THE HISTORY OF THE RETIRED ENLISTED ASSOCIATION

JULY 1981 TO JULY 1982

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING OF JULY 22, 1981

A discussion pertaining to the Legislation Committee was conducted by 1st Vice President Samms and 3 Yr. Trustee Acosta. Items discussed were: (1) our relations with other organizations such as The Retired Officers Association; (2) the status on our National Charter; and (3) the status of charters for those Chapters that are now inactive.

Scholarship Committee Chairman Cameron Blagg stated that he sent out seven scholarship applications to be completed, but none were ever received. Consequently, there are no recommendations for scholarships this year. President Duden stated that Chapter 3 usually makes a good contribution to the Scholarship Fund, but this year, since there will be no scholarships given out, Chapter 3 will not be making their usual contribution.

MINUTES OF THE 1981 NATIONAL CONVENTION

Thursday, July 23, 1981:

The National Convention was held in Junction City, Kansas on July 23-25, 1981. Officers elected/appointed:

President - Del Duden

1st Vice - Lynnie Samms

2nd Vice - E.W. Sawley

3rd Vice - George Skonce

Treasurer - Dean Sorell

Secretary - Robert Weibel

Chaplain - Johnnie White

Parliamentarian - Al Gutierrez

Sgt-At-Arms - Cameron Blagg

3-Yr. Trustee - Gene Henning

2-Yr. Trustee - Leo Acosta

1-Yr. Trustee - Lee Newton

Chief of Staff - Julius Orsak

Delegates:

Chapter Authorized Delegates Present

1 8 8 3 9 9 4 4 4 7 3 0 9 3 3 16 3 0 18 Inactive 19 3 1 (2 proxy) 20 3 3 21 Inactive 22 Inactive

The President made appointments to the following committees for the 1981 National Convention.

(1) The Outstanding Chapter President's Cup Award - 1 yr. Trustee Newton was appointed to chair this committee, and he directed to select two other members to assist him.

(2) The Founder's Award - Delegate Skonce, also one of the Founders and a past National President, was appointed to chair this committee. He also was directed to appoint two delegates to work with him.

(3) Resolutions Committee - 1st Vice President Samms was appointed to chair this committee. The President directed Mr. Samms to select three delegates to assist him. He also requested that Parliamentarian Gutierrez act as an advisor to this committee.

(4) The President's Award - Cameron Blagg, Sgt-at-Arms, was appointed to chair this committee. He was directed to select two delegates to work with him.

(5) The By-Laws Committee.

(6) The Auditing Committee.

(7) Nominating Committee.

Newsletter: Mr. Gutierrez, editor of the Newsletter, stated that he has been responsible for publication of the last two Newsletters; however, he was sorry to hear that some individuals did not receive them. The last batch of Newsletters was mailed out on July 15, 1981. Editor Gutierrez explained to the delegation that prior to publishing the Newsletters, he requested a certain amount of money to enable him to publish it. He stated that President Del Duden advanced him $500.00 to print and make distribution of the Newsletters. Editor Gutierrez accepted the $500 thinking that it came from the National treasury, but he later learned that the money came from Mr. Duden's personal funds. As a result, he suggested that a motion be made or introduced under new business to reimburse Mr. Duden in the amount of $500.00. For the last two Newsletters, Editor Gutierrez was able to obtain two advertisers - The Colorado Bureau of Mines Corporation, who have committed themselves for two issues at $60 per issue and the Colorado Trappers, which paid $25.00 for their one-time advertisement. *It is worthy to note that these are the first paid advertisements earned for publication of the National Newsletter.

Editor Gutierrez then went on to explain the expenses that he has incurred in publishing the two Newsletters. These expenses are as follows:

Telephone $ 13.17 Postage 15.69 Printing 281.50 Total $310.36

Scholarship: Chairman Cameron Blagg stated that there was nothing to report this year, because no one submitted a student for consideration; consequently, there is still approximately $1,500.00 in the Scholarship Fund for next year's recommendations. Further, the Scholarship Committee plans to raise the maximum amount for a scholarship from $500.00 to $1,000.00. Chairman Blagg informed the delegation that he would place an article in the National Newsletter explaining the procedure and requirements for submitting a student for consideration. He further stated that application forms would be sent to any Chapter requiring them.

Legislation: Mr. Samms mentioned that the problem of whether or not retired military personnel are entitled to draw unemployment compensation depends now on each individual state government. He encouraged members of the REA to find out if their state allows retired military to draw unemployment compensation. If it does not, support any legislation that will allow it.

The Resolutions Committee has received the resolutions which have been submitted for their consideration and recommendation. They said that they would submit their report for approval on Saturday.

Mr. Acosta stressed that opposition on support for any legislation to be presented in Washington, D.C. starts at the grass roots level! He stated that when he talked to Congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Colorado, he asked her about several changes in legislation, and she told him that the only way you can effectively change any legislation is for each and every member of your organization to write their Congressman or Congresswoman and voice their opinion. Mr. Acosta emphasized that for our organization to be effective, we must have clout. Our problem today is that we are too Chapter-oriented. We need national political pressure in order to get legislation passed on behalf of the military retiree. We must all become involved.

President Duden introduced the Association Growth Enterprises (AGE). He began by telling how he had learned about AGE. The President explained that after the mid-term meeting of the Executive Board, which was hosted by Chapter 1 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and over a glass of wine, he found himself telling Bill Morgan how he would like to see the REA develop into a large, efficient and effective organization like the Air Force Sergeant's Association or The Retired Officers Association. But, he said that he did not really know how to go about it. Realizing that he knew someone who might be able to help, Mr. Morgan later introduced the President to Mr. Concannon. After a talk with Mr. Concannon, President Duden contacted Mr. Frank Cusimano. As a result of that conversation, a meeting was scheduled for April 30, 1981 at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Denver. President Duden invited all of the National officers, who resided within a reasonable traveling distance, to attend. This more than constituted a quorum. The two founders (Mr. Sorell and Mr. Skonce) of our organization were also invited. It was at this meeting that the marketing proposal that you will hear explained today was first discussed. It was the same proposal that was sent out to each Chapter for their review and study, so that their delegates will be able to effectively represent the members of their respective Chapters in voting on this proposal.

With that, President Duden introduced Mr. Frank Cusimano, president of AGE and Mr. John Concannon, also an officer of AGE. Together they presented a marketing program proposal which is designed to obtain new members for our organization. (Extra copies of this proposal were distributed to those delegates who needed them.) Mr. Cusimano acknowledged that there were probably going to be a lot of questions as he went through and explained the proposal, but he stated that any time someone had a question, he would stop the presentation and provide that person with an answer. He further stated that since every Chapter had already received a copy of the proposal and discussed it with their membership, he would only hit the highlights of each page. This he did. As questions were brought up, they were answered, not only by Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Concannon, but also by many of the other delegates and members at the meeting.

All aspects of the proposal were discussed, from direct mailing and the expenses incurred therein, to the various benefits and programs that could be offered and obtained. Mr. Cusimano informed the delegation that through past experience, he has found that there are only two major reasons that an individual joins an association: (1) they want to ensure that they retain the rights and benefits that they already have; and (2) they want to acquire new benefits. Mr. Cusimano emphasized that all literature, all benefits, and all programs that are acted upon must be approved first by our REA. After considerably more discussion and explanation, the AGE presentation was completed. President Duden reminded the delegation that Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Concannon would be available during the evening for anyone who would like clarification on the proposal.

Friday, July 24, 1981:

President Duden instructed the delegation that the announcement for the winners of the various awards would not be made until tomorrow night at the banquet. However, since the winner of the Outstanding Chapter President Award was not in attendance at the Convention, he did announce that Ambrose M. Garcia of Chapter 20 was selected as recipient of that award.

The floor was then opened for discussion on the AGE marketing proposal. Discussion was held on the following items:

Lifetime Membership: President Duden clarified a question on the proposal of reimbursing a deceased member's estate for that amount of money they paid to the REA for their lifetime dues. However, he stated that this proposed program would only pertain to new lifetime members, not those members who are current lifetime members.

Basic Maintenance Fee of $2.00: In answer to a question on this subject, President Duden explained that the basic maintenance fee of $2.00 would apply to the entire membership strength as accounted for at the end of each month. Consequently, the monthly charge would amount to only one-twelfth of the $2.00. It does include renewals.

Association Growth Enterprises (AGE) Contract: A question was raised as to whether or not the REA was planning to have an attorney review the contract prior to signing it. President Duden replied that the decision would be up to the delegation.

By-Laws: When asked if the By-Laws would need to be changed, the President replied that he felt certain that they would. He further explained that there is a provision in our current By-Laws which allows for the President to call a special meeting. Consequently, when the time comes for the By-Laws to be changed, a special meeting will be called. (Ref: Para. (2), Article XIII - Meeting, page 13.)

Delegate Fletcher of Chapter 1 requested a ten minute recess to discuss the proposal within their delegation. Consequently, the President declared a ten minute recess at 1550 hours.

The meeting resumed at 1600 hours. President Duden proclaimed that if this proposed marketing program is accepted, he plans to appoint a select committee, consisting of people who are capable of thinking along the lines of an executive of a large corporation, because that will be exactly what we are going to become if this is passed. Volunteers for this committee will be considered. President Duden further explained that he wanted this type of committee, because then they could decide on what By-Laws needed to be changed and review the contract for any possible changes that need to be made.

With that, Delegate Fletcher of Chapter 1 called for a motion to vote on the proposal submitted by the AGE. Delegate Sawley (Chapter 19) made the motion that: The proposal be accepted with the stipulation that the President appoint a committee to study further the working agreement and recommend any changes that should be made to fully implement the program. Further, the final contract must be submitted to an attorney for his review and recommendations prior to the signing of said contract. The motion was seconded by Delegate Fletcher of Chapter 1. A discussion was subsequently held on the method of voting. Some wanted a vote by block and some by a show of hands. Others wanted a secret ballot. Delegate Sandberg of Chapter 1 made a motion to amend the first motion to the effect that: The vote be made by secret ballot. This motion was seconded by Delegate Sawley (Chapter 19). The President called for the question. The motion was carried with 25 votes in favor and five votes against. President Duden opened the floor for discussion of the original motion on acceptance of the proposal; however, no other discussion was forthcoming. Consequently, the President called for the secret ballot and appoint 1st Vice President Samms and Sgt-at-Arms Blagg to distribute and collect the ballots, in addition to counting all the votes. With the votes in and recorded, the result was as follows: 27 in favor of the proposal; two against the proposal; one abstention. The motion was carried.

Next the meeting was turned over to the chairman of the By-Laws Committee, Dean Sorell, for presentation of the proposed changes to the National By-Laws. (See Attachment IV) Chairman Sorell stated that he would go through each of the recommended changes to the By-Laws, pausing after each for possible questions or discussion. Having done this, Chairman Sorell called for a motion to accept the proposed changes as recommended and submitted. The motion was made by Delegate Barnum and seconded by Delegate Skonce. A question was raised asking for clarification of whether or not the offices of Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Chief of Staff and Parliamentarian can either be elected or appointed offices. Chairman Sorell replied that according to Article VIII, those offices may be filled either by election or by appointment. To clarify another question, Chairman Sorell emphasized that under Article VII, the secretary is a member of the Executive Board; consequently, he has a vote on the Executive Board. First Vice President Samms pointed out that the only exception would be that if the President appointed a person other than a member of the REA as his secretary, that person would not be allowed to vote. With no more discussion, Chairman Sorell called for the question. The motion was carried.

Saturday, July 25, 1981:

The meeting was called to order by President Duden at 0830 hours. All were asked to rise while Chaplain White gave the opening prayer.

Trustee Newton opened the day's business meeting with a briefing on the meeting last evening between the Executive Board and Mr. Cusimano and Mr. Concannon of AGE. Mr. Newton informed the delegation that the meeting was held at 1900 hours to go over the mechanics of the Agreement. He stated that it was considered paragraph by paragraph.

One of the things that was brought up at this meeting was the question pertaining to what is going to happen to the $12.00 dues that would be collected. He explained that AGE predicts that they will operate at a loss for the first year, even with total collection of the $12.00 amount. Mr. Newton continued, stating that $2.00 will be taken off the top, going to AGE for normal operation, while the rest of the money is predicted to be used up during the course of the year as the program grows and more literature goes out and services are expanded. AGE predicted that they would lose about $6,000 the first year; however, it was decided that a reserve fund of no less than $1,000 per month be established at National by AGE for the sole purpose of enabling National to provide support for those Chapters in need of assistance. This support is designed to help Chapters like Chapter 4 or 19 who exist primarily on the collection of dues and do not have any other means of income. Therefore, since AGE will be giving National an additional $1,000 each month, this will add on $12,000 to the deficit of $6,000 originally predicted, bringing the total loss to approximately $18,000 the first year. Further, our current membership will not be charged for their portion (one-twelfth per month) of the $2.00 until January 1, 1982.

Continuing, Mr. Newton referred the delegation to Exhibit A of the proposed Administrative Agreement. Under the Data Entries as outlined in the Description of Service - Standard, all items listed therein are standard operating costs which will be absorbed by AGE as part of the $2.00 service fee. However, all the items listed under the data Entries outlined in the Description of Service - Non-Standard, are items that we would be charged for whenever those particular services are provided by AGE. The offer of additional services will be beneficial, because they will be available for individual Chapters as well as National Headquarters, although requests for these services will have to come through National, so that National can properly monitor the expenses. National will need to monitor the expenses incurred by each Chapter, so that they will have something to refer to when they receive their monthly billing from AGE. Mr. Newton also pointed out that any services which AGE provides at an additional expense could generate an even higher deficit. Consequently, that will be added on to the first year's loss and, in turn, will be deducted from the second year's profits.

First Vice President Samms mentioned that the delegates from each Chapter here should ensure that as soon as they get back to their Chapter, a meeting is held to determine what their particular budget will be for the coming year. That budget should then be sent back to National for their determination of what portion of the $1,000 per month your Chapter will receive. Once a Chapter submits their budget to National, they will be expected to operate on it. Consequently if a Chapter wants to maintain their Newsletter, they should include that expense in their budget forecast.

In response to considerable discussion on a motion that was made and passed at last year's Convention pertaining to a Chapter hosting a National Convention, Delegate Skonce made a motion that: Effective today, a Chapter hosting a National Convention will be responsible for all the details of that Convention, and all expenses incurred therein will be borne by the host Chapter. The motion was seconded by Delegate Fletcher. After a short discussion, Delegate Fletcher called for the question. The motion was carried.

Delegate Repschlaeger made a motion to the effect that: Any elected or appointed official of National or the Chapters, be prohibited from being employed by AGE on a salaried basis while serving in said office. President Duden asked that Delegate Repschlaeger amend his motion to read that this was a recommendation submitted to the Proposal Committee for their consideration. Delegate Repschlaeger amended his motion as follows: The delegation recommends that the Proposal Committee consider that any elected or appointed official of National or the Chapters be prohibited from being employed by AGE on a salaried basis while serving in said office. The motion was seconded by Delegate Fletcher. Since no further discussion was presented on the matter, President Duden called for the question. The motion was carried.

Delegate Sawley made a motion that: National Headquarters be moved from Colorado Springs to a new location to be decided upon by the membership. Delegate Herbert seconded the motion. The floor was opened for discussion. Delegate Herbert made a motion to amend Delegate Sawley's motion to the effect that: This matter be tabled until next year's Convention. The motion was seconded by Delegate Fletcher. The motion on the amendment carried. The matter was tabled.

President Duden informed the delegation that he had two more appointments to make before the meeting was closed. With that, he appointed Delegate Edward Howard of Chapter 3 as the National Historian for the REA. He also appointed Delegate William Morgan of Chapter 1 to work as the liaison between the Chief of Staff Orsak and AGE. Mr. Morgan will be working primarily with Mr. Orsak in handling administrative matters with AGE.

Mr. Gutierrez, Editor of the National Newsletter stated that he would be publishing a Newsletter in September and November, so any information that should be placed in either of the two Newsletters must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication.

Aug 17, 1981- The abbreviation REA was changed to TREA and the "The" was capitalized to gain credibility through our sister organization, The Retired Officers Association – TROA.

The management agreement was signed with Washington, D.C. marketing firm (AGE) to increase the membership of TREA and also to provide increasing membership benefits.

MINUTES OF THE 1982 MID-TERM BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING

The Mid-Term Meeting of the National Board of Directors was held on March 6, 1982.

Hosting of the 1982 National Convention: Due to a lack of communication and cooperation from the President of Chapter 1, the following motion was made by 2nd Vice President Sawley and seconded by Trustee Newton: The National Board of Directors immediately relieve Chapter 1 from the responsibility and opportunity to conduct the 1982 National Convention of The Retired Enlisted Association. The 1982 National Convention will be hosted by National on July 29, 30 and 31, 1982. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Also, all agreed that a letter should be drafted to Chapter 1 informing them that this action was taken as a result of their failure to meet the prescribed deadline and their Chapter President's refusal to address the National Board of Directors at this meeting.

Appointment of a New Executive Director: After a brief discussion, Robert E. Weibel was nominated for the office of Executive Director. No other nominations were presented. Consequently, Trustee Henning made a motion that: Mr. Weibel be appointed as Executive Director, effective April 1, 1982; however, no contract will be signed until the 1982 National Convention, at which time the appropriate salary and other items of the contract will be negotiated. The motion was seconded by 2nd Vice President Sawley and unanimously approved.

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