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THE BULLETIN BOARD |
As the song goes, it seems like only yesterday. Only yesterday we were telling each other to have a great two month summer break. I hope it was that for each of you, and we look forward to seeing you again on September 15th. Stan has lined up a great program, as he always does, and we always enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow former service members. Lots of exciting things await us for the balance of 2004, not the least of which occurs in November. I'm not referring only to Thanksgiving, for I am sure that each of you, as I, give thanks daily. I'm referring to that day on which we exercise one of our greatest privileges, that of voting. I know that this is one group that needs no reminding. Of course, with football season here, and what appears to be a great showing in the Olympics, it will be great here, but I know that not a one of you will forget the great sacrifices being made by our service members in the middle east and other parts of the world. We must never fail to remind doubters of the great accomplishments and dedication of our Armed Forces, and we must not be discouraged by the negative "reporting" we see and hear. Where was the outrage when helpless prisoners were beheaded? It was all being focused on "the atrocities of Abu Ghraib". Worse atrocities have been committed in fraternity hazings. I don't condone either, but let's keep things in perspective. Of the more than 130,000 troops in Iraq, what percentage has been involved in such misguided acts? If any of you saw 0'Reilly's fiasco with America's greatest hater, Moore, you may have been as disappointed as I at O'Reilly's reply when asked if he would send his child "to die for Falujah." O'Reilly should have told him that we wouldn't even send Moore's child [has he reproduced? I hope not.] to die for some town in a foreign country. But young men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice |
------------------------------------- Dr. HANS MARK Dr. Mark has worked at The University of Texas at Austin as Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics since 1988. He holds the John J. McKetta Centennial Center Energy Chair in Engineering and is associated with the University's Institute for Advanced Technology as a Senior Research Engineer. In that capacity, he works on advanced weapons systems for the U.S. Army. He was born in Mannheim, Germany on June 17, 1929, and, while still a child, came to the United States with his parents in 1940. He became a U. S. citizen in 1945. He earned his B.A. in physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1951 and his PH.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954. From 1954 to 1955 he served as acting chief of the neutron physics group at M.I.T. In 1955, Dr. Mark returned to Berkeley, where he served as department chairman and professor of nuclear engineering. He was also a research scientist and division leader at the University's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Mark led research groups working in nuclear and atomic physics, and also contributed to astrophysics and to developing instrumentation used in the testing of nuclear weapons. From 1969 to 1977, Dr. Mark was director of the NASA-Ames Research Center in Mountain View, |
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for great causes, and answering the attacks
and threats against our nation and its people is the reason that many have
paid. We honor them always, and this is something slime like Moore can
neither stand nor understand.
NOW FOR SOME HOUSEKEEPING. Your Board is charged with fiscal responsibility in regard to the functions of our chapter. We cannot hold prices down if we don't take action when it is needed. Therefore, we are instating or more properly, reinstating a former practice. NO MEAL PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED PRIOR TO 1815 HOURS, AND THE BAR WILL NOT BEGIN TO SERVE UNTIL 1830 HOURS. Exceptions will be made for those members who must arrive early to man the various posts necessary to carry on the evening. I am sure all of you understand and will cooperate. If anyone must complain, please direct your complaints to (and at] me, your highly paid President. I will be more than happy to discuss matters with you. You're all great people which is why Tinka and I so enjoy this organization, and I know you will see the wisdom in what we are doing. We (MOAA in general, and our chapter in particular] need the help of each of you in building membership. Each of us can be a great aid in building a membership which will pack more clout in Washington when MOAA is fighting for greater benefits for retired service members and the dependents they leave behind. To that extent, I believe that it is important that I attend the Annual MOAA Chapter President's Symposium this month. I have asked to be assigned to at least two areas, membership and chapter leadership. I hope to return with some help to build our chapter and to develop NEW leadership within the chapter. Wouldn't it be nice to see a new face in the president's chair? [If any of you know where I can find a new face cheap, I'm interested.) SEE YOU ON THE 15TH!" Maurice Quigley, Col., USA, Ret |
California. That center is responsible for conducting awide variety of aeronautical and space research projects. During his term as director, he supervised the management of the "Pioneer" planetary exploration program. Pioneer-10 was launched on March 2,1972, and became the first spacecraft to fly past Jupiter and the first man-made object to leave the solar system. Dr. Mark was also responsible for initiating the Bell XV-15 tilt rotor aircraft program. In April 1979, Pres. Jimmy Carter named Dr. Mark to be Secretary of the Air Force, a position he held until 1981. During his service, he initiated the establishment of the USAF Space Command, now the U.S. Space Command, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. President Ronald Reagan in 1981 appointed Dr. Mark as the Deputy Administrator of NASA. During his term of service, he oversaw the first 14 space shuttle flights and helped to initiate the U.S. Space Station Program. Dr. Mark was named Chancellor of The University of Texas System September 1, 1984, and served until September 1, 1992, simultaneously serving as Professor of Aerospace Engineering from 1988. Hans Mark has been married to the former Marion G. Thorpe since 1951. She holds a doctorate in education and specializes in educational testing, linguistics and English literature. Dr. Marion Mark currently teaches at St. Edward's University in Austin.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO MEMBERS This summer we developed our Austin MOAA web site where we can post the "Bulletin Board." This allows members and prospective members to learn about our chapter and keep abreast of current events. It will also allow us to send you a link to the news letter which you can read "on line." Starting with the September Bulletin Board, you will be able to print out a hard copy if desired. It costs about 350 dollars to print and mail the Bulletin Board. If you have an Internet connection, we encourage you to review the Bulletin Board on line and see if we could eliminate some of the printed copies. Web site- http://www.main.org/moaaaustin/ This would not include or affect the high salary of the editor., or the Web master- NEW MEMBERS- The following persons have recently joined AMOAA Mrs. Thelma C. Young, Austin Please welcome these new members and invite them to sit with you. I have not listed addresses or phone numbers for security reasons. FOR PLANNING PURPOSES- Mark your calendars now-all dinner meetings of AMOAA are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month-EXCEPT December which is on the 2nd Wednesday----
2005------Programs to be announced
EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 15 SEPTEMBER-DINNER MEETING-1830 HOURS BAE systems (Tracor) 21 SEPTEMBER-BOARD MEETING-1330 HOURS CAMP MABRY NAVAL RESERVE BLDG All members are invited to attend 24 SEPTEMBER-ROWC-LUNCHEON-AUSTIN WOMAN'S CLUB-details Page 4 Common sense is not so common. Voltaire (1694-1778) |
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THE BULLETIN BOARD DINNER MEETING-15 September, 2004 Note: Reservations may be made with your assigned caller or with your service representative by calling before 2100 hours on the Sunday before the Wednesday dinner. Cancellations should also be made by the aforementioned time. Individuals who do not honor reservations will be billed. |
| -------COME AND JOIN YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS - SUPPORT MOAA! If you don't participate in the activities, you have no standing to complain if you are unhappy. This will be the first meeting of the New season----It is daylight quite late----Find out what others have been doing over the summer COME OUT AND BE COUNTED!!!!!!! |
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SPEAKER-Dr. Hans Mark from The University of Texas. He has been an important player in the Nuclear Programs and the Space Program over the past several years. He has been instrumental in the development of many of the advanced weapons systems in use in all branches of the military today, and in the planning and supervision of shuttle flights. Dr. Mark is a great speaker with a wealth of knowledge to impart. WE ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN- COME OUT AND GET UPDATED-- | ORDER OF THE EVENING SEATING CHARTS WILL BE PLACED ON TABLES AT 1830 HOURS
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A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams-writer and Historian (1838-1918) --Please Note: If you are not being called each month concerning the dinner meeting on the third Wednesday, please call your service representative (listed elsewhere in the Bulletin) and ask that he/she add your name to the calling lists. Your Service Rep may have changed, and your caller may have also. lf you have not been called by Sunday evening and wish to attend the dinner, and cannot reach your own Service Rep, please call one of the others. They will be glad to accommodate you and turn in your reservation. MOAA Name tags available-Members who wish permanent name tags should contact COL Ben A. Meharg at 280-2569. E-mail bmeharg@austin.rr.com . The cost is 3.00, but they will last a lifetime-unless you loose them. |
MENU Field greens salad w/Peppercorn ranch ATTN; SINGLES We try to sit together at MOAA dinners. Look for the sign-SINGLES- and sign your name If you want to sit with us. We are not guaranteeing a singles spot - You do not have to sit there-be sociable - move around. |
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CHAPTER OFFICERS 2004-2005
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| Appointed Board Members | |||||
| Chaplain | LtC. Ernest S. Dean | USAF | 477-5390 | Duties | |
| Assistant Chaplain | Col. Leon Holland | USA | 335-1224 | Duties | |
| Personal Affairs Officer | Capt. William K. Brown | USN | 345-5420 | Duties | |
| Austin Military Coalition Representative | Col. Bruce Conover | USAF | 282-1844 | Duties | |
| Legislative Affairs Officer | LtC. Carlos W. Higgins | USAF | 258-3564 | Duties | |
| ROTC Awards Coordinator | Col. Bill Del Vecchio | USA | 244-3248 | Duties | |
| Newsletter Editor | LtC. Mary Kelso | USA | 346-7140 | Duties | |
| Webmaster | LtC. J. R. Howard | USAF | 255-2206 | Duties | |
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RETIRED OFFICERS WIVES CLUB
Friday-24 September-We resume our regular luncheons at the Austin Woman's
Club ---- program-Fall Style Show by Stein Mart Reservations: Martha Kirby 259-0423 or Jo Jean Gillespie 345-3069 Luncheon---- Caring and sharing Widows Group-LUBY'S CAFETERIA ON STECK AVE (OFF MESA OR MOPAC) Contact Genevieve Bruce (453-0871) Second Friday of each Month- 0915 hours Bridge - Cafeteria in the Headquarters building of CAMP MABRY Contact -Shirley Bone (246-9829) |
TAPS COL Carrol F. (Jake) Jacobs, USAF, Retired 30 June, 2004 COL John E. Stavast, USAF, Retired 3 July, 2004 Rose Ann Bullard, Wife of Major Stanley Bullard, 11 July, 2004 LTC Fred H. Olson, USA, Retired 30 June, 2004 Long time members will recall that LTC Olson was once President of our local TROA and a member here for many years. Eternal light shine upon them and may they rest in peace, amen.
- The worst bankruptcy in the world is the man who has lost enthusiasm. Let him lose everything but enthusiasm and he will come through again to success. From Bits and Pieces-Author unknown |
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LEGISLATIVE THOUGHTS by LTC Carlos Higgins GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE Absolutely! Our state and federal governments are for us and by us. But they're both like so many other things; to get anything worthwhile out of it, you generally have to put a little into it. You know about lobbyists and government, but I'll say it anyway, just to remind you. At both the state level and the federal level there are scads of well-paid lobbyists. Why are there so many and why are they so well paid? Because they bring home the bacon. And who pays for all that bacon? The point is, you can vote to put the "right" people in office, but that alone "won't put possum on your table." You still have to pay attention, and even do some of what all those lobbyists are doing. You have to let your elected representatives know: * What you want from them. * You're watching what they are doing. If you take the time to communicate with them, they tend to pay attention. Lobbyists have money they want, but you have something they want, too. It's your vote and your influence on other voters. Even though your life may be pretty darn good at this point-except for those pesky health problems- and you don't think you need anything more from government than you're now getting, consider this. Whatever it is that you are getting from government could be in jeopardy, so you have to pay a little attention to that. And then, there's this: Our parents and grandparents left us a government that worked pretty well for us, all things considered. Don't you think we have some obligation to do the same for our kids and grandkids? | At the federal level, we have a costly war going on. Remember how we saved
tin-foil during WWII, and did without butter, tires, sugar, etc., etc. What
are we doing without now? Not a blessed thing. So who is bearing the brunt of
the war's cost? One group that is paying through the nose in a variety of ways
is our military, and especially our reserves. All of us retired military ought to be paying attention to the burdens these folks and their families are shouldering, and do our level best to make sure our government treats them fairly, in terms of pay, medical benefits and time away from home. State government will be heating up shortly. The Texas Legislature meets this coming January, and, as usual, there will be thousands of bills filed. A hefty percentage of those bills will be attempts to get a bigger slice of the pie by individuals, corporations, special interest groups, you name it. And there will probably be other bills designed to insulate our government office holders even more from accountability for their acts, and accountability to voters. Locally, the new Hospital District and conversion of public roads to toll roads are good examples. The people who will be raising those taxes and tolls are people we don't know, and people we can't vote for or against. I urge you to pay attention and get involved. I'm a member of the Texas Silver haired Legislature, and we're gearing up to make a variety of recommendations to the Texas Legislature and the Governor. We'll be considering a raft of issue during our own Legislative session in September. Come on down to the State Capitol and see what we are doing the week of Sept, 13-17. You can sit in the gallery of the House Chambers while we're in session there, or in one of our nine Committee meetings, in the Capitol annex. Who knows. You might just get inspired enough to get more involved. Carlos Higgins Carlostx@att.net |
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EXCERPT FROM THE AFFILIATE FOR SEPTEMBER '04
MEMBER ACTION NEEDED FOR FINAL SBP PUSH-- Also be on the lookout for the four postcards coming |
AIR FORCE IMPOSES Rx CUTS------ A July 8 memo from the AF surgeon general's office People who see the big picture expand their experience because they expand their world. John C. Maxwell in Bits & Pieces A SPECIAL THANK YOU Mrs. John E. Stavast (Shirley) wishes to thank AMOAA and many individual members for their loving care, thoughtfulness and help during and after the illness and death of Colonel Stavast. His was a proud legacy, and he will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace. |
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DUES FORM Please fill in the form below, detach it, and mail it with your check (payable to AMOAA) to:
Military Officers Association of America o New Member o Returning Member o Current Active Member Dues for 1 Jan thru 31 Dec are $ 15 for Officers and $ 10 for Widows and Widowers
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