We have now completed our TENTH annual meeting. Those of you
who saw last month's newsletter, and did not attend the meeting,
saw only a portion of what you missed by seeing some pictures. You
missed viewing some very good displays in person, meeting some old
friends, and finding new friends. As with all of our annual
meetings we had folks there who had not attended before and with
them came Thompsons and other items not previously seen. For me
personally, I got to meet people I had only spoken with on the
telephone or seen their names in print in our newsletter and other
publications. I also got to put my hands on the Bibb City, Georgia
Thompson. In 1988 when I began to think seriously about owning a
Colt Thompson that was the first gun I sought. In the near future
I hope to put together an article for the newsletter about this
gun with the help of it's current owner and Mr. David Abney, the
former Chief of Police in Bibb City. David is an old friend and a
firearms collector. I will never forget how high David came out of
his chair when I asked where Bibb City's Thompson was located. I
have been on this soap box before but I can not stress to each of
you what you miss by not attending the annual meeting. YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO HAVE A LARGE COLLECTION OR EVEN ONE GUN - ALL YOU NEED IS
YOUR INTEREST. I'll get off my box for now.
Each year since we became a NRA affiliate club, we have held a
Board of Directors meeting at our annual meeting. Any member may
attend this meeting and join in any discussion. With these
thoughts in mind I want to notify you that we raised our annual
dues to $30.00. This was effective with any renewals or new
members as of 08-17-01. I would also like to explain why this was
done. (I would also like to add that I made the motion for this
increase without paying my renewal first. I never told any of you
I was smart.) We have been operating a long time out of the
kindness of "others", which should stop as a few people
should not carry the funding of an organization that numbers over
TWO HUNDRED-FIFTY (250) MEMBERS. We were also in the hole (the
red) after doing the show at Kansas City. We did hold an auction
at our annual meeting on Friday night and raised $1447.50 toward
new projects. If you have not attended one of our annual meetings
and witnessed one of these auctions first hand, you have missed
some wonderful entertainment in addition to an opportunity to bid
on some neat items. Some of you will question this increase after
we so recently raised the dues from $15 to $20. That increase was
to fund our liability insurance for the shoots we hold. That had
to be done to protect all of us and our pockets. The current
increase ($20 up to $30) will help to build a treasury toward
future public displays (NRA, OGCA, etc.) If you have never manned
(Womaned? We are an equal opportunity organization.) one of these
displays and enjoyed the conversations with total strangers and
the pure awe in their eyes at seeing these pieces of history, you
have again missed another truly rewarding experience.
It
has been awhile since I wrote anything for the Thompson Collector
Newsletter. So much to say and so little time to write. With that
in mind, let me have a few minutes of your time.
