and USCGA golf tournament, a to be determined community service project, unscheduled breakfasts/lunches with VIPs visiting local military installations,  and remembrance of newly deceased members and spouses.

MEMBERSHIP: Members are regular, honorary, and special.

·        Regular members include graduates of the USMA or former cadets who were honorably discharged after completing at least one semester.

·        Honorary members include surviving spouses of a deceased graduates or persons of distinction elected by the Board of Directors (the Board) for exemplifying DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.

·        Special members include cadets from the Monterey Peninsula , persons deemed by the Board to have made significant contributions to the Society, the Commander of the Defense Language Institute ( DLI ) if not a regular member, the Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Military Academy Liaison Officers (MALO), and members of Congress.   

Members may be expelled from the society for cause by the Board or reinstated.

MANAGEMENT and ADMINISTRATION:  The management and administration of the Society will be accomplished by a Board of Directors. Board membership is driven by the unique USMA demographics of the Monterey Peninsula .  Two main groups of potential board members are represented.  First, are the older retired or resigned graduates most of whom have lived here for many years.  Their numbers are declining due to the very high cost of living and the recent closure of Fort Ord with the attendant departure of senior retirement eligible graduates.  Second, are the younger active duty graduates stationed at the DLI or NPS typically for a maximum of two years.

It will consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and at least six members, one of which should be on active duty, to coordinate and arrange the various mission related activities described above. Also included to insure active duty representation are special Society members to include the DLI Commander or representative, NPS Superintendent or representative, and Military Academy Liaison Officer (MALO).  In addition, the author of the web site will serve as a non-voting member.

All board members will be volunteers.  General elections by the Society are deemed cumbersome, impractical, and will not be conducted.  Volunteers will be recruited and approved by a majority vote of the currently sitting board.  They will be judged by their willingness and capability to arrange and coordinate a mission related activity.  They will be expected to serve a two year term with an option to serve a second term with board approval.  This period can be terminated for cause or extended by a majority vote of the other board members.  Board members who miss three consecutive meetings will be asked to resign.

MEMBER DATA BASE MANAGEMENT:  A data base containing relevant information about each Society member will be built and maintained by the Secretary/Treasurer. A membership roster will be prepared annually and mailed to each member.

WEB SITE :  A society web site will be maintained and updated quarterly.