Army Div Association meets at Springfield-Branson
Army Divisions Association meets at Springfield-Branson
The 99th Infantry Division Association was represented at the Army Divisions Association annual meeting held May 1 at Springfield, Mo.
President Bill Meyer attended the meeting and participated in promotional tours of Branson and Springfield from Tuesday through Friday of that week.
The 99th joined ADA for another year, paying $20 dues.
During the business session many topics were discussed. Among those most pertinent to the 99th were:
— Collect annual dues on an anniversary date basis instead of the calendar year basis, avoiding all dues becoming due at the end of the year. Members would pay on the anniversary date of when they last paid dues.
— Have a "quartermaster" who will sell items such a bolo ties, shirts, jackets, jewelry, decals, rings, watches, books and other assorted items promoting the Division. This person should operate as a separate private business, to avoid conflict as a non-profit organization.
— On raffle or "50/50" tickets the words "Need not be present nor required to make a donation in order to win" should be printed on all tickets.
— It was agreed that web pages (Internet sites) are the best source of getting new members. (This certainly has been true for the 99th). It was suggested that each Division web page should "link" to ArmyUSA which in turn "links" to all Army Association web pages.
— The 99th or Checkerboard e-mail address should be changed to: 99th@marionkansas.com. The web page (on line edition) address should be: www.marionkansas.com/checkerboard.
— Eventual phase-out of the Association should be planned in advance. It was suggested that when convention attendance gets down to 50 members, that those present should vote that there will be only two more reunions. It was also suggested that remaining funds should then be placed in trust for one or two projects, such as the 99th Monument in Krinkelt and the Museum in Pittsburgh. It was reported that dividing the funds among the remaining members would be a violation of federal regulations, and also that it would not be legal to have a "free" reunion for remaining members. It would be possible, however, to leave the money in a fund to continue publishing the Checkerboards for as long as the cash lasted.
— All Army Divisions Association members were urged to encourage their individual Divisions to make generous contributions to the World War II Monument Fund, and to ask their State Legislature to donate to the fund on the basis of the number of veterans from that state who served in WWII.
— It was suggested that each Division should have an "official" highway. Is there a Highway 99 in Pennsylvania, for example, that could be named "The 99th Infantry Division Memorial Highway?"
After visiting many hotels, resorts, and entertainment attractions in the Springfield/Branson area, your president/editor was of the opinion that it would be a good site for a future convention. The 99th has tax-free status in Missouri through 2002, which makes it an even more attractive location for a convention.
Hotel rates are reasonable, entertainment options are outstanding, and the area is free of crime. It's a good place for a convention and they'd "roll out the red carpet" for the 99th because the people of the area are proud to be patriotic.
Other convention sites discussed include Biloxi, Mississippi, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
The next annual meeting of Army Divisions Association will be held May 3-7 in Hampton, VA.
