Minutes of October 2009 Meeting
October 18, 2009

The October Meeting of I.B.M. Ring 362 was held at Pizza Oven of Bangor, Maine, on October 18, 2009, at 3:00 pm. The theme of the meeting was Pizza Parlor Magic. 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.

In the absence of Secretary Paul Szauter, President Geoffrey Miller served as Secretary and recorded the minutes.

Members present: Geoffrey Miller (President), Gary Jewell (Vice President), Prashant Srivastava, Danny Baker.

Members excused: Paul Szauter (Secretary), Randy Von Smith (Treasurer), Scot Grassette, Alan Drew, Dayton Salisbury.

The agenda for the meeting had been made available in advance. The agenda was approved without amendment.

The minutes for the September meeting were approved without amendment.

There was no Treasurer's Report, as Treasurer Randy Von Smith was excused from the meeting. Geoff Miller noted the report that had been posted with the last set of executive minutes ( appended) and agreed with the general consensus that Paul Szauter's transcription of the records in comparison to the budget was accurate. Members voted to approve the Treasurer's Report.

In Old Business, the President reviewed nominations for 2010 Ring officers. As of the October meeting, 90 days remained until the election, meaning that nominations are now closed. The deadline for nomination petitions was October 1. The list of nominations will be published in the November issue of The Rapping Hand. Geoff Miller noted that Randy Von Smith has taken his name out of consideration for the office of Treasurer, leaving Prashant Srivastava as the only remaining candidate for Treasurer. The current nominees therefore are: Geoffrey Miller (President), Gary Jewell (Vice President), Paul Szauter (Secretary), Prashant Srivastava (Treasurer) and Aubrey Smith and Brian Rodgers (Sergeant At Arms).

In Old Business, there was a discussion of The Magic of Christmas, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 5, 2009. The Alamo has been booked and a deposit sent. Geoff Miller, as Talent Coordinator, spoke to the issue of who will be performing and what they will be doing. Danny Baker will be performing the Hospitality Illusion as well as his Doll's House Illusion. Professor Miller will do his rings routine, and possibly the Zombie as well. Gary Jewell will appear as Santa Claus from a cabinet that Dr. Wilson has built. We will also have a hoop dancer to add to the festivities. A good deal of detail still needs to be worked out over the next month, but the general plan for the show is set.

In Old Business, President Geoff Miller spoke to the proposed issue to amend the Ring Bylaws. The proposed amendment would eliminate endowments as a funding source for shows and contests. He stated that he was never enthusiastic about the endowment process as early meeting minutes may show. He felt that shows and contests would be on a more equal footing if they are budgeted out of the general fund, and that the success or failure of a show would be better followed by preparing a budget for each event and comparing its performance to that budget after the fact. This method would follow accepted accounting practices more closely than the endowment system we have been using. This issue will come up for a vote at the November meeting.

There being no new business, the meeting was adjourned.