Minutes of November 14, 2017 Meeting

Only six of us attended, but we still had a productive meeting. We discussed John Brandauer trying his hand as 1st VP and reiterated Justin’s efforts. We also decided a Board Meeting with John present would be good to have before year is out (sometime in early Dec. or very end of Dec). We discussed the Rutgers Open House project, and the concensus was that there is not any real interest in manning a table in the museum during the mineral sale. KC pointed out that the display that Friends NJ had there, garnered virtually no interest for the Club, and as such, he figured having a table there, no matter how interactive, would fare no better. John B agreed. Others either had no opinion or simply listened. In general, members still wish to attend the show but not as club unit (possibly help with handing out flats as before but that would be it). I will still myself, man a table for Friends NJ in the museum, and bring specimens, to show off, and giveaways for kids. Since Lauren already okayed having the table there, I will accept. Anyone else interested in participating also, can contact Groundhog Dave and let him know. We also discussed a holiday party and I made people aware of Paul Cyr’s recent travels, and mentioned that Kevin Cooper will be co-speaking. I stated that we will be going with Monday, December 11th for the party as most people can make that date. I also said I would touch base with Alaine regarding the food order since we know from the last party how much to order and avoid having surplus. I briefly mentioned that member-wise, we did lose Keith Levine and most likely the McAvoy’s; however, I did get Steve Dougherty and Dave Scott to agree to join Friends NJ. Also possibly Mike “the Pie Man” Dunton of PA. Lastly, we discussed the Peabody Tour (Backstage) opportunity courtesy of Gail Spann. John B brought up the point that this might be too “grandiose” of an endeavor for us, with commitment, transportation, etc. We discussed among those present, who would be interested, and it was a mixed response at best, with 2 of 6 definitely not interested, 2 on the fence, and 2 interested to varying degrees. We discussed several scenarios of possible transportation, most of which were voted down due to expenses and logistics. Driving ourselves was also not hugely popular either, given the distance. At this point the conversation went in many directions on this. The most constructive ideas to come out of it were involving another club (Friends PA or NoJMS) to satisfy a minimum attendance for the tour of around 10 people. I mentioned Mike Dunton would be interested as one. The other predominant idea that came out was having a “trial trip” to a different venue, also involving a modest travel, to “gauge” what level of interest and commitment could be established, and then have more of an idea for something on the level of Peabody / Yale Museum. We will be looking into nearby ventures to museums or similar-type trips that would be a “feeler-out” pre-trip. John B notified me that the American Museum of Natural History is unfortunately not an option, as their main exhibit is out of commission until 2019. Members brought a variety of specimens to swap and /or sell. This was thoroughly enjoyed by those present. Lastly, we skipped Mineral Mayhem #6, and decided that at the Holiday Party, we will also skip, and let Paul / Kevin do the selling.