AAA President Message – June

Hi AAA’ers,

Throughout May our outdoor activities suffered due to poor weather conditions, but we remain hopeful that June will be filled with many more favorable nights. Grab your bins, scope, or a friend and visit one of our public stargazing locations.

It was great to see everyone that turned out for the AAA Annual Meeting at Maxwell’s. I received mixed feedback from several members. Your comments are valued and more consideration will be given regarding the accommodations for the Annual Meeting as compared to the seasonal social parties. If you have ideas or want to be involved with event planning, please reach out to me or any of the Directors. We would welcome your help

Thank you for filling the seven open Director positions. You’ve assembled a great team to manage the work ahead. During the Annual Meeting, you elected: five persons to 3-year terms—Cecilia Almedia, Joe Delfausse, Stan Honda, Dave Kaufman, Peter Tagatac; one member to a 2-year term, Brian Berg; and, Bhaswan Kurra to a 1-year term. Immediately following the Annual Meeting, a Directors meeting convened to set board meeting dates for 2018-19 and to elect officers of the board. The following Directors were elected to serve as officer from 01 June 2018 to 31 May 2019: Peter Tagatac, President; Irene Pease, Vice President; Stanley Fertig, Financial Secretary; Rori Baldari, Recording Secretary; Tom Haeberle, Treasurer; and, Joe Delfausse, Membership Secretary. For a complete listing, you can visit  the Club webpage at https://www.aaa.org/theclub.

This year I look forward to seeing our members enabled to fulfill our association’s purpose with enjoyment and satisfaction. We are workshopping ideas of an astronomy equipment loan program to members, a scholarship program to reward or strengthen the interest of younger people, and considering ways to communicate more effectively. Since last year, members and directors each have mentioned an interest to build partnerships or affiliations with other astronomy organizations, professional associations, and potentially, commercial organizations. This year with enough support, you can be part of this new area of growth for the club.

Eyepiece is evolving in its web-based form. We are experimenting—trying new design layouts, appearances, and publishing frequency, unafraid of mistakes or to learn lessons. We are considering publishing articles in more frequent intervals rather than once a month. This would bring news to you on a more timely basis and offer some relief to the Eyepiece staff. The endgame is to produce a newsletter that is worthwhile and informative. 

Please let us know how you feel, since your feedback will be heard and taken into consideration. If you want to be a part of Eyepiece, please contact us. With a greater number of people involved, we can introduce new ways to report on events and share the editorial workload.

In the next couple of weeks, look for a Volunteers Wanted message from me. Consider it almost like help-wanted ads for various roles and positions in the club. As we prepare to manage this year’s events and activities, I hope to see more members participate rather than having these exclusively led by directors. In this way, you are more intimately involved with the club operations while working with others, bring fresh ideas and suggest improvements. You may develop a desire to serve on the board.

I hope you enjoy the summer months, keep cool and get to attend some of the events listed On the Horizon. As a reminder, check the AAA website, Upcoming Events, or better yet synchronize your calendar with the AAA Google Calendar to get up to the date information.

Pick your favorite star…and best wishes!

Peter Tagatac

President, Amateur Astronomers Association