Happy New Year! Our 25th Anniversary WAVES National convention is only six short months away. Can you believe it? The Call to Convention will be out soon.

The two $1,000 WAVES National (WN) Scholarship applications are printed again in this issue. Make sure that you encourage your grandchildren/children (lineal descendants) both male and female to apply. The scholarship application is available to download on-line from the WN web site. You may use the same application for both scholarships by photo copying the application. The deadline is March 15, 2004.

DUES, DUES, DUES!!! It’s that time again when our dues should have already been paid. If you have not paid your 2004 dues, please pay them now! Our WN dues will increase to $15 after the convention. Take a look at the Life Membership dues table in the December issue of WC. Think about joining as a Life Member and take the worry out of making annual payments.

The nomination deadline for national office has been extended one month to March 1, 2004. If you are considering running for a national office, or know a member who would make an outstanding national officer, please fill out the nomination consent form in this issue and get it in the mail ASAP to a member of the Nominating Committee! If you have any questions about the qualifications for a national office, contact a committee member today.

I know that there are several units that are trying to stay afloat. Our members are getting up there in age and don’t want to hold any office, local, state or national. I also know that the majority of our members are World War II era and don’t want to drive at night or don’t drive at all. Some units hold their meetings during the week, when younger members who might be interested in joining cannot attend because they work. If this sounds like your unit, do your State Director and Regional Representative know what is going on? If your unit falls into this category, please inform your chain of command. If you are a State Director and/or Regional Representative with units that are struggling, and you haven’t notified Sharon Woods, please do so. Don’t wait to notify your leadership until it’s too late. We are perhaps the largest sea service

women veterans’ organization in existence today. Don’t just sit there and complain about the way things are being done in your unit. Do something about it! Do you have a Unit President or one or two members who make unit decisions by being forceful? Remember that each and every regular member has one vote. Please don’t let your unit be misguided or bullied into something that you think is wrong, or that you don’t want to do. Speak up! Please don’t let your unit collapse because of one member. Contact your State Director and/or Regional Representative if you are having unit issues. As one member put it, don’t let the younger members think that your unit is “dull”. There may be snow on the mountain top, but I know that there is still a fire in the belly! Maybe new members have a special talent or hobby that your unit could use. Ask them what they are interested in. Make them welcome and keep them interested. Nuff said!

Myrna Van Meter has been elected as the Region V Representative. In addition to this new duty, Myrna is also the Iowa State Director, North Iowa Lakes Unit 110 President and Newsletter Editor. Can a member hold 4 offices at the same time? Yes! (check your bylaws) Thank you Myrna, for stepping up to the plate when you were needed and welcome aboard. You will be installed at the WN Convention in Philadelphia in August. 

Ruby Homick and I had the pleasure of traveling to Green Bay, WI the last weekend of January to Charter the newest  WAVES National unit, the Fox Cities WAVES Unit #153. My hat is off to Nellie DeBaker for her untiring dedication to making this happen. Living in Florida for the last nine years did me no favors going to the frozen north in the winter! I just about froze to death up there. Thank you Nellie and Dee Clover for a great trip. BZ to Unit #153! Welcome aboard! 

God bless our troops and God bless America!
Always Navy,
Barb
 

Thought for the day: “Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.”   Franklin P. Jones