Volume 10, Issue 2

Page 4

 

Well, I guess Captain Hal deserves a break.  Having written a few years’ worth of Captain’s Logs in my day, I know what it’s like to run short of ideas.  When the going gets tough, you even begin to wonder if anybody is even reading the damn things…so you think maybe no one will notice if you just skip writing one here and there.  But somehow that never seems acceptable.  So you struggle for good ideas that you believe will help the Anglers’ Club to grow and prosper every single month.  You’re thinking about it before bed, when reading the paper, when fishing, or riding around in a golf cart.  No telling how many hours are spent on the Club if you count thinking as part of the job.

 

Hal Fowler has done all of this and a lot more in the last couple (or is three now?) years.  Those of us on the Steering Committee remember all those years prior to Hal’s tenure when we’d be appealing for dues well into January.  We’d give each of 6-7 board members 5-10 names to call.  And when the community was finally “full”, we’d still wind up with a moderate but respectable 60-65 members.  But it was hard work.

 

Hal’s leadership and foresight pretty much has changed all that.  It was time to raise our dues.  It had been $25 for 10 years.  Aside from everything else, those dues included 2 free dinners for 2 with, as all of you know, OUTSTANDING entrees, beverages, and gourmet sides and desserts.  The only reason we could do this is that not everyone was able to come to all the Dinner Parties – so it worked out…until now.  So Hal proposed DOUBLING the dues.  Yours truly, in my wealth of wisdom and experience, calmly predicted that we’d be down 25%-50% our normal membership prior to this year’s party if we doubled.  Still, Hal persisted and the Board agreed that $50 was still a great value, especially for what the Club now has to offer overall.  The Results:

 

Prior to our Nov. Party on the 10^th, and with dues due by Nov. 1, we had

 78 families paid up and current for our new 2008-09 season….

No muss no fuss!

 

Shows how much I know.  O Ye of little faith!

 

In addition, prior to Hal, although we had some people interested in fishing, we were as much or more of a social club as we were a fishing club.  That’s not bad.  It’s just what we were.  A lot of us worked hard to improve the interest and participation in fishing.  It did improve, but never to the level we thought appropriate for a “fishing” club.  So how has so much improvement (even though we still have more loftier goals for members fishing participation) taken place?

 

Anyone who has seen Hal operate knows the answer well.  Hal cajoles, sweet talks, flatters, wheedles, persuades, and whatever else is necessary to make things happen.  Most all of those who had reasons NOT to join the club before, are now members.  How does Hal get all those great prizes that he gives away at our Dinners and 50/50’s?  How do we get the Clubhouse for free for 100 people?  HOW INDEED!!!  There’s lots more of these sorts of things, but you get the idea.

 

So where are we now in the history of our Anglers’ Club?

 

(Continued on page 8)