March 2001 President's Corner

Bob Bush '65, USNAAA Atlanta Chapter President

As I write this column this month I am sitting in my room in a B&B a block from the waterfront in St. Petersburg, FL where it is currently 77 degrees and mostly sunny with a light breeze. I do not mention this because I wish to show how dedicated I am to this monthly newsletter, but rather to explain why I have had some difficulty concentrating on the Chapter’s business and why I have been out of touch with those many great people on your Board who keep this thing going and who organize great events like the Member’s Dinner coming up on March 25^th.

Since I’ve been gone for a while I can only trust that the dues mailers have all been returned in huge batches and that concurrently reservations are coming in droves for the dinner. Unfortunately, this first time out for this event we have had to limit the number of reservations we can take, so if you plan to come, don’t delay in sending yours in to Jim Ravenel. I fear that we may have a few procrastinators who are going to miss out.

I visualize our Chapter as having three main functions in pursuit of its mission to support the Naval Academy and the Alumni Association as a whole. One of these functions is to provide the opportunity for social interaction and camaraderie among our members, and I think we do a good job at that with our monthly luncheons and numerous other functions like the Lobster Fest, Navy-Army events, the occasional tailgate party and now our Member’s Dinner.

We are also asked to support the Academy in our community and to assist in finding good young men and women who could be candidates for admission. The Association is in the process of developing a new network of volunteers, known as Candidate Admission Representatives (aka CARS), whose job it will be to work with the Blue & Gold organization and the Admissions Department to promote the Academy through contact with schools, service clubs and other community organizations.

I advertised for volunteers to fulfill that role in Atlanta and I was gratified to have heard from a large number of folks who are interested in helping. We will probably end up with a network of CARS and associates throughout Georgia, with input and assistance from everyone welcomed as the program becomes more finalized. Stay tuned.

A third very important function, I feel, is to assist fellow alumni in their civilian careers. For some that could mean assisting with the transition from military to civilian life. For others it may mean helping with a job hunt or offering a referral. It can also mean networking in business in the sense that alumni are encouraged to do business with each other. I personally think that is a great idea. I understand that many of the clubs for graduates of Ivy League schools exist primarily (some suggest solely) for that purpose.

That raises a question regarding the Chapter Roster and Chapter By-Laws that has been asked of me a few times since taking over as president. Is it legal and/or proper to use the roster as a source of names and addresses to solicit business on a large scale?

Many believe that our by-laws prohibit the use of the roster for personal business, but actually they do not. It is a violation of the by-laws to sell or give away a roster to someone else for business purposes but nothing currently precludes anyone from using the information to advertise his or her own products or services

I would like to avoid making any hard and fast rules on this subject, but that flexible approach has some distinct disadvantages. We depend on the information that our members provide us to produce as accurate and useful roster as possible. I know there are many fellow alumni who decline to provide personal email addresses, phone numbers, etc., or have failed to join the Chapter’s Email Service because they are afraid it will result in a rash of unwanted phone calls or emails.

While I don’t want to discourage legitimate business interaction among our members, I also want people to feel confident that their privacy will be protected and that people will use the roster with discretion. I am open to your input on this topic. In the meantime, I’d like to suggest one guideline regarding the use of roster information.

There are certainly exceptions to every rule but in general, I believe that impersonal or generic mass mailings are unappreciated whatever the medium: email, snail mail or telephone. I believe a personal, signed letter is almost always acceptable, as are tastefully printed announcements of professional affiliations, new business openings, etc.

Additionally, we each have the opportunity to respond. Let me know what you think. Thanks for your interest and for your participation in the Chapter.