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2005 AMICA Board meeting
1.Roll Call and introductions.
The meeting was called to order on Wednesday morning,June 29,2005 by President
Mike Walter. Board members present:
Mike Walter
John Motto-Ros
Wes Neff
Florie Hirsch
Bill Chapman
Marv Polan
Dianne Polan
Holly Walter
Dorothy Olds
Ron Connor
Halie Dodrill
Carl Dodrill
Liz Barnhart
Frank Nix
Dan Brown
Richard Reutlinger
George Wilder
Guests were also in attendance.
2.Approval of minutes from 2004 Board Meeting.
There was a request for clarification on last year’s action of establishing the
Hall of Fame/ Roll of Honor. There was discussion on the current status of
Honorary Members and how that would change. The Honorary membership category is
part of the bylaws, so can not be eliminated. It was suggested to maintain
current Honoraries with their privileges until they all pass on. Motion made and
approved to establish the AMICA Hall of Fame/Roll of Honor. The committee of Ron
Connor (chair), Dorothy Olds, and Holly Walter will establish the guidelines and
criteria for nomination.
The motion to approve the minutes of the 2004 Board meeting as published in the
November/December 2004 AMICA Bulletin was made, seconded, and passed.
3.Officers Reports
A. President’s Report- Mike Walter
AMICA continues to be a vibrant organization with many activities at the
International and Chapter levels.
The AMICA Bulletin, under the care of Dr. Mike Kukral, has maintained its
superior quality during the transition from the previous publisher, Robin Pratt,
to himself. Each issue has included well-written articles on a variety of
subjects that appeal to the vast majority of our members. Accolades go to both
former and current publishers for jobs well done.
The AMICA Web Site is an amazing living “organism”. It brings currency to our
group and binds all of the chapters together “under one roof”. It provides a
means for our organization to be seen globally in a most favorable light. Each
of the twelve sections of the web site provides the visitor with a different
aspect of our organization. Each section is well organized with photos, sights
and sounds to pique the interest of the web surfer. I am particularly pleased
that a number of chapters have been able to set up their own individual
websites, listing their meetings, displaying their instruments and showing human
faces. I am hoping that the remainder of the chapters will be able to follow in
these footsteps. Many thanks go to Karl Ellison and Jack Edwards, Karl’s
assistant, for their efforts in creating this web page and making it as
appealing as it is.
Wes Neff, our current treasurer, recommends the amending of Article IV, Section
6 of the By-laws to more accurately reflect his duties.
Honorary Membership Committee - Jay Albert has tendered his resignation as
chairman of the Honorary Membership Committee. We will need to fill this
position.
AMICA Hall of Fame inductees. The names of worthy people have been brought to my
attention for possible inclusion in the AMICA Hall of Fame.
Around September 2004, Stuart Grigg, former “Keeper of the Technicalities”
informed me that, because of his expanding business and limited storage areas,
he would no longer be able to house the technicalities and bound bulletins in
his shop. After consulting with the Executive Board, arrangements were made to
offer partial or complete sets of the technicalities to chapters free of charge.
Bound bulletins were added to these offerings. These were then offered to AMICA
members for the price of shipment. Shortly after January 1, 2005 the remainder
of the bulletins and technicalities were shipped to Tom Hutchinson, the new
“Keeper of the Technicalities”. He has taken orders from many members and has
also posted their availability on the MMD to AMICA members. To my understanding,
AMICA has gained new members because of Tom’s aggressive promotion of these
bulletins and technicalities on the MMD. Our goal of getting these languishing
volumes into hands that will use them has been reached! Our thanks go to both
Stuart Grigg and Tom Hutchinson for their efforts on our behalf.
This has been an interesting and exciting first year for me as president. I have
enjoyed the exchange of ideas and thoughts with members across the globe. I am
looking forward to meeting and working with every member of our organization in
the future.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Walter
AMICA International President
There was discussion on replacing the Honorary Committee Chair, and it was
decided not needed since no new activity planned.
B. Past President’s Report- Dan Brown
During the past year I have provided historical, procedural, and other advice to
President Mike Walter and in accordance with by-laws, serve as chair of the
Nominations Committee and sought six additional members to serve on this
committee. These are:
Don Barton, Minnesota
Janet Tonnesen, Texas
Maury Willyard, Washington
Dee Kavouras, Florida
Mary Wilson, Missouri
Roger Stumfoll, Kansas
Submitted by
Dan Brown
C. Vice President’s Report- John Motto-Ros
During the past year, I have communicated with President Mike Walter, primarily
to maintain continuity in making sure our goals are being met. Membership
Secretary Bill Chapman has kept me informed on membership issues—gains and
losses.
I have not been receiving chapter reports, but do not feel this is too
important. What is important is the Board Members’ Yahoo site. When Karl Ellison
first suggested this format, I had mixed feelings, but it is great! I think this
is as good, if not better than, reports. It appears Board Members are providing
input from A to Z. Karl is commended for his dedication to our web site; music
changes monthly. Jack Edwards of the Founding Chapter is “live help,” and
answers many questions. In addition, most of our new members come from the web.
If you have not checked out the site, I encourage you to do so.
As Chairman of the Awards Committee, I requested Fran & Maury Willyard (West
Coast) and Marvin & Dianne Polan (East Coast) to be committee members; all are
very knowledgeable of the membership. There were several nominees for the Leo
Ornstein Award and the AMICA International Award. The winners are:
President’s Award -- Yousuf Wilson
Leo Ornstein Award -- Art Reblitz
AMICA International Award -- Kurt Morrison and Ron Babb
The cost for four award plaques was $234.23 and for ten medallions $171.60.
Respectfully submitted,
John Mottoros
D. Secretary’s Report- Florie Hirsch
In preparation for the Board Meeting I emailed all officers, committee chairs,
and chapter presidents requesting their reports. When the deadline approached, I
posted a message on the Yahoo group AMICA Board. When the deadline passed, I
emailed individually to the chapter president and board representative whose
reports were outstanding. I did the same to the committee chairs. After
receiving the reports, I reviewed all the reports and re-formatted as needed.
The disc with all the information was taken to a copy place for copying and
binding. The information was also posted to the files section of the Yahoo
group.
I participated in the awards voting, and had other communications with officers
and committee chairs during the year.
I will be taping and transcribing the minutes of this meeting for publication in
the AMICA Bulletin.
Respectfully submitted,
Florie Hirsch
E. Treasurer’s Report- Wes Neff
January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004
And Fiscal Year 2005 Projection
INTRODUCTION
AMICA National had income in fiscal year 2004 of $45,143.66. This was 33% less
than the average for the prior 4 years with the 2001 Australian gross convention
receipts excluded. The expenses of $57,554.46 were down 17% from the prior 4 -
year average, excluding the Australian gross convention expenses in 2001.
Expenses exceeded income in 2004 by $12,410.80. The variance is caused to a
large part by the timing of membership dues receipts.
AMICA International income (National and Chapters) in 2004 was $104,065.99.
Total AMICA International expenses (National and Chapters) in 2004 were
$114,188.16. Total AMICA expenses exceeded income by $10,122.17 in fiscal year
2004.
INCOME (National Only)
Income from bulletin advertising in 2004 was off 25% from 2003 levels, and
continues a trend of declining advertising income. The projection for 2005 shows
an increase in advertising income based on receipts to date in 2005.
Net (income less expenses) Denver Convention income was $125.57. The projection
for net income for the 2005 convention in Minneapolis, MN is $1,000.00.
Interest received in 2004 was off a significant 54% compared to 2003 due to
depressed interest rates. The interest projection for 2005 is up slightly.
Currently AMICA has $20,000 in a one - year certificate of deposit earning
3.17%. This CD matures in July, 2005, and will likely be replaced with a CD
earning about the same amount of interest. Additional monies as available are
shifted into and out of a passbook savings account, currently earning 0.78%.
Total National dues collected in 2004 were $38,072.27, off $9,759.34 from 2003.
Most of this decrease is due to the earlier start of the membership drive in
2003 as compared with 2004. The projection for 2005 shows dues of $54,500.00,
which is near prior year levels when compared on an “April to April” basis. The
last increase in AMICA membership dues was $5.00 per year to $42.00 in 2002.
Memorial fund donations in 2004 were $1,072.00. The projection for the Memorial
Fund in 2005 is $1000.00.
Bound bulletin sales in 2004 were $95.00. No sales are expected in 2004.
Sales of technicalities and leaders were $178.50 in 2004, and are projected at
$115.00 in 2005.
In late 2004 AMICA was asked to dispose/relocate Bulletins and Technicalities
that were being stored by Grigg Graphic Services in Detroit, MI. These were
offered to members for payment of shipping, and those left over were sent to Tom
Hutchinson in Sturgeon, MO. The net cost of this disposal/relocation project is
projected for 2005 at $875.00.
Total income for 2005 is projected at $61,185.00, about $2000.00 less than the
prior 5 year average.
EXPENSES (National Only)
$57,554.46 of expenses was incurred in 2004.
The largest single item was the cost of the “Bulletin” and associated reprints.
Counting the costs of the publisher, printing, handling, postage, reprints and
inserts, the “Bulletin” costs in 2004 were $46,756.00 (about 81% of the total
expenses). This equates to $7,800.00 per issue. At the Annual Meeting in Denver
in 2004, the Board placed a moratorium on reprints. Projecting year to date
expenses for 2005, the “Bulletin” is expected to cost about $40,000.00 this
year, which does not include any reprints. Publishing of the “Bulletin” is an
essential part of maintaining AMICA’s tax exempt status.
The next group of expenses include postage, copies and miscellaneous office
supplies used by the officers; and, mostly associated with membership renewals.
Telephone costs are negligible due to E-mail and reduced long distance rates
used to conduct AMICA business. The total of these categories in 2004 was
$3,418.66, and is projected to be $3,400.00 in 2005. No officer other than the
publisher and membership secretary receives any fee for his or her time.
Other Expense Notes:
• The premium for liability insurance coverage in 2004 was less than budgeted.
The premium is expected to be around $2900.00 in 2005.
• The Membership Secretary did not receive a stipend in 2004. The 2005 budget
includes monies to pay a stipend to the Membership Secretary for both 2004 and
2005.
• Nearly all of the bank charges in 2004 are for credit card payment handling,
amounting to $483.49. Fees average about 3.5 % of the payments made by credit
card, and are expected to be about $500.00 in 2005. AMICA’s bank, Fifth Third
Bank of Northwestern Ohio, does not charge banking fees to non-profit
organizations.
• Award expenses in 2004 were $845.96, and are expected to be around $750.00 in
2005.
• AMICA Brochures are included in the 2005 budget at a cost of $1450.00.
MEMORIAL FUND
The Memorial Fund account stood at $9,250.28 at the end of 2004. During the year
AMICA received $1,072.00 in donations and added $247.95 in interest. The
Brochure printing mentioned above will be paid from the Memorial Fund.
CHAPTERS
At the end of 2004 AMICA had fourteen chapters. The Southern Skies Chapter
dissolved at the end of the year 2003, and their fund balance was forwarded to
AMICA International in January, 2004. The Gateway Chapter did not submit a
financial report for 2003. The Texas Chapter submitted a late financial report
for 2003, and their information for both 2003 and 2004 is included in the
Chapter Account Summary. The Rocky Mountain Chapter was re-activated in August,
2004; and, their only financial activity was for the 2004 Convention.
Chapter income is mostly from dues and interest. The Rocky Mountain Chapter
hosted a convention in Denver, Colorado with a net profit of $795.35. AMICA
International received 35% of the convention proceeds, or $278.37 less expenses
for the Annual Board Meeting and other adjustments. Expenses for the chapters
are mostly related to printing, postage and expenses for chapter meetings. The
end of year 2004 balance for the chapters of $57,914.83 is up about 4 % from the
beginning of year balance.
SUMMARY
AMICA International continues to be financially sound due to a steady income
from membership dues, Memorial Fund contributions, convention profits and to a
lessening extent – advertising and interest. For the period 2000 through the
projection for 2005, expenses exceed income by $1,035.72.
All required informational forms for 2004 were filed in a timely fashion with
the IRS, the California Secretary of State, the California Franchise Tax Board
and the California Registry of Charitable Trusts. Since the gross receipts for
2004 exceeded $100,000.00, filing of Federal Information Form 990 was required.
As in the past, the Chapter Treasurers have been very helpful in providing the
necessary Chapter information. Thanks to all of the Chapter Treasurers for their
support.
Respectfully submitted,
Wesley Neff, Treasurer
Attachments:
AMICA National 2000 thru 2004 Actuals and 2005 Budget
AMICA International 2004 Income and Expense Summary
AMICA 2004 Chapter Accounts
AMICA National 2000 thru 2004 Actuals and 2005 Budget
AMICA International 2004 Income and Expense Summary
AMICA 2004 Chapter Accounts
Bank balance as of June 24, 2004: $64,843
Bank balance as of June 24, 2005: $68,750
There was discussion about the problem of dues checks being posted in two fiscal
years, making it difficult to analyze financial trends. An attempt will be made
to deposit checks in January even if received in December, so all deposits are
in the same fiscal year.
Other Reports
F. Publishers Report- submitted by Mike Kukral
Printing Costs:
AMICA – 2004 -$43,973.06
Qty Bulletin Pgs Printing Env. Mail Label Postage
1,625 Jan-Feb 64 $4,219. 140. 249. 86. 1,505.46
1,600 Mar-Apr 60 4,115. 121. 249. 83. 1,465.53
1.450 May-June 80 4,688. 122. 249. 84. 1,550.31
1,450 July-Aug 88 5,678. 123. 249. 87. 1,115.59
1,450 Sept-Oct 44 3,085. 126. 249. 87. 851.44
1,450 Nov-Dec 64 3,883. 130. 249. 87. 1,045.47
$25,668. 762. 1,494. 514. 7,533.80
Qty Reprints Printing Insert Insert
1,570 Knabe 86th Anniversary 2,826. 50. 50. Denver Convention
1,600 Pianos by Charles Stein 1,384. 50. 50. Optional Bus Tour
1,570 Charles F. Stein – Chicago 1,925. 88. 50. Membership Appl.
6,135. 188. 150.
Qty Printing Insert
1,450 Convention Registration 61. 50.
1,300 Convention Registration 66. cost in 88. above 127. 50.
Qty Miscellaneous Printing Freight
29 Comb Bind 2003 Bulletins 128.00 20.00
45 Extra postage & freight 2003 639.51
500 Letterhead- Bill Chapman 90.00 9.00
10 Comb Bind Bulletins 95,96,97.98,02,03 38.00 7.50
50 Chapman Env. For Robert Taylor 9 x 12 20.00 6.25
50 Chapman Env. For Robert Taylor #10 reg 17.50
50 Chapman Env. For Robert Taylor 6 x 9 18.50
1 shipped all reprints to Robert Taylor 70.00 227.00
7 e mails for Karl Ellison 60.00
442.0 909.26
Submitted by
Mike Kukral
Wes reported that no reprints were done this past year, saving almost $9,000.
Discussion ensued as to whether reprints should be published in the future.
A suggestion was made to publish them but sell separately from the Bulletin. The
issue will be discussed with the publisher.
G. .Membership Secretary’s Report- Bill Chapman
Report Period: June 1 2004 to June 1, 2005
Membership Statistics:
July 31, 1999 - 1551 members
June 1, 2000 - 1494 members
June 1, 2001 - 1459 members
June 1, 2002 - 1375 members
July 15, 2003 - 1354 members
June 1, 2004 - 1341 members
June 1, 2005 - 1315 members *
Applications approved during the reporting period: 58 (1 year). Net loss of
memberships is 26, as compared to 13 the previous year.
* This total includes – Affiliates 17, Founding Members 5, Honorary 4, Utility
4, and “dual households” 44. Dual Households were not identified separately past
reports. Those memberships coded as “Utility” are used for archiving the
Technicalities, and for allied businesses in the automatic instrument field.
Dual households are single memberships with 2 persons with different last names.
The adjusted total for paid memberships is 1240.
While no formal count was made regarding the source of applications, it is the
Membership Secretary’s impression that fewer applications are derived from AMICA
brochures, while there has been a slight increase of applications derived from
the web site. Piano Technician’s Guild members will be exposed to an AMICA
advertisement. AMICA can expect some new applications from Piano Technicians
Guild. publications.
Piano Technicians’ Guild: As a result of a decision made in 2004 a reciprocal
agreement is being made with Piano Technicians’ Guild that is enabling an
exchange of advertisements in respective publications. An agreement has been
reached with PTG, however their office is essentially closed during June while
they prepare of their annual meeting. PTG’s advertising rate is $250 per month f
or a three-inch square ad, published monthly. Although the Bulletin is published
every second month, PTG feels that the exchange of free advertisements will
benefit both organizations.
New Affiliate: Added to the Affiliates at the 2004 Annual Meeting is
Associazione Italiana Musica Meccanica. Their magazine is published written in
Italian on high quality paper with excellent color and text. Two copies are
received and one is forwarded to Mike Kukral, Publisher. Contact the Membership
Secretary if you would like to review a copy of their publication.
2005 Survey of Membership Interests
Discussion at the 2005 board meeting resulted in the Membership Secretary
conducting a survey of members’ interests, ideas and expectations of the
organization. A design was made incorporating ideas from members. Twelve
interest categories were selected, but with space allocated to open-ended
questions. The responses were differentiated between those who were more
participating members (had attended a convention) and those who relied only on
the Bulletin or local chapter meetings. This was done to determine if there were
different perceptions, attitudes or expectations between the two population
samples. Some differences were noted between these groups. See below--Chapter
News and Basic Midi.
There were 581 responses, representing 47% of the membership. Many excellent
suggestions were made and some of these are found in the text to follow. Space
does not permit listing all of the innovative and interesting suggestions.
Note that had the members’ interest in technical material been satisfied, the
lower ranking categories would appear significantly different. Listed below are
summaries of the categories on the “circle choice” on the yellow postcard.
High Interest in Technical Aspects
Responses indicate technical articles are the most important to subscribers.
Rebuilding Techniques 253. Technical Articles Basic 218, Technical Articles
Advanced 197. Although there have been few MIDI related articles in the
Bulletin, Basic Midi received 123 positive responses. It is likely related to
the technical interests of the general membership. Roll Preservation also ranked
high (160) perhaps due to the technical aspects of the subject.
Reprints of Old Brochures
Reprints ranked 8th out of 12 for interest. However Reprints were often asked
for in the open-ended question. To satisfy this need, reprints could be produced
on an occasional basis.
Chapter News
Chapter News ranked 9th. There is a notable difference between those members who
attend conventions (83) and those that read the Bulletin only (46). Among the
latter there were requests to shorten the articles about local meetings. Others
suggested less description of the food served.
Basic MIDI
Basic MIDI ranked 10. There was split in responses between convention attendees
(47) and Bulletin only readers ( ).
Instrument Provenance and Member Profiles
Instrument Provenance (97) and Member Profiles (93) ranked lowest in interest.
Instrument Provenance was included because of its important to serious antique
collectors. Member Profiles was selected because of its ability to highlight
collectors and promote a positive and lasting connection with the organization,
similar to employee-of-the-month seen elsewhere.
Comments Reported Two write-in, open ended spaces were provided worded “ I would
like to see More of, Less of.” Several of the responses are:
More of: unbiased technical articles; historic reprints; Pianodisk; Violano;
technical 88 note pianos; nickelodeons; interviews with ‘old timers’ in the
industry; new roll boxes; best performances on rolls; awareness of Christmas
rolls; restoration; larger but fewer chapter photos; coin pianos; monkey organs;
classified ads; biographies.
Less of: pianos; wordy chapter reports; information about food at meetings;
orchestrions; pettiness.
Convention Favorites: Workshops; home tours; live bands; for sale bulletins
board; meeting people.
Write-in Comments:
Include an option to buy gift certificate of a year’s membership in the
renewal notice or in the Nov/Dec Bulletin. Could be a form to fill out, a card
directed to the recipient.
Put tech topics on video for amateurs
I joined for the reprints only--there is no point to remaining a member
AMICA needs young technicians and new people
Archives could be put on CD on a subscription basis
The Bulletin needs more on materials and supplies, availability
I looked to AMICA as a source on MIDI, but found nothing…where else can I go
if I want to MIDI-fy my older instruments
AMICA should make a video for public TV that makes the public aware of the
organization
I would like to see larger print in the Bulletin
More of modern things, such as MIDI, also wider variety of instruments
Need a ‘members only’ web site for technical info
Give a free classified ad for new members
DISCUSSION
The high rate of return of surveys (47%) was helped by sending it out with the
2005 renewal form letter. Many suggestions were made on the opened ended
question. Responses were very positive with much praise for the Bulletin and the
volunteers running the organization. In order to meet the interests of the
members, AMICA should consider increasing solicitation of technical material,
rebuilding tips and illustrations. Requests were made for items that AMICA may
not be able to provide, such as listing of Technicians or Rebuilders. Another
need expressed was where to obtain rebuilding supplies. Members who rely on the
Bulletin for their contact with the organization would like more information on
MIDI.
The range shown on the chart indicates positive interest in all the categories.
Items ranked lower should not be taken as a lack of interest. It must be
remembered that if the Technical articles had met the need of the members, the
lower ranking categories would appear quite differently.
Submitted by
Bill Chapman
Discussion on specifics of survey followed, especially on content of the
Bulletin. Dianne Polan moved that a calendar of events be published in every
Bulletin listing the individual chapter meeting dates and locations and list the
name and telephone number of the person to contact. This motion was seconded by
Bill Chapman. The motion carried.
H. Nominating Committee Report-Dan Brown
See past president’s report.
I. Memorial Fund Report-Halie Dodrill
This Memorial Fund report covers the period of time from June 1,
2004 through May 31, 2005. During this one-year period, a total of $914
was given to the Memorial Fund. Of this amount, $640 was donated in memory
of an individual and $274 was contributed along with yearly dues.
For donations in memory of an individual, letters were sent to
family members or a friend telling them of the memorial with copies to
donators and to Wesley Neff (Treasurer) along with the check. Thank-you
letters were also sent to anyone who added a contribution when paying their
yearly dues. These names were received from Bill Chapman, Membership
Chairman.
It is an honor to be able to serve AMICA by handling the Memorial
Fund letters.
Respectfully submitted,
Halie Dodrill, Chairman
AMICA Memorial Fund
J. Audi-Visual Report- Hal Malakinian
No official report. Mike Walter received and viewed the VHS and U-matic tapes
from past AMICA meetings and discussed the cost of transferring to DVD.
K. Technicalities- Terry Smythe
Three years ago, I indicated that a successor would be appreciated. Thus far, a
successor has not materialized. Technicalities VII is in a state of suspension
at this time. The materials are together to assemble a paper cut-and-paste
version ready-for-camera.
For the past year or so, there has been a modest discussion on a Yahoo
Discussion group about scanning Technicalities into Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format
for publication in the form of a DVD. In the absence of interest, this
discussion group was recently terminated.
I have in the past recommended that the Technicalities be published in DVD
format. It is feasible. I have converted Technicalities II into Acrobat format.
It is 101 pages and consumes 203 megabytes of disk space. CD copies of this will
be available at the Board meeting for those interested in viewing. Basically,
this experiment provides the existing document in a computer readable, printable
format.
Because the process for the existing Technicalities is fundamentally a graphic
image, text searching of its contents is not possible. It may be possible to add
an index for rudimentary browsing, not too much different from existing paper
versions. This will be the best that can be done for all existing Technicalities
through to and including Tech VII yet to be published.
The raw scanning of this Tech II 101 page document took 1 hour, or about 1
minute per page scanned. Technicalities I, III, IV, V, and VI sum to 781 pages.
Technicalities VII is still unknown, but 150 to 200 pages is not unreasonable.
The minimum time required for the raw scan for all would be about 15 hours.
Addition of an index to each will be at least comparable. The task is do-able,
but labor-intensive. But, not nearly as labor-intensive as the cut-and-paste
process, particularly pagination.
For a future DVD option, the critical ingredient is access to each complete
issue of the Bulletin in a computer machineable format. The objective is a
computer form of cut-and-paste that can only be done from within an editable
computer file of each issue of the Bulletin. This process has the additional
benefit of making possible full text searching and a meaningful index.
The size of the Technicalities files, about 1.6 gigs to date, will make it
virtually impossible to post them on our AMICA web site, even in compressed ZIP
format. The impediment is not only file size/disk space consumption, but also
mammoth time required for downloading, most likely exceeding the limits
available to any member who tries to do so.
Once again, I am recommending:
1. Access to each issue of the Bulletin in a form suitable for downloading from
our Publisher and subsequent cut-and-paste processing.
2. Periodic assembling of Technicalities into a single DVD format. ie., a single
DVD containing all Technicalities to date. As each issue of Technicalities is
assembled, it will be added to a master DVD from which copies can be made upon
request. A lo-cost single sided DVD can hold up to 4.5 gigabytes of data. Our
current Technicalities consume 1.6 gigs. With Tech VII included, about 1.9 gigs
in total.
3. Future issues of Technicalities be produced in DVD format for mailing, upon
receipt of a modest fee. Such a fee would be dramatically less than the current
printed version and its companion mailing cost.
4. My successor should be somebody reasonably comfortable with the power and
magic of the internet, and with the computer processes needed to effect the
transition to DVD format.
Caution:
1. The existing Technicalities, particularly the earlier issues, contain
references to materials and techniques we now know to be invalid.
2. If the DVD process replaces the existing printed process, there is a risk
that
a. A few members may still want to buy Technicalities in paper form, and
b. A few members may want to buy Technicalities in a set of 4 CD's, in their
absence of a DVD reader in their computer.
Benefits:
1. Elimination of printing, storage and mailing costs associated with current
paper printing process.
2. Elimination of the 2 additional copies of the Bulletin printed and mailed to
whomever has responsibility for assembling future Technicalities.
Respectfully submitted
Terry Smythe
Discussion followed on the feasibility of storing the Technicalities on DVD or
CD. Bill Chapman volunteered to investigate.
L. Archives Report-Tom Hutchinson
Not much to report other than that the distribution of the bulletins is going
along smoothly but much slower than expected. The slowness is caused by a
reluctance of the recipients to remit funds in a timely manner. To date there
have been 23 boxes go out in three shipments. At this point the bulk of the
bound volumes have been shipped. I'm going to make a concerted effort to have
them all shipped before the convention.
This is to inform you that all the remaining bulletins, 24 packages, were
shipped on 11 June. Have one remaining package which will be delivered to the
Canadian member at the Minneapolis convention. The following is a breakdown of
the distribution of the bound volumes. There were a total of 44 packages that
went out in four shipments. All shipments were shipped via USPS Media Mail
except the foreign requests. There were four shipments to England and one to the
Netherlands. The latter was paid for by Amica and was authorized by Mike Kukral.
There were six unfilled requests where membership could not be confirmed. There
were seven requests that arrived after the supply of bulletins was exhausted. If
requests arrived after the first or second of March the supply was already
exhausted by that point. This has been an interesting experience and I am glad
to have been able to help.
Tom Hutchinson
M. Convention Coordinator’s Report- Frank Nix
Upcoming Conventions:
2005 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
As you can see from your Jan./Feb. 2005 AMICA bulletin, Minneapolis promises to
be another fine convention not to be missed.
Dates - June 29-July 3rd.
2006 - Chicago, Illinois
Most of you know what is in store here. For those who don't, it will be
previewed in Minneapolis.
Dates July 25/30
2007 - Germany and Holland
Previews begin in Minneapolis
Dates July 5-20
2008 - Southern California
This will be hosted either just before or just after the MBSI meeting in
September in Las Vegas to make attending both meetings feasible. (AMICA will be
in the Southern California area)
2009 - And subsequent years are still open.
Frank Nix
Frank said he needs suggestions for locations for 2009. There was discussion
about meeting in the NYC/NJ area, however MBSI is meeting there that year. The
Board acknowledged the Nix’s and the Barnhart’s for their work in putting the
Germany and Holland trip together.
N. Publications Report- no report
O. Awards Committee Report- John Motto-Ros
See VP report
P. Honorary Members Report- no report
Q. Webmaster’s Report- Karl Ellison
Introduction:
In 2004 I volunteered to redesign and manage the AMICA website. The old website
was created years ago when the internet was in its infancy. Simply having a
presence in this new technology was considered impressive at the time. In the
1990s with the advent of web-management tools and complex web browsers, the
standard set for website competency has been raised many fold. Entities are no
longer considered viable unless they have a website, which must provide useful
information to it's visitors rather than simply existing in cyberspace as a
nominal presence. Today's web visitors are conditioned to expect much more than
our old site was providing.
The prior web manger, Metta Brown, did not have the time to update the site. Her
efforts in the past provided visitors with information and with a presentation
that was appropriate at the time of its development. It was Metta that had the
initial foresight to recognize the importants of the internet, and to start an
initial site.
Many clubs are experiencing a declining membership caused by an unresponsiveness
to the way and manner in which people get their information on hobbies - by way
of the web. This first-pass of a web design is the first step towards meeting
the demand for modern on-line content.
Technical:
The site is managed on my PC using "Microsoft FrontPage 2000" - part of the
Microsoft Office suite of software tools owned by AMICA. The program disks are
kept by Bill Chapman. This is an easy-to-use, graphical (what you see is what
you get) program that allows me to get the webpages the way I want them, then
automatically 'upload' them to the AMICA website once I'm satisfied with my
work. Anyone competent with other Microsoft products can learn use this tool
quickly.
All the difficult work in getting a consistent look-and-feel to the site has
been done. I am presently coasting along, making small changes as needed or
requested. I would estimate my present effort to be less than 1 hour per month.
I had also initially proposed some functionality that would allow members to
'log in' and update their own membership data. This effort will have to wait as
I am in the middle of a multi-year career effort that has taken priority -
unless there is a member of AMICA that would like to propose and implement a
technical solution to interface the website to a secure membership database ...
please let me know.
Last year, there was the possibility of having the people who host the
Mechanical Music Digest (MMD) also host our web space - that being only the
"disk-space" and internet port service we use to host the site. We would remain
in control of it's actual modifications as we do today. Having our site hosted
by a group that was technically advanced and "music friendly' has its
advantages. Unfortunately the MMD site owner concluded that their time needed to
be solely focused on the MMD site. Our current Internet Service Provider is
located in Canada, and is administrated through member Terry Smythe from
Winnipeg. The service has proven quite reliable and reasonably priced, so for
the foreseeable future we'll be staying with this service.
Activity:
Visitor Frequency to the site has been respectable. We average 40 visitors a day
as shown below:
Your counter was created on August 25, 2004 at 2:10 pm CDT with a starting count
of 0. You currently have your counter set to increment on Unique Hits Only.
Hits Since Start: 9207; Average Daily Hits Since Start: 39.39
Visitors are attracted from other targeted sites. At the bottom of every AMICA
webpage there are links to 'Webring' sites - groups of targeted websites that
are individually managed by a 'Ring Manager'. Similar sites are grouped together
in rings and each site is linked to another by a simple navigation bar. These
can be compared to an electronic bulletin-board of websites. By registering with
(at present, 4) music-specific Webrings, visitors to these other sites are
attracted to our site, increasing the odds of attracting new members.
The website invites visitors to ask questions after they've browsed the FAQ
page. One AMICA member in particular, Jack Edwards of San Jose CA., is a retired
English professor. Jack has agreed, on a trial basis, to be the focal email
address of general inquiries sent in by the site's visitors. He averages a few
messages a week, and when he can't answer them himself he forwards the message
to a small group of members whom he feels can best address the inquiry, thus
spreading the workload down to the local chapters. The workload is presently
manageable for Jack, who has agreed to continue this critical work as his time
permits.
Membership is a hot topic in our group, so a professional-looking membership
application form exists on the site. The user prints it out, fills it in and
sends in a check. A link to this particular membership page is placed
prominently on the home page. I believe Bill Chapman has received new
memberships from this source.
In the past year, the only difficulty I've encountered is the lack of support
from the general population for information to enhance the site. Requests for
new information, photos or pleas for routine updates languish.
- Karl Ellison
R. Chapter Reports
a. Boston Area
President: Bill Koenigsberg
. Vice President: Robert Tempest
. Secretary: Ginger Christiansen
. Treasurer: Karl Ellison
. Chapter Rep: Karl Ellison
The chapter has met an average of 3-4 times a year, at varied venues.
Mar 28, 2004 - Home of Chris & Ginger Christiansen, Nashua NH; general meeting
Aug 21, 2004 - Andover Pipe Organ Company, Andover MA; Factory Tour and Luncheon
Dec 05, 2004 - Home of Dorothy Bromage, Billerica MA; to dispense 5000+
Ampico/DA/Welte rolls
We continue to look for new venues in the area, and to occasionally meet in
remote (distant) areas. Venues other than member's homes, that are a reasonable
drive, and of interest - key to attracting and retaining members - are a
difficult find in New England. We're also experiencing difficulties finding
members willing to occupy Officer seats – consequently the current officers will
stay in this role for 2005.
The chapter has 57 paid households for 2005, compared to: 49 in 2004, 45 in
2003, 49 in 2002, 66 in 2001. There are no chapter members that are not National
members.
Due to professional obligations, the Chapter Representative will not be able to
attend AMICA Conventions for some years. We are searching for someone to fill
this position.
There's $1538.87 in the bank as of this writing. Our chapter dues are
$8/household/year, and the money is used to subsidize activities and food, as
well as printing/postal expenses.
Karl Ellison, Chapter Representative & Treasurer
b. Chicago Area
Currently we have 94 paid members in the Chicago Area Chapter. Our last meeting
of 2004 was at the home of Ms. Carol Veome, in Chicago. We elected a new slate
of officers and everyone is working to tie up all the loose ends for the 2006
AMICA Convention.
We plan to make the 2006 Chicago convention one that you won't want to miss!
Make sure you register early and often! (This is a take off on the Chicago
political theme of "vote early and often"). Whether you come by train, boat,
plane, stage coach or on horseback, make sure you come to Chicago in 2006!
Submitted by
George Wilder
Chicago Area Chapter
Board Rep.
Convention limited to 300.
c. Founding Chapter
The Founding Chapter has a total of 52 paid up renewals and new members. We had
held four meetings during the past year. We unfortunately lost 2 long-time
members this past year. One, Dale Lawrence, was a Founding Member of AMICA; the
other, Ed Sprankle, was a long-time member who was an expert at identifying
obscure titles on nickelodeon rolls and had a first rate collection of ragtime
and blues music. We will miss both.
Our secretary/newsletter person, Sandy Swirsky, developed our local web site
with great success.
The Founding Chapter made a pledge of $3,000 towards the Adopt-a-Piano campaign
toward restoration of instruments in Nevada City, Montana. We are hoping that
this program gets off the ground this coming year.
Our Vice-President and meeting coordinator, Karen Simons, is working at placing
AMICA brochures at a local mechanical music location.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard D. Reutlinger, Board Rep.
d. Gateway
We will hold three meetings this year as our past president dropped out of AMICA
in January due to his wife's illness. He did not inform the chapter until early
March. Thus we had to scramble to organize even three meetings. We are having a
difficult time
sustaining this chapter since we have lost over half of our members.
We continue to hold an organ rally a year, and we have continued to create
chapter activities that involve group effort such as building a John Smith
organ. Nevertheless, membership continues to decline due to death, lack of
interest, or lack of desire to join the National.
We are seriously thinking about becoming inactive after the first of the year,
if membership does not improve over the summer and fall.
I will not be able to attend the convention as we will be in Europe from June
15th to July 12th.
Gary Craig
Board Representative Gateway Chapter
e. Heart of America
President: Tom McAuley
Vice President: Robbie Tubbs
Secretary/Treasurer: Rick McDowell
Board Rep: Ron Connor
The Heart of America Chapter is a strong and active chapter with 57 member
households with about 98 individuals. We hold four to five meetings a year and
due to the large geographical area we cover these usually involve overnight
stays for many of us. We have held two conventions and co-sponsored a third
which has left us in good financial condition. We try to have a variety of types
of meetings so as to appeal to everyone.
September found us at the Concordia, MO fall festival. We enjoyed a parade on
Friday evening and then on Saturday set up and played our band and monkey
organs. At the end of the day we had dinner in the German beer garden and then
went to the home of John and Barbara Washburn for desert. The following morning
we returned to the Washburn home for brunch and a business meeting.
In December our Christmas meeting began on a Saturday afternoon in the Kansas
City
Jazz District. We visited the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame and the American Jazz
Museum.
We went up the street to a nice restaurant for dinner and then to the Blue Room
at the jazz museum for an evening of jazz. In the morning we went to the home of
Charles and
Dee Tyler for brunch and our traditional gift exchange.
We held another band organ meeting in Leavenworth Kansas in April. Some of the
officers of the Fort had open house at their homes.
In June Blame Thomas held a meeting at his museum in Manhattan, Kansas. He has a
number of band organs, music boxes, gambling machines, pinball machines, and
many other items. The queen of all is the Duchess, a 101 key Mortier dance organ
that had just been gone through by Ed Schmidt. Blame provided us with lunch and
the next morning we returned to the museum for a business meeting.
Last year I reported that we had decided to rebuild the player piano of one of
our member families. By fall the various sub assemblies were brought together
and the piano was reassembled and returned to its owners. None of the volunteers
who rebuilt the various parts submitted a bill for materials so the project cost
the chapter nothing. At our last meeting we voted to donate $1000 to the
carousel museum in Leavenworth Kansas for projection equipment. There will be a
plaque mounted in the building telling of the donation and of course there will
be AMJCA brochures for anyone who wants one.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ron Connor, Board Rep, Heart of America Chapter
f. Lady Liberty
The Lady Liberty Chapter held five meetings since our last annual report. The
chapter remains solvent with funds increasing substantially due to the donation
of a collection of piano rolls that was donated to the chapter to be sold to the
members. Our membership remains steady at 63 members.
In July we had a barbecue at the home of Bill Maguire where we were treated to
view a very rare Mason and Hamlin piano with no tuning pins. We were informed
that this type of piano would go out of tune so rarely that the piano tech
unions forced the company to abandon the production. Each piano came with its
own tuning device and instructions for the owner to tune his own piano. Our
workshop, presented by Barry Dennis was on the fine points of restoring a Duo
Art piano.
In October we met at the lovely home of Paul Ciancia and Dennis Westervelt in
New Jersey. The beautifully restored Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina stole the show.
Even the Mills Violano Virtuoso sat silent as we watched the violins dance in
the top of the Hupfeld. We did listen to both Ampico and Duo Art pianos between
rolls, but they were no match for the star performer.
Our end of the year meeting was held in the home of Glen Thomas and his lovely
wife, Kim Kleason. The weather cooperated nicely as we listened to the Ampico
piano, Link nickelodeon, Wurlitzer changer and more. The wonderful dinner was
prepared by Kim and her mother, while her father set up a Lionel train to
represent trains in Manhattan.
Due to inclement weather our first meeting of 2005 was held off until mid March.
This was a triple-header. We began at the home of our president and his lovely
wife, Vincent & Maryam Morgan with a home-cooked meal that brought many
compliments and some people asking if they could stop by often for a meal.
Business was taken care of and discussion of a new chapter logo took center
stage, with several options being presented by our resident artist, Bob Stuhmer.
No decision was made at that time, but people were asked to think about the
various options and we would vote on them at the next meeting. It also turned
out that over the years so many of the members of the chapter had a hand in
repairing and restoring the Knabe Ampico piano currently owned by the Morgans
that it seems as if it was an unofficial chapter project.
Following the business session we had two open houses. One group went to Keith
Bigger’s home to hear a concert on his Haines Bros. Ampico piano that was once
owned by Melville Dewey (inventor of the Dewey Decimal System of cataloguing
books) and his Moller Artiste Reproducing Player Pipe Organ. The other group
went to the home of Dave Palter to see his vast collection of steam and electric
trains, listen to his pianos, music boxes and Edison 24 changer—and to view his
1939 Auburn, which is in factory showroom condition. Then the groups switched
places.
In July we were treated to a special viewing of the Murtogh Guiness collection
of mechanical musical instruments at the Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ. Our own
Marvin and Dianne Polan are the docents of that collection, which gave this
meeting a very special personal touch. Many of the instruments that are
currently on display can be seen and heard at www.morrismuseum.org. Following
our wonderful and very informative time at the museum we had a delicious dinner
together at the local South Street Trattoria.
Our activities for the rest of the summer have been suspended since many of our
members plan to attend various mechanical musical functions such as: the
Bumbling Bruder European Tour, the combined MBSI and MBGB meeting in England,
the Great Dorset Steam Fair and others. Our president recently spent time in
Israel where he met with AMICA member Eliyahu Shahar in Tel Aviv who has built a
great collection by buying “handyman specials” and restoring them. He also met
with another gentleman who is planning on establishing a Mechanical Musical
museum in Israel, probably in the Tel Aviv area.
Respectfully submitted,
Marvin and Dianne Polan, Board Reps
g. Midwest
President- Don Johnson
Vice-President- Liz Barnhart
Secretary- Sherri Neff
Treasurer- Alvin Wulfekuhl
Reporter- Christy Counterman
Board Rep- Liz Barnhart
The Midwest Chapter has 68 family memberships.
For our summer meeting the Midwest Chapter was "back home again in Indiana". We
met at the Indianapolis home ofTim Needler for an open house where we enjoyed
his grand pianos and Double Mills Violano. Tim also entertained us by playing
his organ. We left there for dinner and a show at Boggstown Inn Cabaret. The
owner is an AMICA member and he welcomed us to his place. Many of us wore our
"Roaring 20's" clothing and some of our members became part of the entertainment
as people in the audience were asked to participate in the show. Our Sunday
gathering was hosted by Miriam Hanscom and her sister Jody Trittipo, who served
a delicious breakfast before our meeting.
We held our fall meeting in the Detroit, MI area. We had a Saturday open house
at the home of Nan and John Flint with their pianos, band organ, music boxes and
organs. Everyone is always fascinated with Nan's huge collection of rolls in her
"closet." After dinner together we attended a Vaudeville 2004 program at the
Redford Theater. Their 3/10 Barton Organ was played by Don Haller. Sunday
morning our chapter meeting was at Marlene and Wally Donoghue's. After enjoying
their pianos, music boxes and clocks, Wally told us about the history of his
home which was part of a hideway conclave developed by an associate of Henry
Ford.
During our business meeting, Mike Barnhart made a proposition to order 200
copies of "Mechanical Music" written by Kevin McElhone in London, England. This
48 page book has over 100 color photographs and is an excellent introduction to
all aspects of automatic musical instruments including history, descriptions and
basic principles of operation. We voted to sell the book at or near cost of $6
postpaid with 10 or more at $5 each. This is not a money making project, but an
opportunity to educate the public about our hobby.
Our spring meeting was in Coloma, MI at the homes of Bennet and Barry Leedy.
Saturday we enjoyed Bennet's workshop and hearing his wonderfully restored
pianos. After dinner at a local country club, we went next door to Barry's where
we were entertained by a young pianist friend of their family and Tim Needler.
Our morning meeting was again at Barry's who was planning to leave the next day
for his summer and fall job at Yellowstone Park. Mike Barnhart reported that
only 15 of the "Mechanical Music" books were left so we voted to order 200 more.
We will almost break even on sales of the first 200. We elected Don Johnson as
our new president and the other officers will remain the same.
Our next meeting may be in Fowlerville, MI
Submitted by,
Liz Barnhart
Midwest Board Rep.
h. Northern Lights
Northern Lights chapter held a meeting on December 2004, which was our annual
Christmas party. A second meeting was held in February at a delightful farm,
where we we were privileged to see and hear a magnificent collection of band and
dance organs and other related memorabilia. Otherwise, only the convention
committee met frequently.
Dorothy Olds
Board rep.
i. Pacific Can-Am
President: Halie Dodrill
Vice President: Troy Taylor
Secretary: Brian Tate
Treasurers: Jack and Mary Lou Becvar;
Chapter Representative to the Board: Carl Dodrill.
Membership
As of June 1, 2005, the Pacific Can-Am Chapter membership consisted of 47
individuals who come from 33 households. Although these figures have fluctuated
considerably from one year to the next, the number of members which are actually
involved in the chapter has remained relatively constant.
Treasury
In March 2005, we had $702 in our checking account, $2,071 in a certificate of
deposit, and a savings account with a balance of $2,709. The chapter has
authorized that some of these funds be used for specific projects to advance the
objectives of AMICA in our area.
Chapter Activities
Chapter activities continue as before plus some additions. Each year we have
four meetings with 15 to 40 people in attendance, and our meetings occur on
Saturday or Sunday afternoons. Members and visitors come to the hosting home at
around 2 PM and there is approximately two hours of visiting with other members
while the instruments in the home are viewed and played. This considerable
period of time for interaction with other AMICAns has proved to be one of the
most valuable features of our meetings, and people become well acquainted with
others during this time. At approximately 4PM, we have our Business Meeting and
show and tell time. At roughly 5 PM, we share our potluck meal together. This
schedule works very well for us. This year, we had one of our meetings in
Canada. There are several AMICAns in the Vancouver B.C. area who have
interesting collections of automatic musical instruments, as well as other
collections, and we spent an interesting day in Canada enjoying them.
In addition to our quarterly meetings, we have had several other activities of
interest. Kurt Morrison and Ron Babb have ably represented AMICA in their work
at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. When the theatre opened in 1928, it had not
only a large Wurlitzer pipe organ with a piano in the organ, but also a Knabe
grand piano with an Ampico player in it. Neither one of these pianos has played
very well in many years. Kurt and Ron spent the hours that it took to get both
them up and going, and both are now in regular use, with full credit to AMICA.
For example, the Knabe is played routinely
during the regular tours of the theatre and also before and after selected
events at the theatre, including their twice yearly silent film series. While
some additional work is needed on both instruments at the time of this writing,
the work of Kurt and Ron has been so successful that both of these fine AMICAns
have been named as awardees at this years' AMICA convention in Minneapolis.
Congratulations, Kurt and Ron!
On April 4, 2005, our chapter was involved in the support of an evening in the
Paramount Theatre in Seattle with noted organist Jonas Nordwall (Jonas is the
organist who played the theatre organ at the roller rink as part of the AMICA
convention in Portland in 2003). Jonas did a fabulous job at the theatre organ
that evening, and he made special note to the
audience of the playability of the piano in the organ, which, as he observed, is
rarely the case in most theatre organs he plays. Our chapter and the Pipe Organ
Foundation co-sponsored the reception which followed for the approximately 200
people who attended. Many people gathered around the Knabe during the reception
while it played.
Other events in our chapter are ongoing. Our chapter has a band organ rally
planned for Leavenworth, Washington, on August 20 and 21, 2005. Leavenworth is a
Bavarian town in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle, and it is ideally suited
for an event of this type. Rob Wilson has taken the lead on this event, and it
promises to be a truly enjoyable experience with the opportunity to share our
automatic musical instruments with a large number of people from the general
public. Bill Masterman maintains a Wurlitzer band organ that he has rebuilt, and
he has been successful in getting it installed in Washington State's largest
county fair, the Puyallup County Fair. Brian Tate continues to go to schools to
illustrate automatic musical instruments. Other members furthered the mission of
AMICA by volunteering their time on a consistent basis.
Carl Dodrill
Pacific Can-Am Chapter Representative to the AMICA Board
j. Rocky Mountain
Officers
President: Larry Kerecman
Vice-President: Jere DeBacker
Secretary: Louise Lucero
Treasurer: Fred Wilson
Reporter: Larry Kerecman (interim)
Board Rep: Jere DeBacker or designated substitute
Chapter Re-Activation:
12 members of AMICA who were on the 2004 AMICA Convention Committee petitioned
the AMICA Board at the 2004 annual convention in Denver to reactivate the
Chapter. At that meeting the Board voted to accept the petition to reactivate
the Rocky Mountain Chapter with a territory to include Colorado, western Kansas,
New Mexico, western Nebraska and Wyoming.
Post-Convention:
Don and Ginger Hein hosted a post-convention thank you party in October 2004, at
which plans were made for the reactivation of the Chapter.
First Official Meeting:
The first official meeting of the Rocky Mountain Chapter took place at the home
of Larry Kerecman on December 12, 2004. 24 enthusiastic AMICA members attended
to make this an exciting kickoff event. Five people who were at the first
official meeting of the original Rocky Mountain Chapter on October 31, 1976 were
present. Dates were set for the four primary meetings of 2005 with other dates
to be added if desired.
2005 Meeting Dates:
- April 17 – Boulder
- June 11/12 – Pueblo and Colorado Springs
- September 24 – Denver
- December 11 – Arvada
Membership:
24 AMICAns paid Chapter dues at the December meeting. Subsequently, we have had
five more AMICAns join the Chapter for a total paid membership of 29.
By-Laws:
The Chapter began operation using the By-Laws that had been used in the original
incarnation of the Chapter. The executive committee has prepared a revision of
the Chapter By-Laws, which will be presented to the membership for approval at
the next meeting.
Treasury:
The Chapter treasury was the recipient of $1,076.79 on February 10, 2005 as its
share of the 2004 Convention proceeds. The Chapter account was not opened until
it was determined that all expenses for the 2004 Convention had been paid.
Income from Chapter dues and expenses for mailings, etc. put the present balance
of the Chapter treasury at $ 1,167.62.
Membership and Meetings:
Since the Chapter covers a large geographical territory, we have elected to have
a variety of meeting dates and locations to better accommodate members who do
not live in Colorado. In 2005 we will have two Sunday afternoon meetings, one
weekend meeting and one Saturday meeting.
We are also beginning a campaign to attract more members of AMICA to become
members of the Chapter.
Adopt-a-piano:
The Executive Committee has recommended that the Chapter make a donation of part
of the 2004 Convention proceeds to the Adopt-a-Piano program. We will wait until
after a report on the program from the 2005 AMICA Board meeting is available
before taking a vote on the amount to donate.
Submitted by
Larry Kerecman
k. Sierra Nevada
Officers:
President: John Motto-Ros
Vice President: Tom Hawthorn
Secretary: Sonja Lemon
Treasurer: Doug Mahr
Reporter: Nadine Motto-Ros
Board Rep: John Motto-Ros
The Sierra-Nevada Chapter is “awake” and well. Our membership remains about the
same—20 paid households; gained a few—lost a few. We hold four meetings each
year with varied attendance from good to bad. One of those meetings was to check
out and spiff up the Chapter’s 1923 Gulbransen player piano on location at the
Heidrick-Ag Museum in Woodland, CA. At that same meeting, Ray and Betty Stacey
brought their 1924 CA-43 Tangley Calliope with automatic “A” roll system. We
were hoping to attract some new AMICA members or perhaps additional visitors to
the museum.
Just prior to this year’s convention, our June 11/12 meeting will be a joint
venture with the Golden Gate Chapter of MBSI. Similar events in the past have
been a great success as both groups share the same interests.
We continue to have fun at meetings and keep the music playing.
Submitted by
John Motto-Ros
John Motto-Ros suggested leaving old copies of the Bulletin with an application
form attached to encourage new members.
l. S.O.W.N.Y.
Officers:
President: Mike Walter
Vice President: Dan Tenerowicz
Secretary: Garry & Anne Lemon
Treasurer: Holly Walter
Reporter: Garry Lemon
Board Rep: Audrey Cannizzaro
The S.O.W.N.Y. Chapter of AMICA remains a small but viable group. We have lost a
couple of members over the past year but have gained one with more on the
horizon.
During the past year we have held four meetings in chapter member’s homes with
side trips to a Frank Lloyd Wright summer cottage and a short tour of an
historic Buffalo cemetery with an organ concert in the cemetery chapel.
Financially the chapter is solvent with $1,186.39 in a savings account and
$3,376.02 in a CD account.
In an effort to promote local awareness and interest in our organization, the
S.O.W.N.Y. chapter offered a one year membership to International AMICA and our
chapter at the local P.B.S. television auction. Also included with the
membership was a dinner for two at a local five star restaurant, accompanied by
Bob Berkman, manager of Q.R.S. Music Rolls in Buffalo. Due to privacy
regulations, we have not been able to establish how many bidders there were, but
we do know that there was more than one bidder. Hopefully we will soon be able
to welcome our new member, and other prospective members who saw our
organization advertised on the auction.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Walter
President, S.O.W.N.Y. Chapter
Audrey Cannizzaro
S.O.W.N.Y. Board Rep
Three meetings scheduled this summer in Rochester, Canada, and Hanberg.
m. Southern California
In September we had a meeting at the Griffith Park Merry-go-round and we also
had a monkey organ rally in front of the Historical homes in Windsor Square.
October found us having another organ rally in Costa Mesa for their sidewalk art
festival.
The December meeting/Christmas party was at the home of Frank and Shirley Nix.
As usual, we invited the local chapter of MBSI to this one, and it was a lot of
fun.
Our first meeting in 2005 started at Bob McCord's restaurant The Sagebrush
Cantina for a wonderful brunch and then on to his home for the actual meeting
and viewing his wonderful collection. Bob's a unique individual and we had a
ball!
April 17 will find us at the home of a new "Bruder Owner", Jerry Pell in
Wrightwood and from there to the home of Richard and Beverly Ingram to hear
their pianos.
We have a band organ rally in Descanso Gardens, an annual affair April 23 and
24. May 22 finds us at the Museums of the Arroyo event in Pasadena for another
rally. Other rallies are in the developmental stage at this time.
October 8 and 9 will find us heading North to Sutter Creek and Sonora in the
Historical Gold Country for a meeting at the homes of John and Nadine Motto-Ross
and Marion and Joan VanVedhuizen, with a stop at Mike Argain's home in Fresno.
We have a healthy treasury under the hand of our Treasurer Ken Hodge. Our
membership has dropped some, but seems fairly stable with the addition of a few
new members.
As you can see, we are having a good time and keeping busy.
Submitted by
Frank Nix
There are approximately 100 members. The treasurer is moving to Colorado and a
replacement will be appointed.
n. Texas
February 2004: Sal & Elaine Mele - dinner meeting followed by organ/choral
concert at St. Rita's Catholic Church
May 2004: Olden Year Musical Museum in Duncanville - Owner Homer DeFord and his
sons hosted
October 2004: Bill & Sharron Boruff - home tour and meeting in Dallas
December 2004: Michael & Maureen Barisonek - Christmas dinner meeting & home
tour
February 2005 Walter, Jessie & Charlie Moore - home tour with demonstration of
Charlie’s cob making process
April 2005 : Art Eltzroth hosted a dinner meeting Friday night and Saturday Band
Organ Rally in Cleburne with the help of Heart of America Chapter members: Galen
& Linda Bird, Ron & Mary Jo Bopp, Gerold Koehler, Tom & Kay Bode, Leonard &
Billie Railsback, Rick McDowell and Texas Chapter members Larry Kern, Walter,
Jessie & Charlie Moore, Dwayne & Beverly Steck and Bill & Sharron Boruff. There
were 70+ people at the catered dinner at Art's home.
Our membership is fairly stable at around 65-70 - (losing a couple each year and
adding a couple new ones).
We continue to try to have interesting meetings, encourage membership attendance
and increase membership. Meeting attendance averages 20-25 per meeting.
The Chapter is hanging in there but it seems to be a struggle.
Dick Merchant
Texas Chapter Representative.
4. Old Business
A. Membership concerns
Will announce at tomorrows breakfast a brainstorming session open meeting at 7pm
that evening, before the pumper contest. Have people write their ideas down and
collect to go through later.
John Motto-Ros suggested a serious advertising campaign with professional help.
Dianne asked about hiring a paid administrator. Since this is a volunteer
organization, it was felt this was not appropriate. It was recommended that we
solicit help from the membership with advertising experience.
B. Technicalities
Discussion about putting on CD, Mike will discuss with Terry
C. AV-no further discussion
D. Adopt-a-Piano
Adopt-a-Piano Meeting
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Nevada City Music Hail
Present: Jim Carpita, Site Manager~ Montana Heritage Commission
John Ellingsen, Curator of History
Janna Hermanson, Acting Curator of Collections
Dave Calendine, Performer at Opera House Virginia City and Organ Restorer
Richard D. Reutlinger, AMICA representative
We met to discuss progress of our campaign with the Montana Heritage Commission.
Jim Carpita is in charge of this area for MHC reporting to Jeff Tiberi,
Executive Director. In 2004 a grant request was prepared to the Tourism
Infrastructure Investment Program of Montana for $26,000 to augment our
Adopt-a-Piano program to restore mechanical instruments in the Nevada City Music
Hall. In October 2004 the grant request was turned down due to lack of funds.
Late in 2004 and early 2005 a number of people left the Montana Heritage
Commission resulting in delays toward our campaign. In March I contacted Jeff
Tiberi for an update and learned that Jim Carpita had been assigned
responsibility for our program. We have been in contact via e-mail and 1 asked
Carl Dodrill to contact Jim directly about the restoration of the Wurlitzer
Theater Organ via the Pipe Organ Foundation in the Pacific Northwest. Carl has
done so and Jim is meeting with his people about the feasibility of letting
units from the organ leave the premises for restoration. I also had asked Larry
Emmons, AMICA member in Wyoming, to contact the MHC about transport of smaller
instruments to Art Reblitz' shop for restoration. Larry has done so.
In the meantime Dave Calendine, a theater organist and technician from Detroit,
was hired as pianist/organist to play the Cremona Photoplayer for the Virginia
City Players at the Virginia City Opera House for the summer season. The Cremona
has been neglected for decades and barely limped along (I attend the Opera House
every year). Dave immediately began to work on the instrument restoring pipe
chests, xylophone and percussion to working condition--the Cremona; sounds 200%
better this season. Dave intends to continue work on the instrument in September
when the season ends and also next March when he returns for next summer. He was
able to purchase materials for this restoration from a personal donation for the
Cremona exclusively. He would be interested in doing some work on the
instruments in the Music Hall providing funds for materials would be available.
Dave acknowledges his primary experience has been with pipe organ work rather
than pneumatic instruments. He has contacted Art Reblitz for advice about the
correct type of materials for such work and Art had complied, cautioning Dave
pneumatic restoration must be much tighter. Dave is known by other band organ
collectors as a competent restorer and willing to learn.
At our meeting it seemed apparent that the Commission was amenable to having
work done by Dave and possibly others (i.e. Mills Violano, etc). They were also
amenable to putting some instruments throughout Virginia City for better public
exposure and to enhance revenue.
We discussed a couple of possibilities for initial restoration projects i.e. the
Wurlitzer Model DX with automatic roll changer and/or the Wurlitzer 180 band
organ. Jim Carpita felt that the “blanket” State insurance policy would cover
instruments being transported for restoration and that they (Commission) could
provide transport to Art's shop. I volunteered to check out Larry Emmont’s
proposal of transport as an alternative. I also volunteered to check with Art
about the current esti¬mate of costs to restore either of the Wurlitzers. I feel
if we could get one instrument into the process, there might be more interest
from AMICA chapters to pledge contributions, I will also check with Dick
Kroeckle as to the availa¬bility of the correct Spencer blower to power the
Cremona Photoplayer (it is currently powered by an inadequate Root blower),
I reiterated AMICA's interest in this restoration project only for those
instru¬ments that will remain on display to be played by the public; also that
we wished to pay directly to the restorer for services and supplies (we do not
want to con¬tribute to "state bureaucracy).
After the Board meeting I was able to talk with Art Reblitz and Dick Kroeckle.
Art is checking into the costs of restoring the Wurlitzer DX and is fairly
optimistic that it could be done for the amount currently pledged by the
Founding and Midwest chapters. Dick; Kroeckle will be happy to donate the
Spencer blower to the Virginia City Opera House but needs to check into some
repairs to be done on it.
Frank Nix asked if there in an on-site person to maintain the machines once they
have been restored. John Ellingsen lives in Nevada City and has nursed the
machines along for over 20 years; he has full-time responsibilities with the
Heritage Commission but would be able to monitor maintenance on the instruments.
He has worked with the entire historic site first for the Bovey family who
created this site and then with the State of Montana since the state bought the
site.
Respectfully submitted to the Board
Richard D. Reutlinger, Founding Chapter
$4,200 pledged from 2 chapters
E. Audit
Bylaws require an annual review each fiscal year and at the end of the
incumbent’s term. Ron Connor moved that the Board approve the Treasurer’s report
as submitted thereby fulfilling the review required by the by-laws. The motion
was seconded and passed.
5. New Business
A. Reimbursement requests
John Motto-Ros requests reimbursement of $55 to Jack Edwards for purchase of
Bowers Encyclopedia to help him with on-line questions from the web site. Motion
made, seconded and passed.
Don Barton requests reimbursement for wine and cheese refreshments for a public
open house in the Hospitality Suite specifically for the press on Wednesday pm.
The motion was made, seconded and passed to reimburse $300.
Mike Walter brought up the possibility of reimbursing Frank Nix and Liz Barnhart
for some of the expenses they incurred in planning the 2007 Convention. They
both refused any compensation.
B. Convention Fund Record
Wes has set this up as required by the by-laws.
C. Affiliated Organizations
Liz Barnhart recommended an affiliation with COAA (Carousel Organ). The by-laws
section on affiliation was read. The motion was made, seconded and passed. It
was also recommended that we explore ad swapping in the publications of all our
affiliates.
D. Test Roll Project
Mike Walter discussed the possibility of re-cutting test rolls for members. They
would be sold at cost to the members. Certain members will make available
original factory Ampico A& B test rolls, Nickelodeon-G, Recordo, Welte and
Artuno test rolls. There are several members who have reputable perforators who
are willing to participate in the project. Any printing on the rolls would also
be reproduced. Other rolls will be done if available. A single run of 10 copies
of each roll would be done initially. He is looking for funding to get the
project started. The sale of the rolls would reimburse the organization. A
motion was made to authorize $1,000 this year to fund the Test Roll Project. The
motion was seconded and passed.
E. Web Page Inclusion- resolved
F. Web Page Construction Assistance
Chapters could increase activity on the web site using Microsoft Front Page and
Microsoft Access. Karl is looking for help to do this if chapter members are not
able to do this themselves. John Motto-Ros discussed the problem of the host of
the site providing enough space. Terry Smythe stated that our current site is
hosted by the Manitoba Telephone System, is very reasonably priced, and has lots
of space (50 Megabytes), but the ISP can not provide for interactive use. Terry
said he can assist a chapter as long as someone in the chapter is willing to do
work and provide the material for the web site.
G. Modification of Treasurers duties-
taken care of
H. Roll of Honor Nominees
Tabled until the committee establishes the rules and guidelines.
I. Honorary Membership Chair
Resignation
The Hall of Fame/Roll of Honor committee can carry out those duties for the
present. An Honorary can contact the President as a liason.
J. Banking suggestion-
Karl Ellison suggested that chapters look for higher paying interest accounts
than present such as ING. Marv Polan stated that most chapters don’t have large
enough accounts to make it worthwhile.
K. Sandy Libman bequest
Sandy passed away one month ago and bequeathed two keyboard instruments to
AMICA. John Motto-Ros stated that it was decided at the Sacramento meeting that
since we have no museum, that the instrument would be looked at by someone
reputable in the local chapter and would be sold and the money would go to AMICA
International.
L. Dues Increase
John Motto-Ros requests a dues increase to allow more activities, such as
advertisement, and stay solvent. He moved that we increase dues to $49.50.
Dianne Polan seconded. Discussion ensued. Wes brought up that if we print a new
directory, we will need the extra funds. Bill Chapman suggested we put a message
in the Bulletin telling members what they will get for their dues. He also
expressed concern about foreign and overseas members because they already pay
more. John Motto-Ros then changed his motion to a $47 increase. The second
agreed to the change. The motion was tabled until a count of overseas and
Canadian members could be taken. Upon returning to the subject, Bill reported
that there are 59 overseas members ($68 for airmail), 30 receive by surface
mail, and 34 Canadian ($48). He also said we lost foreign members the last time
dues were increased. The motion was repeated to raise US dues only to $47
effective 2006. The motion passed
M. New Directory printing
Bill Chapman said would have to be 2006 to allow for processing changes in the
information which is received with the dues payment.
Discussion ensued on the possibility of making the directory electronic to allow
corrections and changes as needed, with controls so information could not be
transferred. Dorothy said there are still many members who do not have
computers. There are also concerns about security. Frank Nix moved that we print
a paper directory in 2006. The motion was seconded and passed.
N. Mason & Hamlin request
Mike Walter reported on a letter received from a preservation society that keeps
track of Mason & Hamlin pianos requesting information on who has these pianos..
John Motto-Ros said he told them to join AMICA and look in the directory for the
information. It was suggested that Mike tell them to place an ad in the Bulletin
with their request.
O. Jeanne Malone of Playwright Rolls
Frank Nix read a special commendation presented by AMICA, in the form of a
plaque, to Jeanne in recognition of her work. Jeanne, who is 93, recently fell
and was hospitalized with a broken wrist and other injuries. She is back home
now. She has been correcting rolls for over 50 years. The information will be
placed in the Hospitality Room.
P. Notify Mike Kukral in writing of
decision to print Directory
Q. Incentives to increase articles
submitted to the Bulletin
Mike Walter discussed some ideas, specifically to increase a subscription by one
issue if a full-page article is printed. If you submitted more articles, you
would get more free issues. Bill said he could generate special renewal bills
for those individuals. The Board generally agreed with this idea.
R. AMICA Stationary
Mike needs stationary. Several members said they could give him some. The Board
decided to let the President decide if he needs more to be printed. It could be
printed by Angler, the printer of the Bulletin.
S. email response
Mike said he does not always get a response to his emails and is not sure if
they are received. He would like a response even if you have nothing to say.
Marv suggested he use the “response required” box when sending.
6. Adjournment
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