March 2012

Dear Skyscrapers Members,

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow and gazed upon his shadow, thus signaling we have 6 more weeks of winter. Well, if it continues being as mild as the season has been so far, I’m sure we will not mind. We have yet to close Seagrave for Public Viewing due to snow, and chances are we may not need to.     

To my disappointment, I was unable to attend our February Meeting. Numerous individuals have told me that Gerry Dyck’s presentation of “Astronomical Poetry” through the ages was excellent and entertaining. Gerry, I’m sorry I missed it, especially with all the rave reviews I’ve heard.

Professor Tim Barker is returning in March as our featured speaker. Professor Barker’s last engaging presentation was a crowd pleaser and I suspect March’s will be also. Professor Barker will discuss the Apollo Missions and display some of NASA’s lunar samples. The lunar samples are on loan to Wheaton College and will be available for our viewing pleasure.     

Skyscrapers elections are upon us and our Nomination Committee’s selections will be announced during our March Meeting. Nomination Committee Chairman Dave Huestis will also being accepting nominations from the floor at that time. It’s also time for begin the process of determining our society's operating budget. The work has begun and our 2012/13 Budget and will presented at our March Meeting as well.

Skyscrapers is a great organization that continues to evolve with time. As we continue to grow, so does the way our society operates. The foundation of our organization is our Constitution and Bylaws. Serving as your President under the direction of our society’s documents has brought to light some areas of inconsistent content. The lack of the Family Membership category in our Constitution, while existing on our membership form is an example.

For this reason, I appointed a committee to review all our founding documents. It is my intention to present the committee’s findings and recommendations during the business portion of the March Meeting.

This is a busy time of the year for Skyscrapers. As the world prepares for the arrival of Spring, we prepare for another year in our history. Our upcoming elections will fill five vacancies on our Executive Committee and one on our Board of Trustee’s. Our 2012/2013 operating budget will be presented for consideration. Future approval will allow our organization to continue our mission. I encourage all our members to participate in the process, so come join us at our upcoming meetings. Our Observing Committee will continue to share the night sky with the public and welcome all interested in participating. 

Feel free to approach any member of our Executive Committee, Trustees, Observatory Committee, and Outreach Coordinators if you have an interest in becoming more involved in the organizations activities. I look forward to seeing all of you at our March Meeting.  

Clear Skies

Tom Thibault

Skyscrapers

President