Newsletter Archives for the V.G.C.A.
V.G.C.A. NEWS January, 2002
General. There is a mail-in ballot enclosed with this Newsletter. It is that time of year again and this year we will elect Officers for the next two-year term of office. Please read the entire Newsletter very carefully before you vote.
In the event of inclement weather, if you have any concern about whether there will be a meeting, you can check the VGCA website at VGCA.ORG or call one of the members whose names are listed at the top of the Newsletter. I haven't cleared calling WMAL yet, but I hope to accomplish that very soon.
We have 338 members now, and we need three programs for the rest of 2002. Somewhere out there we have members who are experts in their chosen collecting niche, and some are expert in more than one area of gun collecting. Many of you wrote on your application that you would be willing to make a presentation. Please call Addison and tell him what you can do. Maybe two or more members would like to join together for a presentation. Folks, we don't have to be polished performers. All we have to do is stand up there and talk about that which is all near and dear to our hearts, and that is gun collecting. Consider it as doing a "show and tell" piece that will take a little more time.
Next Meeting. The next meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. on 24 January at the same place in the NRA Building. The program will be a great big Show and Tell titled Your Favorite Gun -- Stand Up and Tell Us About It. Everyone who attends is asked to bring one and take a minute or a few minutes to tell us all about it. Many of you agree with me that Show and Tell is our favorite part of our meetings. Let's do it, and I promise to be the first to stand up and talk.
December Meeting. We started the last meeting of the year with the customary Pledge of Allegiance and a minute of silence for the fallen soldiers and civilians who have met their demise since 11 September. That was followed with Addison presenting a VGCA check for $2,000 to the NRA Museum. Phil Schreier accepted for the NRA and gave a short talk on how donated funds are used by the museum.
At the completion of the Program, eight new members were welcomed into the VGCA. They are Stephen DeVito, George
Dotson, James Gee, Michael Goldschmidt, Ed Hosken, Michael Lopez, George Rich, and Donald Teague.
Phil Hill reminded us that we will be needing help at the Gun Show on 9-10 March. This year our spring show is the week
before the big show in Baltimore (Timonium), and there will be a show in Richmond the week after that. The tentative
dates for our September show are 14-15. Let's start thinking safety again. The rule will be that if a firearm is for
sale, it will be tied. There will be some leeway on display presentations.
Ed Costello then gave a financial review of the year. We operated within budget and met all of our obligations.
Program. This was the last of the three jointly sponsored NRA-VGCA programs for 2001. We waited almost a year for Doug Wicklund to present his Rusty Relics -- Good Guns Gone Bad presentation. From the audience participation during the Question and Answer period, it couldn't have been better. Doug told us what to look for in pitting (uniformity is not good) and the effects of moisture and temperature change. He told us about bronze wool, micro-crystalline wax, and that a pre-1983 penny makes a great scraper. If you want to get rid of old coats of WD40 and other gummed substances, Doug told us to use Stoddard Solvent, which is deodorized kerosene. We all learned a lot; and if we had not stopped the Question and Answer period after an hour-and-a-half, we still might be there asking questions.
Show and Tell. As always, this part of the meeting was enjoyed by everyone. Bob Sears showed us two handguns that fit in his pockets. They belong to Jim Cubbage, and I wonder if Jim is the only member who is lucky enough to own this type of firearm. The first was a double-barreled pistol with no makers mark on it, but has either patent marks or characteristics representing England, Russia, the United States, Germany, and Belgium. One barrel shoots 8mm rimfire, and the other shoots 7mm centerfire. The second piece was a Mossberg-Browning four-barreled .22 rimfire pistol.
Next up was Con Rice with his British Mark 5 carbine in .308, which was put together by the Gibbs Rifle Company, and his Ishapore Enfleld, also in .308.
Last, but not least, Larry "Mr. Show and Tell" Hare showed us a first series Colt Match Target revolver with provenance that was manufactured in 1938.
Nominations for the Four Officer Positions. Emory Hackman chaired the Nominating Committee, which included Bob Hardy, Jules Lewis, and Tony Horne. The Slate presented includes three renominations: Addison Hurst for President, Mike Vargosko for Secretary, and Ed Costello for Treasurer. In keeping with Sonny Laine's two-year-old announcement that he will serve only one term as Vice President, the Committee nominated Jim Burgess to represent the Slate as Vice President.
Nominations were then accepted from the floor. Elmo Phillips was nominated for President. The motion was seconded, and there were no nominations for the three other positions.
Voting. In accordance with the Bylaws, every member will be given the opportunity to vote. This will be accomplished with a mail-in ballot, which is in the envelope with this Newsletter. Ballots must be received not later than 10 February, and the results will be announced at the General Meeting in February. Please do not give your ballot to anybody else. Once again, please fill it out yourself and mail it in.
Campaigning. The Bylaws include that members running for office may say in the Newsletter why they feel they should be elected and comment on their qualifications.
Elmo Phillips. I have been a life member of the VGCA since 1984. I have collected firearms since 1959 and am a life member of the NRA and a member of The American Society of Arms Collectors. In addition, I have written articles on firearms to include authoring a study on the Contract Model 1861 Springfield Rifle Musket which was published, credited to VGCA members, by Jim Whiskers in his book on the subject. I have served one term as Vice President and am presently a board member.
I am running for President for a purpose. In the last newsletter the comment to "think hard before changing the direction of where we want to go" was stated. I do not intend to change our direction but improve what we are. I intend, with your help and input, to set and achieve goals beyond where we are and meet them. The VGCA is your association. We need to improve your input to our organization. We need to explore innovative ways to improve the image of our hobby. We can and should be a nationally known organization. We have been in existence almost 20 years. I don't look at what we are, but rather what we should be and what needs to be done to get there. The large gun collecting associations in this country became that way by constant improvement of the one item what puts them in the public eye "their show". As an example, The Connecticut show has tripled in size to 700+ tables in 3 years. We are responsible for the future of our hobby. We owe it to the national collecting community to have tangible growth. This growth should not be measured by membership size but by what we accomplish. Positive growth may provide us the capability to someday have our own facility. I can promise you that within a year we will know how large we can grow our show with no risk to our present status. You will not get real growth without leadership that is focused on making our club what a 20 year old 300+ member organization should be.
The Slate. The nominees on the Slate are not going to write individual paragraphs. Collectively, we are running on our record. The "we" includes Jim Burgess because he has been to almost all of the Executive Committee meetings and has been an integral part of the Leadership Team for the past two years.
Each man on the Slate is a long-time member of the VGCA. Addison served as Secretary for 17 years and President the last two. Jim ran our Gun Shows for more than 10 years and served on the Board of Directors. I was on the Board of Directors before becoming the Secretary two years ago. Ed Costello is a Charter Member and has served as the Treasurer since 1989.
In the last two years, this Slate along with Sonny Lame, has led the VGCA into the new Century. It is now where it should have been many years ago. We have a new set of Bylaws; new Articles of Incorporation; stronger show rules; better-controlled shows; more member participation in events; better communication from all of the membership to the President and Executive Committee, not just from those who are able to attend our meetings or talk louder than the person sitting next to them; a new tax status; a budget that is followed with tighter controls; peaceful friendly cooperation and coordination with the other show promoters in northern Virginia; and joint NRA-VGCA programs. These are the highlights of the last two years. None of the above just happened to occur. It all came about because the members of the Slate were willing to devote the time necessary to serve you, the members.
Secretary's Subtleties. Fellow members, as stated in The Slate paragraph. Addison and the other members of the Slate are running for reelection on the record of the past two years. I will not bore you with what everybody already knows. I do, however, want to expand on one item mentioned in The Slate, and that is communication. Previously, discussing issues and voting was done only by those members present at our meetings. We changed the way we do business by giving each member the chance to participate, and that was to include the total membership in the decision process; which is what a good percentage of the members asked for. Every member had a chance to review the show rules and make recommendations, every member had the opportunity to vote on the revised Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, and every member now has the opportunity to take part in the election of Officers and members of the Board. That, fellow members, is the personification of improved communication between the members and the Executive Committee, specifically the President.
Ladies and gentlemen, the accomplishments of the past two years are many, and we are on track administratively. We are that way because in addition to listening to the members, Addison listened to the Executive Committee. We met more times in the first year of his presidency than in the three previous years. I know because I was a Board member. What we do from here forward must be done with all of the members in mind, not just a particular segment.
I would like to continue as your Secretary for one more term and only one more term. It was stated at the last meeting that I would serve only as a member of the Slate, and I feel just as strongly about it as I write this as I did the day it was announced. Addison deserves another term as President. In my opinion, which I stated in at least one previous Newsletter, two years ago this Association had cliques and was on the verge of being torn apart. Many of you spoke to me about it, agreed with me, and supported me. Not one person who sought me out disagreed with me. By supporting me, you supported the President and the VGCA. I say again, "We are the Virginia Gun Collectors Association, and that includes antiques, military, modem, and whatever else there might be." Please note that none of what follows after "includes" replaces or precedes "Gun" in the name of our organization. Please do not ever support one at the expense of the others.
I would also like the membership to know that you do not have to wait a minimum of one year to find out how big our Gun Show can become before our status changes. I can tell you right now, and so can any member of the Executive Committee. How big or small our show is has nothing to do with affecting our recently hard-won tax status. If our show filled the 11-acre building in Tulsa, our status would not change.
What might have an effect on our status has to do with renting or purchasing a facility; also how we use the money in the VGCA account. The Executive Committee knows that. Our Legal Advisor and our Tax Advisor, who also attend most of the Executive Committee meetings, are looking into the ramifications of doing such a thing. When they come up with the information, and it is discussed at a meeting of the Executive Committee, you will be told about it in the Newsletter.
President's Corner. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who
supported the many initiatives we undertook during the last two years. I am willing to serve as President for as long as
you wish. We went to considerable trouble to enable each member to vote and to become involved in the running of our
Association. I hope you will exercise your opportunity to vote for the candidates of your choice. We are. I believe, a
very diverse and vibrant group of folks who have become focused together because of one word--"GUNS." From muzzleloaders
to modern guns--they are all guns. Our club must represent all factions, and it will as long as I am steering the boat.
Thanks for the confidence you have placed in me and in the Executive Committee. It has been a wild ride! Addison