Proud of This Team
By Brian Pitman, September 2012
I need to begin by telling you how proud I am of ICGA. We have just come off one of the best conventions in likely the last decade, with lots of positive compliments and happy people, plus a group of new attendees brought a higher level of excitement. People are already asking me when and where our 2013 convention will be (which you will learn later in this issue of the Pump).
I am also very proud of our Board of Directors and Officers. At the convention, Directors were all over, making sure things were running smoothly, chatting with members, and promoting both carnival glass collecting and ICGA. We have as fine a Board as anyone in carnival glass, and they really showed it at our convention. Furthermore, our Officers (both outgoing and incoming) really stepped it up to make registration fast and easy, and everyone was involved in making it a truly great experience.
Cathy Dunham, who moved from Director to Treasurer of ICGA at the convention, had the additional responsibility of being our primary liaison with the hotel, a job she took with great ambition and aplomb as we had one of our best experiences with a hotel. Furthermore, she has also stepped forward and is now responsible for negotiating our future hotels for the convention, something she has developed a great talent for (as you will see in the future).
Barb Chamberlain has also proven herself to be one who can handle adversity with courage and self confidence. She became the ICGA Treasurer many years ago and has totally handled that job professionally. When Carl Booker announced it was time to step down after more than two decades of doing the Pump, Barb decided that it was time to learn how to layout the Pump, in addition to editing the entire thing. Her calm exterior does not belie the thrill seeker inside.
Becky Cronin is not new to being an integral part of running a group. But when her name came up as a potential new Secretary for ICGA, replacing a retiring Lee Markley who had done the job for almost as long as ICGA has existed, she knew that she would be not only replacing a giant pair of shoes, she would also be tasked with updating the process by computerizing it and even taking it online. So she did what very few others would do: she went out and bought a new computer just so she could knock it out of the park (and I know she will)!
There were many other fantastic moments at the convention that are a great source of pride. Carolyn Chesney was absolutely fierce in her resolve to give us one of the biggest and best display rooms in the history of ICGA. Did I mention she had never run a display room before? She had many moments of fear in the process, but after more than 350 small plates were in place in our display room, she turned around to survey the entire display. And it hit her like a ton of bricks. I will never forget the look of pride and wonder in her eyes. Brilliant job, Carolyn and Ron!!
Our hospitality room was supersized this year, and the Doublers lived up to their name in providing double the food, double the smiles and double the hospitality (with the help of some fantastic angels named Loretta, Ann and Linda). Imagine spending your entire convention serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to our attendees. These guys did it and kept everyone very happy!
And finally, I am most proud of our legends, our super heroes, our multi-decade contributors in Carl Booker and Lee Markley. They were awarded (along with Eunice Booker, also a multi-decade contributor in many ways) the Frank M. Fenton award at the convention, an honor only given out one other time. Carl’s standard of excellence with the Pump has set the bar for all clubs, and hopefully you will see that level being kept in this new all-color edition of the Pump. Lee’s standard of excellence in maintaining our membership will also be maintained as we move forward. I thank both of them shepherding ICGA for so many years and having a very big part of making this club what it is today.
As a member of ICGA, you have much to be happy with, and yet we also are very happy that we have you as a member. Your expectations fuel our continued development. And for that, I am very proud of all of you. We will continue to give you many reasons to be proud in the future.
Brian