MINUTES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MILITARY WRITER SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Hilton Garden Inn, Mt Pleasant, SC
4 PM 8 NOVEMBER 2018
1. MEETING
With proper notice given, the annual meeting of the Board of Directors was held at 4 PM EST in the Hilton Garden Inn at Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. Attending in person were Bob Doerr, Vice President; Joe Epley, Secretary; and Valerie Ormond. Participating via phone were Kathleen Rodgers, Farrell Childs and Jim Tritten. Absent was Dwight Zimmerman, President.
Guest attending were Awards Chair John Cathcart and via phone, Larry Greenley and Hugh Simpson.
Bob Doerr presided and called the meeting to order.
2. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2018 were approved as presented.
3. TREASURER'S REPORT
In the absence of a Treasurer, Doerr presented the financial report as of 31 October. APPENDIX A
4. 2018 ANNUAL MEETING
Epley reported that all arrangements had been made for the annual meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn Mt Pleasant and that attendance was less than expected, but that the conference would be at or below budget. Although 41 had signed for the conference, three canceled.
John Cathcart reported on the awards ceremony. APPENDIX B Lists includes all 39 award winners, with 12 scheduled to attend the awards presentation.
Valerie Ormond reported that the VA Writers Workshop was successful with 12 attendees. She, Doerr, and Karl Warner from the U.S, Army Heritage and Education Center were the presenters. Larry Danbridge, a local member, was thanked for making the arrangements.
5. 2019 ANNUAL MEETING
Jim Tritten and Larry Greenly reported on the progress of planning for the 2019 annual meeting which will be held in at the Old Town Sheraton in Albuquerque, New Mexico 12-19 September 2019 in association with the Southwest Writers. On motion duly made and seconded, a memorandum of agreement between MWSA and Southwest Writers was approved. APPENDIX C.
6. ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
The Secretary reported on the results of Officers and Directors election. APPENDIX D Epley certified that the election was held in accordance with the bylaws and was conducted by email during October by secure.selectionbuddy.com. Although ballots were sent to all active members in good standing, 64 members participated.
Ormond asked why the numbers did not all add up to 64 and was informed that several members had abstained from voting for certain positions. Ormond provided feedback that she had heard from at least one member who would have preferred to only vote for the At-Large Directors they knew they wanted to vote for rather than having to vote for a total of four. She asked for that feedback to be provided to whoever will set up the next election. The president and secretary said they would look into it.
Officers elcected for 2019 and 2020 are Bob Doerr, President; George Jackson, Vice President; Hugh Simpson, Treasurer; Joe Epley, Secretary. The four Directors At Large are Jim Tritten, John Cathcart, Phil Keith, and Larry Greenly. The positions of Vice President and Directors were contested.
7. MEMBERSHIP
Doerr reported that we currently have 289 active members. APPENDIX E
8. NEW BUSINESS
Discussions were held on the pros and cons of MWSA purchasing a laptop computer and a digital projection system. After due deliberations, the matter was tabled.
Doerr read a letter from President Zimmerman commending the officers and board members for their diligence over the past years. APPENDIX F
Doerr stated this was the last meeting of the old board of directors. He thanked everyone for their service and declared that the next board meeting would be at the Hilton Garden Inn Mt Pleasant at 9:30 AM Sunday, 10 November 2018.
There being no further business, on motion duly made and seconded, the meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe S Epley
Secretary, MWSA
APPENDIX A
MWSA FY 2018 Budget – Oct 31
Income `` 2018 Estimate Actual
Membership Dues 15,000 15,960.00
Book Review/Awards 3,200 2,840.00
Conference 5,000 5,560.00
Donations/Stickers/Other 0 340.00
Total Income 23,200 $24,700.00
Expenses
Total Expenses 23,200 $10,849.10
REP Contract 11,000 8464.36
Book/Review Awards 3,200 1317.18
Conference 5,000
Board Meetings 1,000
Outreach (VA Class, etc) 1,000 250.00*
CPA 500
Dues, Renewals, Misc. 1,500 817.56
· 2017 VA Class expense
Note: Estimates for income are based on prior year’s experience. Estimated expense is based on the corresponding income item. As the year goes on, specific income and expense numbers will be documented. Dues go into Operations account and cover all expenses of running MWSA. Conference(s) and book awards program need to pay for themselves and fees in each not geared for making anything but a very small profit. That very small excess is necessary to cover any unexpected expense, and if not needed, should be used to decrease cost of future program activities.
APPENDIX B
2018 Award winners
Michael Mullins Writer of the Year
· Michael Mullins (posthumous)
Founders award
· Rick St. John
Children & Young Adult—Picture Book
Silver
· Eddie and Bingo : Destination Christmas by Kathleen and Katherine Taylor
· My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? Helping Military Children Cope with a Brain-Injured Parent Brunella Costagliola
· my daddy is a sailor by Tahna Desmond Fox
· My Daddy Sleeps Everywhere by Jesse Franklin
Children's Chapter Book
Gold
· Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti
Collections—Anthology
Silver
· Love, Sweet to Spicy: A Corrales Writing Group Anthology by Chris Allen, John Atkins, Maureen Cooke, Sandi Hoover, Tom Neiman, Jim Tritten, and Pat Walkow
Collections—Religious/Spiritual
Silver
· Holy in the Moment: Simple Ways to Love God and Enjoy Your Life by Ginger Harrington
Historical Fiction
Bronze
· Uncommon Bond by John House
History
Gold
· The Shadow Tiger: Billy McDonald, Wingman to Chennault by William C McDonald III & Barbara L. Evenson
· Tiger Bravo's War by Rick St John
Silver
· Air Force One by Nicholas Veronico
· Blades of Thunder by W. Larry Dandridge
· Chopper Heroes by William Peterson
· The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville, Pacific War Turning Point (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in World War II Series, Vol. 2) by William L. McGee
Bronze
· Wonderful Flying Machines by Barrett Beard
Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi
Silver
· Tested by Connie Cockrell
How to/Business
Silver
· Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned by Harold G. Moore
Literary Fiction
Gold
· Syllables of Rain by D.S. Lliteras
Silver
· The Perfection of Valor by Bob Mustin
Bronze
· Flowers from Afghanistan by Suzy Parish
Memoir/Biography
Gold
· Marcel's Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man's Fate by Carolyn Porter
· Racing Back to Vietnam, A Journey in War and Peace by John Pendergrass
Silver
· Heroes to the End by Jim Smith
Bronze
· Kanaga Diary: Lost in the Aleutians, 1938 by Estelle Lauer
· Through Smoke-Teared Eyes: The Vietnam War I Fought by Johnny F. Pugh
Mystery/Thriller
Gold
· Land of Wolves: The Return of Lincoln's Bodyguard by Tj Turner
· Soft Target by John D Trudel
· The Consultant by Tj O'Connor
Silver
· Homeland Burning by Brinn Colenda
· Into a Dark Frontier by John Mangan
· Sins of the Fathers by Joseph Badal
Pictorial/Coffee Table
Gold
· Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard
Poetry—Poetry Book
Gold
· War in the Company of Medics: Poems of the 45th Surgical Hospital in Vietnam by John J. Candelaria
Bronze
· Vietnam Voices by Michael Lepore
Reference
Silver
· The Wicked Problem of Cultural Heritage and Conflict by Christopher Herndon and Joris Kila
Bronze
· African American Warrant Officers - Their Remarkable History by Farrell Chiles
· Bradley vs. BMP: Desert Storm 1991 by Mike Guardia
Young Adult (fiction or non-fiction)
Silver
· Sebastian Tale by Dylan Weiss
APPENDIX C
Memorandum of Agreement
Between
SouthWest Writers and Military Writers Society of America
1. SouthWest Writers (SWW) and the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) have entered into an informal partnership to produce a joint writing conference to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from September 12 – 15, 2019.
a. The SWW board approved this action via email vote on August 13, 2018 and acknowledged at the normal meeting held on September 4, 2018.
b. The MWSA board approved this action via telephone conference call on September 7, 2018.
2. In order to maximize savings, boards of directors for both groups agreed SWW would be the lead organization for billing all conference expenses.
3. With SWW as the lead, the conference location, Hotel Albuquerque, will honor a New Mexico Nontaxable Transaction Certificate (NTTC) exempting SWW from paying New Mexico gross receipts taxes on food contracted to be provided during the conference. Both organizations benefit from this arrangement.
4. The SWW president and secretary signed a contract and filed an application for direct billing with Hotel Albuquerque on September 24, 2018. Copies of these documents are attached.
5. Both boards of directors also agreed, when they approved the joint conference, to craft a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that would address the shared risk and how to distribute any profits from the conference. This document is that MOA.
6. Calculating registration income:
a. Revenue from conference fees will be allocated to the organization (SWW or MWSA) to which the registrant belongs.
b. Partial registration fees, such as ‘meal-only- registrations, are allocated to the organization to which the registrant belongs. If the registrant belongs to both organizations or to neither organization, the registrant’s conference fees are allocated to both organizations.
c. Registrants should state whether they are members of one organization, the other, both, or neither. Members of organizations' guests will be allocated to the organization(s) to which the member belongs.
d. Registration revenue will not include expenses paid by registrants for the benefit of a registrant, such as individual hotel, room service, transportation, and the like. Registration revenue will include all amounts collected through the registration process for conference fees, conference-funded meals, food, beverages, and related items which the organizations pay to conduct the conference.
7. If there is a net profit after payment of expenses, using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the profits will be allocated proportionally to each organization based upon that organization’s registration income.
8. If there is a net loss after calculation of all revenues and expenses, using GAAP, the losses will be allocated proportionally to each organization based upon that organization’s registration income.
9. Both organizations will do their best to encourage early registration in order to have funds to pay any required expenses prior to the conference.
10. This MOA will take effect once approved by both the SWW and MWSA boards of directors and signed by the appropriate individuals empowered to sign for both organizations. It will remain in effect until the distribution of any profits or payment of any penalties. A full allocation of income and expenses will be reported to both organizations by the SWW Treasurer within sixty days of the conference ending or cancellation.
11. Signatures may be executed in different locations and transmitted via .pdf documents. The Secretary for SWW will maintain the official file with a copy delivered to the Secretary for MWSA.
12. Applicable law governing this MOA will be that of the State of New Mexico.
______________________________ __________________________________
______________________________ __________________________________
Appendix D
Certified election for MWSA Officers and Board...2019
compiled by secure.electionbuddy.com
1-30 October 2018
answer vote percentage
President; Bob Doerr
YES, 64 100%
Vice President
George Jackson 31 52.3%
Secretary: Joe Epley
YES 61 100%
Treasurer: Hugh Simpson
YES 62 100%
Directors at large (four)
Jim Tritten 46 21.7%
John Cathcart 44 20.8%
Phil Keith 44 20.8%
Larry Greenly 40 18.9%
APPENDIX E
Red Engine Press
1906 South 70'" Street
Fort Smith, AR 72903
412.496.3026
31 October 2018
Report to Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) Board of Directors
ROSTER
The following table provides information on the MWSA membership roster as implemented in
the Wild Apricot (WA) web-based database, as of 31 OCT 2018.
ITEM
CONDITION
WA STATUS
COUNT
1
Total MWSA membership database record
NA
1117
2
MWSA told to remove name from Roster, or
Email delivery problem, or
Email delivered but not opened
Archived
619
3
Payment received for membership dues
active
256
4
Lifetime membership (no dues involved
Active
33
5
No renewal payment
Lapsed
152
6
Invoice delivered but no dues payment yet
Lapsed (pending)
76
7
Known passing of member
Deleted
10
8
Size of roster (1)
498
9
New Member Application (Year to date)
N/A
70
Note 1: To keep the size of the roster below 500 records and as members are added, lapsed members are re-evaluated for archived status.
Appendix F
Remarks by Dwight Zimmerman, read by Bob Doerr
WELCOME
Welcome to Charleston, South Carolina, and to the 2018 Military Writers Society of America conference. I regret that once again I’m unable to attend. I will miss the opportunity to renew friendships formed at previous conferences and make new ones at this one. Serving as your president has been both an honor and a humbling experience, one I will treasure. A new era for MWSA begins under the leadership of incoming president Bob Doerr. I have known Bob for many years and found his friendship and support at MWSA to be invaluable. I am proud to pass the baton of leadership to him as I know he will be an excellent president for MWSA.
There are many people who deserve my thanks. Some of them are in Charleston, some, like me were unable to attend, and others have joined ranks under that great Commander in Chief in the sky. But there are two I would like to single out: founder Bill McDonald and my predecessor as president, Joyce Faulkner. Both played important roles in first welcoming me into the organization and later when I was your president. Without their support and guidance, I would have been lost. Thank you, Bill and Joyce, for everything.
In closing, I hope all of you have a great time in Charleston!
-- Dwight Jon Zimmerman, former President, Military Writers Society of America