BQPA/PIONEERS

                  



BQPA / Pioneers

 

General Membership Meeting                  April 9, 2016

 
Present:
Tom Noble – President
Lee Taylor – Vice President
Jack Martin – IPP
Jim Gallagher – Treasurer
Jim Milner – West Festival Chair and Webmaster
Gerry Carroll – East Festival Chair
Rex Touslee – Acting Secretary

 Departed Friends reported:

Cal Revis  -   Dave Walker  -   Emmett Bossing – Jim Richards –Phil McCabe (Four Colonels Qt. USAF)  - Bob Welzenbach – Al Baker --  Dottie Hummitzsch Schwartz (original Chordettes)

A reverent version of The Old Songs was sung in remembrance.

 Treasurer’s Report – Gallagher
 

·        Still solvent but funds are in decline.   Prior to this Festival, treasury was down $480 from April 20, 2015.   Trend now is increase after Chicago – decline after Tempe due to much higher expenses of Embassy Suites.

·        Noble stated:   At this moment – we are at 50% of needed funding for this weekend.  Stated – we need $30 per attendee to just break even for this event.

 
Actions taken :
 

·        Successful lobbying by Tom Neal and Tom Noble of BHS to return Jack Baird’s old song archive to the BHS website. 

·        Suggestion was made to create a link between BQPA and BHS’s website, especially Jack Baird’s quartet archive. 

                    Milner will do.

·        Initiated move of the ownership of the BQPA’s Google mail site from Keith Hopkins to either Tom Noble or Raymond Swartzkopf.      Noble has accepted that assignment.

Membership was reminded that an approved policy is in place to monitor the mail content and block and remove objectionable or offensive emails.

 

East Festival -- Gerry Carroll
 

Reported that our contract is the same as 2015 - $69.00 rooms – free breakfast – free WiFi – Airport shuttle – we might have a smaller singing room this year unless the hotel cannot fill the previous one.  Then…they will let us have it – free.

 

West Festival – Jim Milner
 

            The Board has given him guidance on negotiations with Embassy Suites for next year.  He will begin that process next week.    He has             looked at an alternative facility, should Embassy Suites not be contracted for 2017.     There were reports that many could not get a                 room for Wednesday night this year as we were exceeding out room block.  Jim will reevaluate the room block needs for next year.

 

Registrar’s Report – Tom Noble
 

            Explained June’s absence.    Made appeal for someone to take this job on a permanent basis.   No takers came forward...

            In Chicago last time:    55+/- at Friday ‘ show’.     65-70 at Sat. night show.

            6 new members were signed up .

            History at Tempe/West Festival is irregular.

            Discussion of need to buy more BQPA pins – decision – present inventory is sufficient for now.

            Plea:   PLEASE register at each event….only way to have a record of attendance.

 

Communications and Public Relations  - Tom Noble

·        Discussion of Big Screen Advertising at BHS International – Mid Atlantic District – Flyers.   Materials are on BQPA website to

        promote.·        Articles in MAD bulletins

·        Have Facebook “Page” (outward facing) as well as a Facebook “Group” (inward facing – membership in the Group is required for                     access…)

·        Board has decided to suspend the Big Screen Adv. for one year due to $400 expense and unknown results.
 

Website  - Jim Milner

*   Lots of time spent converting pdf files to html, to ensure almost instant display especially on mobile devices such as smartphones.    Membership application form        changed to make it more user friendly.
 

·        Jim Angel – would like to have membership contact info. on the website so others could be found more easily.   Noble :   Board  has decided in the past to not do that to protect members privacy.    Martin:    Why not provide a Members Only tab to accomplish that.   Milner:    Have already created that for the Board.   Noble:  We will post notice on website to contact Fliszar to provide specific person’s info.

                Ludwig:   cautions – Fliszar should give out only a few at a time – making all emails available is a target for spammers.  Noble:  will                 consult with Board to establish a policy as guidance to Fliszar on what and how much to give out.
 

Other matters of discussion:

Noble:    Jim Gallagher has many articles about the BQPA from past Harmonizers that he obtained from longtime member Jerry McCay whose health has seriously declined.  Jim can make them available to anyone interested. There was discussion regarding getting these scanned and made available on our website, or providing links to the articles in the on-line version of The Harmonizer.

Carroll:   urges all to contact Jerry McCay.

Noble:    Ed Simons has resigned the Secretary position – health reasons – but has agreed to retain the portion of the job that he can do from home – for the time being.   Noble announced that he is accepting names of volunteers to take this job.

Also, there is a real need for someone to take the Registration position.

            Noble:   Please remember to tip the wait staff.

 

New Business:

Martin:    Asks the membership for ideas to promote the BQPA – gain new members to replace those we have lost.      

Carroll:   do not use the term “Woodshedding” around possible new members.   Too often they get the impression that this is all the BQPA does, leading to confusion of BQPA/Pioneers with AHSOW.  

Noble: commented on Harmony College East event which includes a Quartetting Room which encourages an emphasis on quartet singing. 

It was moved and seconded that we adjourn…

  

Respectfully submitted:

Rex Touslee
2nd Associate, Deputy, Vice-Assistant Secretary (Interim and on probationary status)