Minutes of August 2009 Meeting
August 16, 2009

The August Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at Dino's Pizza in Brewer, Maine, on August 16, 2009, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Wellsprings. Please see the Ring Report for details.

President Geoffrey Miller called the meeting to order. He 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. The President moved to add one additional item to the agenda: the use of Dino's as a meeting place. Members voted to approve this addition and to approve the agenda.

The minutes for the July meeting were approved without amendment.

In the absence of Treasurer Randy Von Smith, the Secretary presented the Treasurer's Report. The bank balance was $1,781.45 and there was $405.00 in petty cash for a total of $2,186.45. Members voted to approve the Treasurer's Report.

In Old Business, the President called for new meeting themes and Teaching Tables for 2009 and early 2010. Professor Miller offered to serve as Theme Leader for the September meeting on the theme of Close-Up Magic. There is no theme proposed for the October meeting. The theme for November will be Turkeys. The theme for January 2010 will be Teach a Trick, with Gary Jewell as the Theme Leader. The theme for February 2010 will be Commando Cards, with Dr. Wilson as the Theme Leader. The theme of Old Wine in New Bottles was proposed for the March 2010 meeting.

In Old Business, Dr. Wilson reported on the Finale performance for Summer Festival of the Arts (SFOA). The Ring-sponsored magic class was very popular, and the Finale was well received.

In Old Business, Contest Official Geoffrey Miller cancelled the Nate Leipzig Close-up Contest, scheduled for September 20, due to a failure to receive registration information from a sufficient number of contestants. The Ring meeting for September 20 will be held at Dino's with the theme of Close-Up Magic. Professor Miller will be the Theme Leader.

In Old Business, the President called for members interested in serving as 2010 Ring officers to submit nomination petitions. The signatures of three members are required for nomination. Petitions for nomination have been received from all current Board members. The current nominees are: Geoffrey Miller (President), Gary Jewell (Vice President), Paul Szauter (Secretary), Randy Von Smith (Treasurer) and Aubrey Smith (Sergeant At Arms). Any other Ring member interested in running for office should submit a nomination petition to the Secretary by October 1.

In New Business, Danny Baker, Professor Miller, and Dr. Wilson have committed to performing in The Magic of Christmas, scheduled for Saturday, December 5, at the Alamo Theatre in Bucksport. Gary Jewell agreed to appear as Santa Claus. This is deemed a sufficient cast to go forward with the show, so the Secretary will contact the Alamo Theatre to secure the date. Other Ring members are invited to perform. The President has not yet appointed the Public Show Committee.

In New Business, the Secretary made a motion to amend the Ring Bylaws to strike Article VIII, Section 2, which reads:

"Section 2. Awards and competitions may be proposed to the Board of Directors by any member of the Ring at any time. Endowments for awards and competitions will be provided by the individual or group proposing them and they will have the first choice of naming the award or competition. The Board of Directors will review all name suggestions and has the power to refuse a name on the grounds that it is demeaning to Magic or is inappropriate in any other way. Awards and competitions are renewable yearly by the members unless they were created and endowed for longer periods of time. It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to administer all awards and competitions in the manner intended by its creators and endowers."

Passage of this amendment would eliminate all endowments. The Board would be directed to revise the Policy and Program Manual to reflect this change upon passage of the motion. The Secretary argued that the endowments served a minor role as a fund-raising instrument in the years that they have been in place. While the parlor and stage magic contests have generated sufficient funds from ticket sales to replenish the endowments, the Elliott Card Challenge does not charge admission or registration fees, and has no means of replenishing the endowment save for annual donations or special fund-raising events. The close-up magic contest will also not charge admission or registration fees.

The Secretary also argued that the endowments have the effect of allowing the current Board to attempt to direct the actions of future Boards. He argued that the Board, in consultation with the membership, is capable of determining which activities are popular and successful on an ongoing basis, and that the endowments no longer serve a useful purpose.

Following this discussion, Brother Don Paul seconded the motion to strike Article VIII, Section 2, from the Bylaws. A vote to amend the Bylaws requires sixty days advance notice, sent to all Ring members. Upon publication of the August minutes in the September issue of The Rapping Hand, the vote on the motion could then take place at the November meeting, with voting by mail allowed. Article VII, Section 1 of the Bylaws states:

"Section 1. Amendments to the By Laws may be made at any regular business meeting of this organization by a two thirds vote of the members present, provided that the membership has been notified of the proposed changes by mail at least two months prior to meeting, the proposed amendments have been posted in the two business meetings immediately prior to that in which when the vote is taken and a quorum of members are present at the meeting."

In New Business, the President reported that the management of Dino's has spoken to him on the subject of use of the room. Use of Dino's was based on the assumption that members would buy food. Food sales have been light for the past several meetings. Members discussed offering Dino's a show of some kind to help with business.

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