WEST POINT SOCIETY OF DENVER
Board
of Directors Meeting
Tuesday,
October 3, 2017 1130-1300
American
Legion Post 1, 5400 East Yale Avenue, Denver, CO 80222
1.
Call to order – Brian MacDonald at 1130
a.
Twelve board members in attendance, making a
quorum.
2.
Board Vacancy
a.
Brian MacDonald declared a vacancy on the board
of directors in the position held by Natasha Moore.
b.
The board held a discussion about possible
candidates to fill the vacancy and a process to do so.
c.
The board decided that through the work of subcommittees
planning for various events, it would appeal for volunteers from the larger
population of the society and would look to fill board vacancies from among the
new volunteers.
3.
Secretary’s Report/Approval of Minutes – Tim
Griesmer
a.
Minutes from the July 11, 2017 board meeting
were approved.
4.
Treasurer’s Report – Dave Jackson
a.
There was a net change of +1 lifetime member for
a total for 56.
b.
There was a net change of +1 paid member for a
total of 102.
c.
The Treasurer’s report was approved 12-0.
5.
Admissions Update – Tom Carroll
a.
There are 275 files open statewide for the class
of 2022, 161 in the WPSD area.
b.
College fairs are underway. The society will be
represented at three weeks of college fairs.
c.
The Field Force is planning to hold a central
site CFA with a local reserve officer.
d.
There are currently 2 LOAs in the state, 1 in
the WPSD area.
e.
There are currently 7 Letters of Encouragement
statewide.
f.
CPT Kenner will visit Oct. 13-14 for a Field
Force Workshop and Academy information meeting.
6.
Parents’ Club Update – Bob Walcott
a.
The Parents’ Club is planning a separate
Army-Navy event this year.
b.
The All Academy Ball will be hosted by Air Force
this year in December.
7.
Young Graduate Engagement – Mike Euperio & Cory
Wroblewski
a.
Mike Euperio and Cory Wroblewski are working to
structure a firmer schedule for young graduate events over the coming weeks.
b.
Ideas under consideration include monthly
welcome events and opportunities combined with other veterans’ events in the
area.
8.
Leadership Conference – Brian MacDonald
a.
Held August 17-19, 2017
b.
Brian MacDonald and Dave Jackson attended.
c.
Attendees requested that USMA provide more
notice of cadets visiting the area, including non-corps squad sporting events
and club events so we can engage with them.
d.
One takeaway from the conference was that many
large societies typically have more working groups and subcommittees planning
activities. This could be a way to recruit more young grads in the area to join
the WPSD. The board expressed support for this idea.
9.
Service Academy Leadership Conference – Joel
Martin
a.
This initiative will probably need to be delayed
for about a year. March is the ideal time to hold this event.
b.
Joel Martin is looking for a better list of
guidance counselors.
c.
Joel Martin is also exploring the possibility of
integrating with already existing software used to coordinate between students,
parents, and teachers.
d.
The board decided to set up a working group to
begin working on this initiative in more detail. The working group will consist
of approximately 5 members who will begin by looking at facilities, curriculum,
sponsors, etc.
e.
The event itself will likely require 20-25
volunteers.
f.
Another option discussed is to examine whether
this event could be conducted in coordination with Boys State and Girls State.
10.
Upcoming Events – Brian MacDonald
a.
Army-Air Force football: Nov. 4, 2017
b.
Army-Navy Watch Party: Dec. 9, 2017 at 1300 at
the Sports Column in Denver,
i.
Jason Connor is planning the event and requested
an additional $100 ($200 total) for prizes at the watch party.
ii.
The board approved the request 12-0.
iii.
Navy also pledged to provide $200 to help plan
the event.
c.
Quarterly Dinners
i.
The next scheduled quarterly dinner is Oct. 18,
2017.
ii.
The board discussed other possible speakers for
future quarterly dinners as well as whether the format for quarterly dinners
should be changed to a more informal gathering at an earlier time of day that
might be successful in attracting more attendees.
d.
Founder’s Day 2018
i.
At the request of the Pike’s Peak Society,
Founder’s Day was set for March 9, 2018. Note: this date has subsequently
been changed to March 3, 2018.
ii.
Brian MacDonald would like the board members to
consider possible Friend of West Point nominations for discussion at the
December meeting.
iii.
Brain MacDonald also requested the formation of
a working group to discuss possible ways to lower the cost of Founder’s Day.
Brain MacDonald, Dave Jackson, Lou Schroeder, and Andy Benson volunteered to
join as well as to invite Chad Dalton.
11.
New Business – Brian MacDonald
a.
Lindy Blackburn attended the Affirmation
Ceremony for the Class of 2019 held in Sept. 2017. Approximately 7 cadets as
well as several General Officers attended.
b.
Dave Jackson suggested that the board should
look into the process for creating a West Point license plate for the state of
Colorado. This would require action by the state legislature. Tim Griesmer
volunteered to see if any legislators are interested in sponsoring such
legislation.
c.
Tim Griesmer will once again be responsible for
the Distinguished Society Award application. The application will not be
published until the end of 2017.
The next board meeting will be held December 5, 2017 at 1130,
American Legion Post 1, 5400 East Yale Avenue, Denver CO 80222.
The meeting adjourned at 1300.
Submitted by: Tim Griesmer, ’02
