Here we are, already a month and a half into the “new year.” Seems pretty old already!

We’ve had some changes in our State officer roster. Bob Anderson resigned late last year because of illness. We appreciate Bob’s long service as Aerospace Education and wish him well. Now we need somebody to help us with this important function. Any volunteers?

Also, our secretary, Jerry Ashley, resigned in December to move to back to Chicago, closer to his family. I know he has had many second thoughts about this decision – almost as soon as he got there, he slipped on the ice and broke his ankle. He’ll be laid up for some months.

So now we need someone to step into this position as well. Luisa will fill in until we can find a willing pair of hands. Send me an email if you’re interested in either position. We shall be ever grateful.

Mads (Rik) Brandt resigned as state treasurer to devote more time to chapter membership responsibilities. New treasurer is Robert (Bob) Curry.

It’s time to start planning your nominations for national and state awards. Be sure to recognize your chapter’s hardest workers. Also, contact your local school officials to nominate their deserving teachers for AFA Teacher of the Year.

At 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 13, we will have our first quarterly video conferencing meeting of the year. Chapter representatives should assemble at four stations – Glendale, Prescott, Tucson and Sierra Vista. Our committee members -- Ross Lampert, Bill Lafferty, Bob Curry and I -- have been testing various alternative videoconference programs to MegaMeeting to find the best value for our money. If you will send me your chapter’s location, we will practice with each, to ensure compatibility with the system. Meeting locations should have a videocam installed to provide visual feedback during the meeting.

As usual, I solicit your comments and suggestions. Please call or email me.