Mid-South Chapter, VHPA, Meeting Minutes, 13 Feb 99

(Next meeting 13 Mar 99, Airfield Operations Building, Army Aviation Support Facility, Smyrna Airport, Smyrna, TN)

Our largest meeting to date was called to order by chapter President Charles Bell 13 Feb 99. Charles expressed his appreciation for the large turnout and the continued efforts of chapter members to recruit new members.

Attendees, who were each given an opportunity to introduce themselves, were

Charles Bell, President; Ross Rainwater, Secretary; Rhea Rippey, Treasurer; Mike Haley, VHPA Reunion Chair; Rick Haines, VHPA Mini-Reunion Chair; Rick Roll, Member At Large (Chattanooga); Bob Fladry, Member At Large (Clarksville); Bob Mitchell, Member At Large (Jackson); Jim Delvaux, Member At Large (Cookeville); Charles Robertson; George Neely; Mark Wood; Matt McKnight; Tom Pellicciotti; Joe Dickens; Mark Stuart; Danny Spitzer; Art Jacobs; Chris Horton; Bob Bales; Andy Burleigh, new Member At Large, Atlanta area; and  Jim Spiers, new Member At Large, Atlanta area.

(Members At Large have as their primary duty to recruit in their respective areas.)

o Previous meeting minutes were approved.

o Treasurer Rhea Rippey reported finances in good order will all bills paid. Additional seed money will be requested from VHPA HQ via the chapter secretary by submission of Articles of Incorporation, etc.

o Non-profit IRS tax filing is due and will be completed by the deadline.

o AAAA Meeting in May: Volunteers were sought to help man VHPA booth during this event. Mark Stuart quickly volunteered to head this up, and several others volunteered to help.

o VHPA Reunion T-Shirts, etc.: Attendees viewed representative examples from two suppliers. A vote was taken and decision made, insuring there will be an excellent t-shirt and other related items available at the Reunion.

o Rick Roll reported he was interviewed on early morning Chattanooga TV on 22 Dec about the VHPA and upcoming Reunion.
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o Next meeting will be 1000 hrs 13 March 99, Flight Operations Building (#680 on Fitzhugh St), Army Aviation Support Facility, Smyrna Airport, Smyrna, TN. (Request cross-posts to all appropriate sites.) ________________________________

At the conclusion of Chapter business and adjournment, President Bell turned the meeting over to Reunion Chair Mike Haley.

o An additional downtown hotel, the Crowne Plaza, has been added. It is only about 2-3 blocks from the HQ hotel, with a rate of $79 per night. Hotel space continues to fill up fast.

o Gray Line will have a special rate for those needing transportation from the Nashville airport downtown.

o Registration information was reviewed, indicating sign-ups continue to run well ahead of last year's rate. Statistics are maintained and updated weekly on the chapter website. VHPA HQ continues to do an excellent job of providing us with these weekly updates.

o Mike and Rhea Rippey have reviewed printing needs for various items, including registration packets. Registration Chair Ross Rainwater reminded attendees that one of the biggest pre-reunion activities will be to prepare registration packets so as to have time and manpower to manage those who register/arrive at the last minute. VHPA HQ will begin forwarding registration information as soon as we are ready to accept it.

o Not surprisingly, pre-registrations for the Jack Daniels "wet" tour are running 10:1 over the "dry" tour. REMINDER: Attendees CANNOT drive POVs to the "wet" tour; they MUST take the tour buses from the hotel for safety considerations.

There being no further Reunion business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Ross Rainwater, Secretary, Mid-South Chapter, VHPA
C-1/9, 1st Air Cav, '70-71; HHC, 12th CAG, '71
ORWAC 70-24, Orange Hats