AAA President Message – June – Amateur Astronomers Association

Dear AAA Members,

I hope you’re enjoying the seasonal weather. We’ve wrapped most of our indoor activities for the summer – Lectures and Classes will resume in the fall. It’s been a cloudy start to our observing season, and many of us are looking forward to clearer skies and evening views of the planets. Even with shorter nights, we’re observing at multiple sites each week. If you’d like to get more involved (no need to own a telescope!), reach out to a site chair of an AAA observing site near you (map by Bhaswan Kurra).

The Annual Meeting [link to Stan’s article?] on May 15, was a great opportunity to chat with other members – people I’ve known for years as well as new folks. Getting to know other members, swapping stories, and hearing about your drives and dreams for the club is always inspiring. Preston Stahly awed us with his production of a beautiful video showcasing AAA’s various facets and talented astrophotographers. At the Meeting, members also elected directors to the Board. Five directors were elected for a three-year term: Susan Andreoli, John Bills, Bart Fried, Bhaswan Khurra, and Amy Wagner; and one director was elected for a two-year term: Mary Alford.

After the Annual Meeting, the AAA Board met to elect officers to serve from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020: Irene Pease, President; Bart Fried, Vice President; Faissal Halim, Financial Secretary; Brian Berg, Recording Secretary; Amy Wagner, Treasurer; Susan Andreoli, Membership Secretary. The full list of Directors and officer contact information can be found at https://www.aaa.org/theclub/

Spring Starfest will be Saturday, June 8 at Woodlawn Cemetery. Rori Baldari, Susan Andreoli, John Benfatti, and Amy Wagner have been coordinating with Woodlawn staff to make this a wonderful event for all. We’ll be set up in a new location this year, in a large open field with red-light lighting, next to a historic mausoleum which attendees can explore. I hope to have the chance to see many of you at Starfest, and other observing events and/or meetups over the next month.

Clear Skies,

Irene Pease

AAA President