I.B.M. Ring 362
Dr. James William Elliott Ring
Bangor, Maine

Minutes of October 2006 Meeting
October 15, 2006

The October Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at the Friars' Bakehouse in Bangor, Maine, on October 15, 2006, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Houdini Night. The meeting began with member performances. Please see the Ring Report for details of the performances.

President Alan Drew called the meeting to order. Sergeant At Arms Geoffrey Miller cited a set of simplified Rules of Order that have been made available as a PDF on the Ring's web site, which were adopted as the Rules of Order for the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting had been made available in advance, and Alan called for the adoption of the agenda, which was approved without amendment.

The minutes for the September meeting were approved without amendment.

Treasurer Randy Von Smith reported that the Ring's bank account has a balance of $781, and that there is $62 in petty cash. These funds include two endowments: $40 to purchase a plaque listing the Ring's annual descriptive name, and $10 in the Dr. James William Elliott Card Challenge endowment. The Treasurer's report was approved without amendment.

In Old Business, Paul Szauter reported on elections for Ring office to be held in January 2007. Nominations are closed. Three offices are uncontested, and those offices will be filled without balloting: Secretary (Paul Szauter), Treasurer (Randy Von Smith), and Sergeant At Arms (Geoffrey Miller). Two offices are contested and will be filled by election at the January 2007 Ring meeting: President (Danny Baker, Wes Booth) and Vice President (Carroll Chapman, Brother Don Paul). A balloting procedure has been approved by the current officers and candidates. Ballots will be mailed to all members together with a return envelope and a small coin envelope. Members voting by mail shall mark their ballots, seal them in the coin envelope, then seal the coin envelope in the return envelope. They should sign the return envelope across the flap, and return it by mail to the Secretary. At the January meeting, members shall also have the option of voting in person. A member wishing to vote in person who has previously mailed in a vote shall have their mailed-in ballot destroyed. The Treasurer shall verify that each person intending to vote has paid their membership dues for 2007. Only members who have paid their dues can vote. As the Treasurer verifies the membership status of each mailed-in ballot, the outer envelope shall be opened and the coin envelope mixed with those from in-person voting. This procedure ensures that only qualified members can vote, and also ensures that voting is by secret ballot.

In Old Business, Paul Szauter reported on the Worldwide Escape Artist Relay 2007, scheduled for October 27, 2007. Since the posting of the WEAR 2007 registration page on the Ring's website last month, 28 performers from eight different countries have registered, with many others expressing an interest in the event. Several very well-known performers are early registrants. Ring members who perform escapes were encouraged to participate.

In New Business, Members decided to have a Ring meeting on Sunday, November 12, at the Friars' Bakehouse. The regular date of November 19 is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and many members will be unable to attend a meeting on that date.

In New Business, there was a call for Ring names for the Ring Name Raffle. All proposed names are due at the January meeting. The Ring Name Raffle will be held at the March meeting.

In New Business, Treasurer Randy Von Smith called on members to pay their dues for 2007. Many members did so. Dues are still only $5 for the year or any portion of the year.

With no further business at hand, a motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

Following the close of the meeting, Ring member Alola Morrison arrived with gifts of a painting, a poster, and two magic books, one of considerable value. Members informally discussed means of dealing with this generous gift. Most felt that an auction, possibly augmented with an eBay listing for some items, was the best way. The matter will be dealt with at a subsequent meeting. The Ring expresses its collective thanks to Alola Morrison for her generosity.