PRESENT:
Tom Horst President
Jim Bergen Vice President
Tom Phillips Secretary
Norm Blahuta Treasurer
Jim Ryan Scribe
Dan Ludwig Historian
Jack Campbell ISO
The 21 March 2018 teleconference of the USMA Class of '55 Executive Committee (EXCOM) was called to order by President Tom Horst at 2:00PM EST. There being six (6) members present, a quorum was obtained, with the final member joining soon thereafter.
Minutes: It was moved and seconded to waive the reading of the draft minutes of the last meeting of the EXCOM, dated 11 January 2018, and that they be approved as submitted.
Class Funds: The Treasurer's Report had previously been submitted to the EXCOM by email. The summary of balances is as follows:
AOG Memory Pages $22,900
Memorial Fund 49,871
Memorial Terrace Fund 98,260
Gift Fund 142,051
Admin Fund 86, 979
Working Capital 37, 108
All funds are deemed more than adequate for their intended purposes, and are in good shape.
Lengthy discussion was held relative to the final distribution of class funds. The decision was made not to make that decision until at least after the 65th Reunion in 2020.
The Association of Graduates (AOG) requested a copy of our Class constitution. Campbell has provided it.
Updates: Horst updated the EXCOM as follows:
1. Dick Baker has accepted the chairmanship of the Widows' Support Committee
2. The Class's nomination of Rich Cardillo as a 2018 Distinguished Graduate was not selected for this year. Todd Graham will develop a more robust submittal for next year.
3. The original Class of '55 Memorial Terrace Endowment Fund was created with the Office of the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (ODIA) responsible for the maintenance. Horst is now redrafting the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and renegotiating it with the AOG for final signature, with AOG being responsible for the maintenance.
4. The annual Leaders' Conference will be held this year at West Point 15-18 August 2018. Horst solicited a volunteer from the EXCOM to attend. If no one volunteers, Horst will attend for the Class.
Friends of the Class: Rod Vitty's recommendation to make Scott and Michael Lichtenberg, and Vince Dibiasi, Friends of the Class of '55 was accepted. Dibiasi was presented his certificate by Vitty at the 2018 Founder's Day celebration hosted by the Naples, Florida West Point Society. The Lichtenberg brothers will be presented theirs at a future date. In order to ensure consistency, Vitty is forwarding to Campbell a copy of the certificate presented to Dibiasi. Campbell will forward that to the EXCOM and develop a draft protocol for EXCOM approval for future awards.
LCA/Memorial Articles Proposals: In response to recent proposals from Rich Cardillo and Ed Trobaugh relative to improving the existing Class procedures on
Local Classmate Assistant (LCA) and Memorial Articles, lengthy discussion ensued. It was finally decided to implement a two pronged approach as follows:
1. Send a one time email to those with email, and a one time snail mail letter to those who don't have email, asking classmates to decide on one of three alternatives re if and how to prepare their Memorial Articles. Horst to ask Cardillo and Trobaugh to draft the email/snail mail.
2. Continue the existing LCA program as currently practiced. If no LCA volunteers, the Treasurer will contact the family to ascertain their wishes for the Class donation or wreath.
Minutes: It was decided to change the existing three step approval process for the EXCOM minutes to a shorter and less time consuming process of two steps, as follows:
1. Secretary will draft a Rough Draft of the minutes and electronically submit it to EXCOM members for changes/ corrections/etc.
2. Secretary will incorporate all changes/corrections/etc into a final version which he will then submit to the EXCOM for final electronic approval. The ISO will then post this final approved version to the net.
There being no further business, the teleconference was adjourned at 3:22 EST.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Phillips
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