Articles Index/Messages From The President
Posted 02/22/98
It is my privilege to be your new president and I look forward to working with the Board and the Club to continue ANTA's great traditions.
It was my honor at the Annual Meeting to present Sheila Foran with a certificate of appreciation and gift from the Club for her tenure as president. Not only has she provided leadership in that capacity, she was one of the original ANTA Board members, has orchestrated numerous ANTA events and now assumes new responsibility as ANTIC Editor. Sheila, THANK YOU!
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those who may not know me. My name is Ed Plummer, but the Norfolk expert in my house is my wife, Linda. She got her first prick ear Norwich in the late sixties and began showing and breeding in the mid-seventies. In 1978, we got our first Norfolk, King's Prevention Belinda. About that time, Linda developed a close friendship with Joan Read and our second Norfolk was Chidley Lark, who became the foundation dam for our Wenwagon kennel. Lark was also our first die-hard racer and for several years had a great rivalry at ANTA events with Joan Eckert's Abby.
When ANTA was founded in 1978, Linda became the Club's secretary, a post she held until last year. In those early years, the dogs were Linda's hobby and my interests focused on photographing and videotaping the dogs. When I got my first computer in the mid-eighties, I found my calling in maintaining ANTA's mailing list, which I still do to this day.
My first love with ANTA has always been the camaraderie. The people and the fun we have together with our dogs are the heart and spirit of our Club and my emphasis as your president will be to keep this perspective.
The Board had a good meeting at Katonah and we anticipate another great year in 1997. We are in excellent financial shape and membership is flourishing. Jane Anderson has been doing a wonderful job with our Club Store and she says that there are plenty of copies of Joan Read's book, The Norfolk Terrier. We are planning our three traditional East Coast events, a May event in Santa Fe, NM, plus one or two regional events; so keep an eye out for announcements of upcoming events.
The last issue of ANTIC reported on a Norfolk party that Debby Pritchard and Barbara Gosnell had this past July at Debby's home. Essentially it was a dog-oriented picnic, featuring an agility course. And it was FUN for both human and animal alike. That party is a perfect example of a low-key event anyone could do. If any ANTA member is interested in putting on a local or regional event and if the Club can assist, let me know. We can help with ideas, organizational assistance, mailing announcements, etc. Think about it. And well done, Debby and Barbara!
A main theme at the Board meeting was the desire to conduct most business by mail, both for the Board and the Club as a whole. With two full days of showing and field events plus the Annual Meeting and Seminar at our October event, time is always at a premium. I urge that anyone who has ideas or business for the Club write to me or Secretary Lori Pelletier throughout the year rather than waiting for a formal meeting. In this way we can keep meetings short yet still take care of business.
On another subject, the Board wants to promote what has been an informal policy of giving one or two complimentary issues of ANTIC to new Norfolk owners. So, when you place a dog, send the new owner's name and address to me and I will put him or her on our mailing list for six months.
See you at ANTA events.
Ed Plummer
ANTIC, December 1996
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