Councilor's Corner - March 2008

“Local Section Officers - The Unsung Heroes of the ACS”

When I completed my term as Chair for the Rochester Section, I was delighted to receive a special gift from former ACS President, Attila Pavlath. Attila visited us, if you remember, as President one cold January day to speak at our Annual dinner. When Attila completed his 3-year term within the ACS Presidential Succession, he went back into his Section and ran for Chair. From that experience, he wrote the following article, which he framed and sent to me at the end of my own term as Chair. I wanted to pass it on to you as it is a wonderful way to acknowledge those who step forward to help lead our Section, and hopefully, it is a way to stimulate thought amongst others as we open up our nominations for officers for the 2008 election in this issue of our newsletter.

“ACS without Local Sections? Is it true that local sections have no place in our time? No! They are like the neon lights of Broadway. We accept them as a routine part of our professional life; but if they were to disappear suddenly, the darkness would be self-evident. For the large majority of our members who rarely go to national meetings, the local sections represent the tangible connection with a faraway giant organization in which they are, they quite frequently think, only computer numbers. What do you expect from your local Section? The need varies for each member, and the local section officers must struggle with the different problems and find solutions for them.

Who are these officers? Why are they involved in these activities? What is the moving force behind their actions? Money? There is no salary or expense account and most frequently not even time off for these activities. Power? It is more work than glory. Then why? In our frequently labeled “me first” society, why would someone do something for no tangible benefit?

It is my firm conviction that these unheralded officers contribute the lion’s share to the greatness of ACS. Their devotion built the Society to what it is today and keeps it visible to the everyday member.

This space is too short to describe properly the numerous contributions local section officers have made during the past 106 years. Let me attempt to give you a profile of these devoted members, whose work we take for granted and who rarely receive proper thanks for the enormous job they do.

How does one become a local section officer? I have heard many stories. Some have referred to it jokingly as a “railroad job.” Some somberly admitted that no one wanted to take the job, and they reluctantly volunteered or perhaps did not object vehemently to “being volunteered.” A few were actually seeking the job because they had an idea they wanted to develop. On the whole, however, once elected or appointed, most of them were ready to do good jobs.

Most of us think of monthly lectures when someone talks about local section activities. Even those are not easily arranged! How to select the subject, place, time, speaker, etc. that will attract members and send them home satisfied. This task is thankless. If the meeting was interesting, then the speaker did an excellent job. But if something went wrong (not enough parking places, the dinner was bad, the slide projector did not work, or even if the speaker was uninteresting), the organizers get the blame most of the time.

I have seen imaginative programming by section officers turn around the low attendance in many sections. Successful meetings were held at unconventional places and times-a lecture on a riverboat with a really captive audience, or a Saturday morning meeting at a Texas barbecue. Meeting places were varied to accommodate more members in geographically large sections. Even specialized subjects were made interesting and appealing. They did not draw very large crowds, but appropriate publicity and environment (for example, as provided by a company sponsored social hour) made them interesting even for those who were not directly involved in that topic area. Well-chosen non-chemistry subjects (earthquake prediction in California, for instance) drew large crowds including members who had not been seen for years.

Many members are apathetic and/or occupied with other activities. The key point is that local section officers are becoming more and more aware that monthly meetings are not necessarily the only “games in town.” They realize there is no one activity that will grab everyone’s attention; the interests are quite diversified. They continuously struggle to come up with new ideas that will attract the attention of a few more members. “Chemistry bowls,” employment services conducted either informally or through a newsletter, women’s re-entry projects, local speaker bureaus to high schools or the Chamber of Commerce are just a few examples of the imaginative activities.

On the surface, initiating a new program might sound simple: the money comes from ACS, not from the pockets of the section officers. How wrong this statement is! First of all, the officers incur many expenses for which there is no reimbursement. With today’s gasoline and car prices, even mileage can be expensive. One officer with a geographically large section, but only 300+ members, traveled 2000 miles in a year just to go to meetings and arrange activities. Time taken off from work cuts into the available leave for vacation with the family, and it is not even tax deductible. Second, financial resources within the section are severely limited. To initiate new programs, section officers have to struggle within today’s financial limitations. The only “creative financing” available for the local sections is to search out new sources for local activities. Local section dues are voluntary, and many times the members are reluctant to pay them because not enough local section activities interest them. The lack of financial resources frequently does not allow the initiation of new programs that would attract the members; it becomes a vicious circle. Under these conditions, local section officers have tried various unorthodox ways to find financial support. I have even heard of successful bake and garage sales held to raise money for projects.

I do not know the situation in your local section. I do not want to say that every section officer is a saint and a fireball. Each person is different, but they all start out enthusiastically. Enthusiasm is the most important trait in these officers; it is contagious. Unfortunately, some of the germs are weakened by the day-to-day mundane problems of life and die out without infecting others. But I also read the report of one section that was on the verge of dissolving. Two years later the section was nominated for the ACS Award for Outstanding Performance by a Local Section. What made the difference? They had a Chair who was infected by enthusiasm and passed on the “disease” to her executive committee.

Is it worthwhile to be a local section officer? You might be wavering after reading about this seemingly thankless job. But I want to assure you that it has its satisfactions. Regardless of whether you were elected or appointed, you have an opportunity to do something new in your section. Your enthusiasm might fade; at the end of you term some of your plans will still be on the drawing board, but it is what you did that counts.

Every year the outstanding sections are given plaques in recognition of their achievements. During the past two years, LSAC also has given certificates to the chairmen of the winning and nominated sections to acknowledge the work of those responsible for the success. These certificates are only tokens with no cash value but are often proudly displayed.

To all local section officers or anyone who is involved in section activities-whether your sections won awards or not-I would like to declare for the record that you are doing an excellent job. Your work might not make headlines in C&EN; yet without you ACS would a trophy. A copy of this “essay” will not be negotiable at any local bank; but the words are from the heart to express in an old-fashioned, idealistic way the gratitude of a busy society.”

Attila E. Pavlath, Chairman
Local Section Activities Committee.
(From C&EN, Nov. 22,1982, p.36-7)

Indeed, we are anxious to welcome new people into the leadership ranks of our Section to bring “new life to chemistry”!

Please remember that Jim Reynolds and I are your voices on the national level. Feel free to contact me at 477-4903, email me at:

d.richard.cobb@kodak.com
or write me at:
15-C Greenleaf Meadows, Rochester, NY 14612.
Thank you!

D. Richard Cobb