1. West Point Society of the Pikes Peak Region Annual Meeting
Founder’s Day
14 March 2008
Welcome to Founder’s Day 2008.
I hope you had an enjoyable meal and the time for fellowship with other graduates.
One of my mentors, LTG Van Antwerp, current Chief of Engineers and USMA Class of 1972 likes to tell this story:
“I was preparing for a speech at a formal military event when my granddaughter walked into the room.
‘Grandpa, what are you doing?’ I told her I was going to be giving a speech at a military event. She said,
‘That reminds me about Julius Ceasar. We are studying about him in school.’
Curious I asked, ‘ Oh, why do I remind you of Julius Ceasar?”
‘Well, he was a general and you are a General and you are both important people’ So far, so good
‘And, you are old and he was old’ Not so goood
‘And he gave a lot of famous speeches’ Good again as I straightened up a little bit
‘But, some of those speeches were pretty long’ she said with a furrowed brow
‘…and they killed him.’
Well, I hope to be neither long nor killed tonight..but then again, I am not an important general either.

2. Agenda Call to Order Acknowledgements and Recognition Society vote on
By-Laws
Slate of Officers
Budget
State of the Society
Other business
Adjournment
I want to spend just a little time (no more than 10 minutes) in covering these items. We have 1 important official pieces of business to conclude…Voting on the Slate of Officers. The rest of the meeting will be updating you on the past and planned future activities of the Society.
First, can I have a motion and a second to call the meeting to order?
I would first like to recognize Denise Dawson and Mike Luttman, Society Officers who are relinquishing their duties tonight. Would you please come forward?
Denise Dawson, has served as Society Activities Director for a number of years. Anyone who has been at any event over the past few years knows how hard Denise has worked to set up Founders Day events, football game tailgates, Benny Havens hours and much more. She also organized the food drive to support Ft. Carson wounded warriors and their families. We would like to present you with this token of our appreciation for a job well done.
Next, I would like to recognize Mike Luttmann who served as webmeister and helped in all the major events over the past several years. Mike has done a terrific job of standing up and sustaining our website. He was always proactive and also responded to any and all suggestions for improvement. He has helped out at every event…you probably saw him supervising the parking at the Army-AF Tailgate. I would like to present you with a token of our appreciation for a job well done.
Next, I would like to recognize the spouses of deployed soldiers. Would anyone here who is the spouse of a deployed soldier please stand to be recognized? We want to thank you for your selfless services and encourage you with support from the society.

3. By-Laws Mission Further the principles and welfare of USMA
Provide activities to foster the aims, ideals, standards and achievements of USMA
Promote understanding of USMA by the public
Here are the 3 mission elements for the Society
Here is how we are doing:
Further the principles and welfare of USMA. Amber. Need to improve. Wounded Warrior and Biznet will help…other outreach
Provide activities to foster the aims, ideals, standards and achievements of USMA. Green for scheduling, Red for attendance
Promote understanding of USMA by the public. Amber. We are doing more. Jr Officer of the Year helps, but need to reach outside of the military

4. By-Laws
Governance
Society affairs managed by Council of Elected Officers and Affiliate Officers
Meet at least Quarterly
Annual General Membership Meeting during Founder’s Day
Governance has 3 key features. The organization of the Council is shown on the next slide.
We hold our annual membership meetings on Founder’s Day, as that is the time when most of the members are present to conduct business.

5. By-Laws Elected Officers Affiliate Officers
West Point Society of the Pikes Peak Region Council
President
Vice
President
Elected
Officers
We will vote on the slate of elected officers tonight.
The Affiliate Officers are appointed and help provide advice and liaison with various groups supporting our mission.
Note that we have Decade Representatives listed. The idea is to have one person for every 10 year year groups to both provide input to the Council from that particular decade and also to help keep the year groups informed of activities and events and encourage membership.
Secretary
Treasurer
Events
Coordinator
Membership
Coordinator
Communications
Coordinator
Affiliate
Officers
USMA
Admissions LNO
Parent’s Club
LNO
USAFA
Senior Army
Representative
Decade
Representatives
Other Affiliates

6. By-Laws Membership Dues Paying Non-Dues Paying
Regular Members: Graduate of USMA or former cadet honorably discharged
Active: Regular member whose dues are current
Inactive: Regular Member whose dues are not current
Associate: USMA cadet, parents and siblings and relative of Regular Member
Non-Dues Paying
Honorary:
Surviving spouse of deceased member or graduate
Individual who significantly contributes to assist WPSPPR
Individuals of distinction elected by a majority of the Council
We have 3 categories of members. Those of you who are or became members tonight received membership cards if you are Active members.
If you are inactive, you can remedy this by paying your dues to Colen Willis.
We also have a category of Non-dues paying members.

7. By-Laws Dues Dues rate determined by Council
Dues payable in advance for a year
Council may approve lifetime membership
Current dues rate:
Annual: $ Lifetime: $250.00
Council approved dues rate, as of 15 March 2008:
Annual: $ Lifetime: $ (No change)
Here is the current dues information.
The $20 annual dues has not changed in a number of years.
Due to expanded activities of the Society (more about this to follow), and the increased costs for activities we traditionally conduct, it is necessary to raise the dues. Note that we have NOT increased the dues for lifetime membership.
The dues increase begins after Founders Day tonight. If you want to join under the current dues rate, you must see Stover James before you leave.

8. Slate of Officers President: Steve Shambach, ‘74
Vice-President: Vic Tise, ‘77
Secretary: Stover James, ‘76
Treasurer: Marvin Wolgast, ‘88
Membership: Colen Willis, ‘74
Special Events: Kirk Brown, ‘73
Communications: Hugh Bell, ‘82
At this time, the Council is proposing this slate of officers.
I would like each member present to stand when I call their name.
At this time, we will vote for each officer using a mass voice vote process.
If the vote is too close to call, we will take a count with a show of hands.
Remember, only Active Members may vote!

9. Affiliate Officers MALO Field Rep: Ed Freund
Parent Club Liaison: Linda Rowe
Sr. USAFA Rep: MAJ Jim Hoyman
Decade Reps:
1940’s: Bud Sterling
1950’s: Les Prichard
1960’s: Jim Mesite
1970’s: Kirk Brown
1980’s: Vacant
1990’s: Vacant
2000’s: Brian Oman
While we are not voting for the Affiliate Officers, I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to them.
Please stand when I call your name

10. Budget, 2007-2008 Income $ 29,510 Total Expenses $ 22,439
Current Balance $ 7,071
Expenses
Founder’s Day
USMA visiting cadets
(Exchange cadets, sports,etc.)
Membership mailings
Admissions Support
Community Service/Outreach
Junior Officer of the Quarter Award
Quarterly Social Gatherings
Annual President’s Meeting at USMA
Here is the overall look at our budget for Our budget year goes from 1 April (after Founders Day) to 31 March the following year. These figures are not final until we settle up expenses and income from this year’s Founder’s Day.
I will be discussing in more detail the events for which expenditures are listed in the State of the Society update.

11. Budget, 2008-2009 Current Balance $ 7,071 Income Estimated $ 8,000
Total $ 15,071
Expenses $ 13,570
Founder’s Day
USMA visiting cadets
(Exchange cadets, sports,etc.)
Membership mailings
Admissions Support
Community Service/Outreach
Junior Officer of the Quarter Award
Quarterly Social Gatherings
Annual President’s Meeting at USMA
Here is the projected income and expenses for next year. You will notice a big difference from last year. This is primarily due to the fact that we will not be holding the Army-Air Force tailgate this year. This year, Army hosts the Army-AF game, so we will have a more modest tailgate at a location to watch the game on TV.
Our new Treasurer will be refining the budget and we will make this available on our website for your closer review.
You will find that we are being good stewards of the Society resources.
However, we only have a $1,500 buffer for next year. I need your help to join and encourage others to join, since that is the main source of revenue for all of our events. With limited resources, we can only accomplish limited objectives.
I will be discussing in more detail the events for which expenditures are listed in the State of the Society update.

12. State of the Society Past Year
Regular Members:
Lifetime Members:
Honorary Members: 6
Number of Grads in PPR:
Percentage of Membership: %
Class with Most Active Regular Members: 1974 (8)
Membership status (not including anyone who has or will join or renew tonight).
The good news is that we have increased from 107 to 132 members this year
However, note that only 21% (1 in 5) of eligible members (according the roster provided by the Association of Graduates) are members.
Colen Willis has done a great job of increasing those numbers, but we really need your help to talk this up and encourage your classmates or other graduates you encounter to join. The more members we have, the more we can do. 12

13. State of the Society Past Year
2007
January Army-AF Hockey Games-Host team
February All-Service Wrestling Tournament and Army-AF Gymnastics Meet, USAFA
March Founders Day Brunch, Elkhorn
June Host Military Academy Admissions Office Visit (MALO)
July Tri-Service Golf Tournament, USAFA
August USMA Exchange Cadet Oath of Affirmation Ceremony
September Benny Havens Hour Oktoberfest, Sunbird Restaurant
November Army-AF Football Tailgate, US Air Force Academy
December >Army-Navy Football Game on TV, Town House Lounge
>All Academy Ball, hosted by Parent’s Club, Broadmoor
2008 USMA Exchange Cadet Spring Welcome
Here are the main events the Society has sponsored this past year.
The picture on the left is one of our senior USMA classes at the spectacular Army-AF Tailgate. We had nearly 500 people attend that event. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game was not as successful.
The middle picture shows some of our USMA exchange cadets at a December reception.
The picture on the right was taken at the All Academy Ball at the Broadmoor in December. This annual event sponsored by the Academy Parents Clubs is a terrific event. It is open to all current cadets and their families and graduates of all academies.
Notice that we have USMA exchange cadets in the Spring semester for the first time. Now we will hold 2 receptions a year as a chance for you to meet the great USMA cadets who come here for a foreign cultural immersion experience at the Air Force Academy
The picture on the right is the Christmas reception we had for the Exchange cadets just before they left USAFA to return to USMA.

14. State of the Society Past Year
Became a Distinguished Society-First time-in 2007
Junior Officer of the Year Award implemented in 2007
Support for Family Support Groups offered in meeting with Garrison Commander and Community Advisory Council at Ft. Carson
Support of Casino Night, 17 March, Ft. Carson FRG major fund raiser
Support of Military Academy Liaison admissions efforts
Vic Tise [Sen Salazar] and Doug Lobdell [Congressman Lamborn] sat on Congressional board to recommend nominees to the Academy
Support for Wounded Warriors at Army-AF Game
Here are the initiatives we have taken this year.
We are trying to expand from a primarily social and fraternal organization that focuses on its members to reaching out to the community, particularly the Army community at Fort Carson.
2 big initiatives are that we will sponsor a Junior Officer of the Quarter Award for a LT or WO1 who exemplifies the ideals of West Point. It is NOT limited to West Pointers.
Second, we are looking for ways we can support the families of deployed Soldiers. The Command would like us to support Family Readiness Groups, so I have offered our assistance and will continue to do so.
We are also beginning to assist providing support to wounded warriors and their families. We began with a canned food drive at the Army-AF football game, and also provided free game and tailgate tickets to some wounded warriors and Family Readiness Group members, totaling $1,
We have also been actively involved in the recruiting and selection process for cadet candidates.
More information on these activities will be provided on our website.

15. State of the Society Future Events and Activities
(All dates are tentative)
April Casinoblanca, Ft. Carson FRG major fund raiser
June Tri-Service Golf Tournament, USAFA
August Oath of Affirmation/Reception for Fall USMA Exchange Cadets
November Army-AF Football Game on TV
December Army-Navy Football Game on TV
January, Reception for Spring USMA Exchange Cadets
March, Founders Day
Here are the known upcoming events.
We would like to field some teams for the Tri Service Golf Tournament this year.
We will once again support the affirmation ceremony where the USMA cadets take an oath of affirmation now that they are obligated to military service at the start of their Junior year. We also want to provide sponsors for these cadets who are only here for one semester.
This year, we will have to cheer for the Army team against Air Force via television.
And, of course, the Army-Navy Football Game viewing at a location to be determined.
There will be other USMA visits, once the sports schedule is announced, we will keep track and let you know.

16. State of the Society Initiatives
Start BizNet meetings in Colorado Springs to help grads find jobs
Support of Family Readiness Groups continues
Other sporting teams and visiting USMA groups, as needed
Achieving 501(c)3 status for tax exemption purposes
Invitation to the West Point Glee Club for a concert in Colorado Springs (2009?)
Help with Wounded Warrior Program through the Warrior Family Community Partnership initiative at Fort Carson
In addition to those previously mentioned initiatives, we are pursuing these other initiatives that deserve some explanation.
BizNet is an opportunity for graduates of all Academies to meet and share business and employment opportunities with each other as well as graduates who are leaving Active Duty. Denver Society has been doing this for about 15 years and we are establishing a BizNet operation here in Colorado Springs. Point for this are Les Krohnfeld and Steve Williams, both Class of Colen Willis, Les and I went to Denver to observe a meeting and gather info on starting our own BizNet and we plan to get it up and running very soon. We will hold weekly meeting, probably at breakfast, at a location TBD. If you are interested, please sign up at the place you registered when you entered this evening. We will also be posting information on our website.
We have decided to pursue 501(c)3 status. YR Hladkyj, Class of 1973, has agreed to help us do this and we expect to achieve this status over the next few months. This should help us with corporate and private donations and provide some tax relief for significant activities that will reduce our costs and allow our dollars to be put to better use.
Finally, we plan to ramp up our support for Wounded Warriors. MG Mark Graham at Fort Carson envisions a Warrior Family Community Partnership to facilitate support for these warriors and their families. Taking lead for our Society are Pat and Doug Nielsen. Again, if you are interested in helping in any way, please sign up at the table in the registration area. We will also be posting information on our website.
Speaking of websites, we will shortly be migrating our own website: to a website more conveniently located on the AOG webpage. We will announce this when it is ready and post it on our current website.

17. Needs of the Society Webmeister Sports Event Coordinator
Assistant Communication’s Coordinator
Decade Reps for 1980’s, 1990’s
501(c)3 Legal and accounting help
Wounded warrior volunteers
BizNet involvement
As you can see, the Society has been very active, but it can do even more if we can get more of you involved in helping us run and attend these activities.
I am trying hard to expand the number of people we have engaged in these activities so we can spread the opportunity among many people and not burn out the few who give disproportionately of their time and talents.
I am particularly in need of help in setting up the Society as a non-profit organization, as this will allow our dollars to go further. If anyone can help with this or knows someone who can help us do this pro bono, please see me this afternoon or contact me online.

18. Other New Business?
Before I close, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a few individuals and the committed who made this Founders Day a success: If you look inside the cover of your program you will see those who made tonight’s event possible. I would like to particularly mention:
MG Anne MacDonald, former Deputy Division West Commander, who was responsible for getting the Junior Officer of the Year Program implemented.
Steve Bigari who provided this location and significant financial assistance to reduce the cost of tonight’s event
Dave and Pam Keller, who could not be here tonight, but provided financial assistance to pay for the cadet meals and Junior Officer of the Year meals.
And…how about the magnificent Color Guard and Harmony in Motion?
Finally I would like to thank Michelle Rodgriguez and the staff here at Mr. Biggs who did a tremendous job again this year.
Who did I leave out? How about a big round of applause for this great team.