"Boston Tea Party-
ASCP Style!
This year our Annual Meeting w i l l be held in
Boston and, as usual, we w i l l have a fine scientific
program which w i l l include many workshops and
a fantastic array of exhibits, both of which will be
in the Hynes Civic A u d i t o r i u m .
I have no worry about the large number of
members attending this meeting, as each year the
attendance exceeds that of prior years and Boston
should prove no exception. M y concern is attendance at the Annual Business Meeting.
It is obvious to anyone w h o has thought much
about it that w e cannot conduct the affairs of this
Society in a meeting of the Fellows which lasts
about t w o hours and is held but once a year. This
is not the purpose of the Business Meeting.
The real reason for having the Business Meeting
is to permit the Board of Directors, which has been
given the stewardship of the Society, to report to
the members on what they have done. It is at this
time that the members review the w o r k of the
Board and give direction to it.
Although all Business Meetings of the Society
should be considered important, I view the one
which is planned for this year as being of greater
significance than those of the recent past. W e must
answer some very important questions which will
be posed.
Most of these relate to the amendment to the
Bylaws w h i c h , you w i l l recall, was first proposed
last year and then w i t h d r a w n from consideration
by the Board because it felt that additional time
and study were needed.
As I said at the meeting in Atlanta, we w o u l d
continue the study of this problem and w o u l d attempt to get additional views of various factions
in an effort to present an enlightened membership
a revision which might have universal support.
Your Board of Directors has done all that it can
d o t o achieve this goal.
In October, the Constitution and Bylaws C o m mittee convened and made extensive revisions of
the draft which had been submitted to the m e m bership in Atlanta. In making these revisions, it had
the benefit of w o r k i n g w i t h many individuals, i n cluding past officers and members of the Board of
Directors.
In December, Dr. Layton submitted a revised
draft to all members for their study and comments
and at that time announced a workshop on the
Bylaws to be held in Las Vegas at the Interim Meeting.
In February, the Bylaws Workshop was held and
additional input received. Several revisions of the
Bylaws have since been effected, studied by your
Board of Directors and w i l l have been distributed
to the Fellows well in advance of the Boston Meeting.
I urge you to study this draft carefully and come
to the Business Meeting prepared to make decisions necessary to amend our Bylaws. There is
nothing you w i l l d o of more importance w i t h regard to the future of your Society.
I hope you w i l l bear this responsibility w h i c h is
yours.
E. R. Jennings, M.D.
President, ASCP
LABORATORY MEDICINE
•
AUGUST 1971
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