To all GMLSRC Members and GM Salaried Retirees everywhere.

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Club social activities during the winter were very successful – the Detroit Auto Show bus trip and the Snow Bird Social.  Many thanks to John Fox and Ivan Stebbins, who have capably headed up those two functions for a number of years.  Ivan has asked to resign from the board of directors because of another large time commitment that he now has.  We thank him for his many years of dedicated service.  Stepping up to fill Ivan’s shoes are Al Stock, taking over the Snow Bird, and Ray Stanley, the opening on the nominating committee.  We welcome both.

At the May meeting of the GMLSRC board, I will be presenting to Deborah Horstik, Executive Director of the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum, a check for $500, designated for their building fund.  We are most grateful to the museum for allowing us to use their boardroom for at least two meetings each month, and for other favors granted.

Many thanks to the guys that run the main summer club events: Larry Parker and his team of helpers for the two golf socials.  Come along and be a part of both.  I’ll be there.  See another article in this newsletter for details.  Unfortunately, for our other summer excursion, the Detroit Tigers bus trip, John Fox was unable to come up with a date that works for this year.  Hopefully we can resume in 2010.

We’ve been receiving many e-mails from the new General Motors Retirees Association (GMRA).  Three GM retirees have formed this political lobbying organization as an off-shoot of the existing National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN).  It appears to somewhat duplicate the long-established Over-The-Hill-Car-People organization (OTHCP) in its efforts and website.  The GMLSRC board has a club-paid member in both the NRLN and OTHCP, and each representative then reports activity of his respective group at our monthly meetings.  Over time, the OTHCP has done a good job of representing GM salaried retiree interests.  During our April meeting, we decided to sit tight for the time being, not rush right into joining the GMRA, and see how things shake out.  Links to all three groups are available on the club website.

I’d like to broach a subject that many organizations, including GMLSRC, are faced with – declining membership.  As our long-time members age, we regretfully continue to lose them.  Downsizing of General Motors has caused a large number of recent new retirees.  However, we’ve gotten relatively few of them to be new members.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, we’re hampered in that GM doesn’t officially supply us with names and contact information, so we rely on existing friendships and word of mouth to get names, and then use our Inspector Clouseau investigative powers to come up with addresses, so we can send them membership packages.  But, as other organizations know, it’s just harder to get members these days.

So, what’s next for the club?  Do we just gradually fade away at some point in the future?  What should the purpose, mission, and goals of the club be?  Do we continue mainly as a social contact group, with links on our website to distribute information relative to benefits news, political action, etc.?  The board of directors will be discussing these issues, but we need your input.  Where do you want us to go, and how do we get there?  Make our e-mail inboxes and phones ring with your suggestions.

Continuing the theme, we need “new blood” on the board of directors.  We’re an aging group.  The club board and its committees need an organized, structured flow of new individuals with leadership skills, a vision for future direction, and a strong dedication to making the organization continue to prosper.  The nominating committee would love to have you step forward and say “I’m the person you’re looking for”.  This is especially true for our female members.  Beyond that, there’s nothing to say that spouses of retirees who have passed on cannot be part of the action.

Our treasury continues to stand in great shape, with over $27,000 total, $21,000 of which is invested in GMAC demand notes and LAFCU certificates of deposit.  In line with “where do we go next”, the board is open to your ideas of good uses for those funds.  Contact anyone on the board.

Another idea from board member Larry Lennon is to have some articles of historical nature in our quarterly newsletters.  Larry is researching how to do that.  Be watching in August.  So, you want to be a writer and got a good story to tell?  Then submit it to editor Don Sokoloski so that it can be included in a future edition and be shared with the membership.

Waiting to hear from you,