************************************************************ PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE *************************** Instead of just the usual kudos for those who helped make our last meeting run smoothly (and many are deserved), I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify an error that appeared in the last newsletter, and to note a glaring oversight on our part at the last meeting. At the September meeting, we were pleased to present well-deserved Certificates of Appreciation to two of our members who have contributed an immense amount of time and energy over the past two years (and more) to make this society, and especially our annual Ann Arbor Orchid Festival, a great success. Those honored were Alex Challis, the organizer and CEO of both the first and second Festival (and everything else he does for the Society), and Connie Bailie, our second President who got the whole Festival idea started, and who worked tirelessly to keep Alex and the rest of us officers and committee chairs going in order to make the Festivals and the Society as a whole a great success. I'm afraid the account of these presentations got a bit garbled in the minutes that were published in the newsletter. Certificates of Appreciation were first awarded two years ago, at the beginning of Connie's administration, and those were presented to our founders and first President & Vice President, Neal Foster and Meredith Foster, to Ruth Wright, who really got our show exhibiting started, and to Bill Brudon, who designed our Society's logo and did much to help publicize our fledgling Society. This award was initially an ad hoc idea of the past administration, to honor some particularly worthy contributors to our society, and I, with the consultation of a previous winner, decided that we would like to continue the award this year since there were at least two (and really more) additional deserving candidates. We hope that in the years to come, other members will come to the fore and be recognized with this special Certificate of Appreciation award. Finally, what did we overlook at the last meeting? - just the fact that October was our Society's FIFTH anniversary. We had cakes for our third and fourth, so just imagine one of those delicious cakes on last month's refreshment table said: Happy FIFTH Anniversary, Ann Arbor Orchid Society! Harry Winter ************************************************************