24TH iNFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION LOGO

The 24th Infantry Division Association

Founded August 1945 on a Philippine Island beach
 

 

Minutes of 2011 Corporate Convention

24th Infantry Division Association, Corporate Convention (Member Meeting), September 21, 2011, Holiday Inn, Fairborn, Ohio

Member breakfast was served at 9:00 a.m.; President Sal Schillaci called the Corporate Convention (Member Meeting) to order approximately 9:40 a.m.

Chaplain Glen Carpenter then led the assemblage in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The quorum requirement was satisfied.

FINANCE & MEMBERSHIP REPORT

Sec/Treas John Dunn then gave the Finance & Membership Report. The Association is financially sound with Total Assets of $80,925.01, up some $3,000 from the $77,239.26 reported last year.  Neither year included the Quartermaster Report. We recorded 66 new members this year and suffered a loss of 67, most of which were due to member death. There were 19 new Life Members.

REUNIONS

President Schillaci then presented the Board’s recommendations for future reunions; they were: 2012 in New Orleans on September 23-26, and 2013 in Louisville on September 22-25.

There were no proposals from the floor and a motion was made, seconded and approved to accept the Board’s recommendations with no dissenting votes.

CONSTITUTION CHANGE

President Schillaci then turned the meeting over to Tom Thiel, Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

Mr. Thiel said that a crucial part of the Committee’s recommended definition of Associate Membership had been overlooked in the proceedings at the 2009 Annual Corporate Convention, and that the purpose of his appearance at this 2011 Convention was to ask the members there present to add the deleted portion back into the Association Constitution (Article V, Section 2, Associate Membership).

He next read both the proposed addition and the rules for amending the Constitution, and said that at present an Associate Member must be related to a member or to someone who is eligible for membership, and that there is no way at present for anyone with interest in the Association to become an Associate, non-voting member. Some, including some in the 25th Infantry Division Association, have asked about becoming a member.

Thiel then moved that under the provisions of Article VIII, Section 2, that the requirement to publish the proposed change in the Taro Leaf be waved, and that the addition be considered by the 2011 Convention. The motion was seconded, discussed, and approved with no dissenting votes.

He then moved that the following be added to the Article V, Section 2, “…or (ii) Any person with a legitimate interest in the affairs of the Corporation not otherwise eligible to be an Active Member who wishes to support its aims and agrees to accept the terms and conditions set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws.”

This motion was seconded, discussed, and when the call for the question was made, passed with one (1) dissenting vote.

Hence the addition to the definition of Associate Membership in the Association Constitution was duly ratified by the members present and voting at the 2011 Annual Convention.

QUARTERMASTER

Several questions were raised from the floor regarding non-productive efforts to order items from the Association Quartermaster. Members were advised that the transfer of inventory from the previous QM to Mr. Walters took an exceptionally long time, and that Mr. Walters then moving from Cape Coral, FL to his present site at Sandy Springs, GA contributed to this problem.

Members were advised that the correct address for our quartermaster is: John Walters, 333 Summer Dr NE., Sandy Springs, GA 30328.

A member from the floor stated that the new QM order form is too difficult to use to be effective, and moved that Quartermaster and Taro Leaf Editor be instructed to return the 24th Quartermaster Order form similar to the tabular format previously employed.” Motion seconded and supported in discussion. Motion approved with no dissenting votes.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Keith Hagen, chair of the 2011 Nominating Committee, then presented his Committee’s  recommendations for Association Officers for the 2011-12 year:

  • President, Sal Schillaci,
  •  Vice-President, Don Maggio,
  •  Secretary/Treasurer, John Dunn, and
  •  Director at Large, two-year term, Tom Appler.

He then called for nominations from the floor, and when none was offered, a motion was approved to close the nominations. A motion was then offered, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Committee’s Officer recommendations.

MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL

President Schillaci, with the assistance of Dan Rickert, then presented the current status of the Medal of Honor memorial.

The granite is finished, as is much of the memorial itself. Mr. Rickert emphasized the very high quality of the memorial. 

However, the status of efforts to place the memorial in Arlington National Cemetery are back to the starting gate since Congressman Lee has resigned. President Schillaci reported a contact in the Pentagon, as well as plans to visit ANC to photograph existing memorials. Past President Frederick said that these latter are urgently needed to include with our letters to Congress. Thiel reported that there is a page on the website devoted to this but that it desperately needs to be brought up to date. He also reported on the results of his efforts with Frank DeToma of Senator Bill Nelson’s office (U.S. Senate from FL), who said that the Association needs to flood/pressure Congress on this very worthwhile project.

ADJOURN: Approximately 11:00 a.m.

John Dunn, Sec/Treas

ADDENDUMS TO THE CORPORATE CONVENTION REPORT

2011 VERBECK AWARD

At the Annual Banquet on Wednesday evening, Don Maggio, Chair of the Verbeck Award Committee, presented the 2011 Verbeck Award to Past President and Director Gene Spicer.

POW/MIA PROCLAMATION

Also at the Annual Banquet, President Schillaci read a special POW/MIA Proclamation (copy attached) recognizing Mel Frederick for his financial contribution to cover the costs of producing and mailing the POW/MIA Special Publication.