For you non-ARRL members, this was just sent out by Art Goddard (W6XD), our Director for the ARRL Southwestern Division.
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January 14, 2002 The e-COMMUNICATOR Southwestern Division - American Radio Relay League
Director - Art Goddard W6XD Vice Director - Tuck Miller NZ6T
Dear League Member...
Welcome to the first edition of the Southwestern Division's electronic newsletter, The e-Communicator. As your newly-elected Division representatives, Tuck and I want to thank you, the members, for your confidence and support. We want to assure you that we will uphold the high standards that you have come to expect. And we want you to know that two-way communication between the membership and your elected team is one of our highest priorities. We hope it's a high priority for you, too. One of the ways we can communicate is electronically through this Division Newsletter. (The Division encompasses Southern California and Arizona.) Please be assured that feedback through e-mail (or any other media) is always appreciated.
A Debt of Gratitude
We're sure we speak for all the members in the Division when we recognize 18 years of dedicated service of past Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO. Over the years, Fried has worked tirelessly to protect and promote Amateur Radio both in the Division and in the nation. Within the ARRL Board, Fried has served with distinction on virtually every committee and has initiated many improvements and recognition for our accomplishments. To his credit, he has consistently worked for the betterment of Amateur Radio even when the proposed actions were unpopular at the time.
Here in the Division, Fried has developed strong ties with each Section (Arizona, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Santa Barbara), with radio clubs, councils, and organizations. These relationships have strengthened Amateur Radio in the Division and have delivered outstanding Division Conventions that many of you have participated in over the years.
Finally, there's the personal side. Many of us know Fried personally and consider him a friend. Fried has set the standard for accessibility at club meetings, hamfests, swap meets, and any other venue where two or more hams congregate. Of course, no recognition of Fried's accomplishments would be complete without recognizing his partner and spouse, Sandi, WA6WZN. Always there to support, organize, coordinate, arrange, schedule, arbitrate, encourage, reach out,... well, we could go on, but you get the idea.
So, folks, let's all wish Fried and Sandi the best in their new endeavors - and let's commit to maintain and build on the wonderful legacy left by Fried and Sandi Heyn!
What Direction are We Taking?
As you can see from the article above, we have a great legacy and point of departure for the future of the Southwestern Division. Our primary purpose is to protect and promote Amateur Radio on behalf of the ARRL membership and all Radio Amateurs. We must work to maintain Amateur Radio as a cohesive force in the diverse world of telecommunications. We must keep in mind that there are those who covet our frequency bands.
To meet these challenges, we must stick together. We will maintain strong ties with our ARRL Sections, clubs, councils and other organizations. We will appoint Assistant Directors to act as liaison with clubs and organizations, to help us keep the two-way communications flowing. The Vice Director, Assistant Directors, Section Managers, and Advisory Committee Reps will constitute your Director's Cabinet to be consulted for guidance on critical issues. Given recent events, we will encourage the growth and training of emergency communicators in the Division. We will be proactive in retaining and recruiting new ARRL members.
You will hear from us frequently via The e-Communicator or other appropriate media to keep you informed of issues, problems, solutions and accomplishments. You can expect us to be responsive to your requests and ideas. Remember, that being responsive doesn't always mean that you will get the answer you want, but you will get a reasoned reply.
ARRL Board Meeting Jan 18 & 19
The 2002 Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors is fast approaching. Art and Tuck are busy preparing to represent you. Two of the hot topics are: 1) Alternative publishing of QST Section News and Contest line scores on the ARRL Web, and 2) Refarming on the Novice frequency sub-bands. On item 1, we have not given you enough time to compare the two methods of publishing. We should run the two approaches side by side to let you compare them. On item 2) more than 4,000 members have made their input via surveys. A summary of the proposal can be found on the ARRL web at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2001/12/21/2/
Next Issue of The e-Communicator
The next issue of our electronic newsletter will be headed your way soon after the Board meeting. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact Art and Tuck on any topic of interest to you. Remember, only those members who signed up for Division bulletins are receiving this newsletter. Please inform your friends and fellow club members that we will be increasing our use of electronic communications and encourage them to sign up to receive Division bulletins. To sign up, go to the ARRL web site www.arrl.org, log on to the members-only area, and select the Member Data page. At the bottom of your member data page, modify your e-mail notification options to receive Division/Section notices.
Our Web Site...
Please visit our web site at: http://www.qsl.net/arrlsw/ This site will take you to the ARRL Section web sites and other sites of interest. Happy surfin'
In Closing...
We hope this newsletter has been informative and worth your while. We look forward to serving you for the next three years of our terms, and hopefully beyond. Again thank you for your support and confidence - we take our volunteer jobs seriously and look forward to working together for the betterment of Amateur Radio.
Art Goddard, W6XD w6xd@arrl.org 714-556-4396
Tuck Miller, NZ6T nz6t@arrl.org 619-434-4211