Carole Greene, President
Folks, I don’t mind telling you—our board meetings are a happening! We cover a huge amount of business with humor and cooperation. If serving on a board seems like too much of a burden for you to ever consider it, this board will convince you otherwise.
Yes, you guessed it: we need a replacement for Phil Jason, who has become deeply involved in other matters and felt squeezed for time. Something had to give, and he regrettably tendered his resignation from the board. Don’t worry, he’ll still show up for luncheons and, from time to time, take on special events. We’ll miss his wise counsel.
The same is true of Bill Klauber, whose health issues forced him to go “inactive” for club activities, including his position as a governor-at-large.
The board can appoint someone to fill the unexpired terms of these members. That would be until our next election in December. Please, if you have an interest in being more deeply involved in the operation of our club, contact me to learn more about this opportunity.
At the February meeting, Randy Jones, VP/Programs, made a huge announcement:Naples Daily News will support Press Club of Southwest Florida through the end of the year (and if all goes well, beyond) with complimentary advertising for all our events. Be sure to thank Randy for eliciting this tremendous boost to the club.
Although at the board meeting we were unsure, we now know the Marine Corps League is moving forward on plans for the tenth annual “Honor the Free Press” day. NPC, as co-host, is expected to purchase at least 32 seats. We can do it! Look for details in this Scoop.
The board approved the scholarship committee’s motion to contribute another $5,000 to our NPC-endowed scholarship fund at FGCU, in honor of Arthur Hecht. A founding member of the NPC, Arthur served in many leadership capacities throughout the 17 years before his passing in the fall. We miss him, big time.
We spent considerable time discussing the February 27 program and everything needed to make it run smoothly. If you were one of the 76 attendees that day, you know our work paid off. The sold-out-and-then-some crowd enjoyed every minute of our monthly luncheon. Look for details in other articles in this issue of Scoop about speaker Scott Campbell and our tribute to Phil Lewis.
Look also for details about a project Helene de Neergaard, our self-appointed (but we’re glad she did!) club historian unveiled to the board. She also displayed a book in progress that will, when finished, be a comprehensive list of media outlets for our publicity efforts.
Let me return to something mentioned a few lines ago: that “sold-out-and-then-some” description of our last luncheon. The Hilton told us the space they could provide that day would hold a maximum of 72. We cut off reservations when they reached that number, starting a Wait List of those to notify if others cancelled. Then four more showed up. Some said, “I made a reservation,” even though they were not on our list; others just figured they could walk in and be accommodated. Did you see the Hilton staff jumping to take care of those extras? Absolutely. But at some tables, seating was—shall we say—tight.
We are thrilled to provide scintillating speakers that our members want to hear. We love it when we’re at maximum capacity. That tells us we’re doing something right.
However—and this is important—we need you to follow our reservation procedure. I’ll say that again: This is important!
First, e-mail your reservation to From now on, your e-mail will elicit a reply to confirm that we received your e-mail. If you do not get a confirmation, you are not on the list. Send again. If you use Eventbrite to reserve and pay, you still need to send an e-mail with your meal selection. Second, if you find you will not be able to attend, use that same e-mail address or phone Rhona Saunders at 434-9230 no later than 9:00 a.m.the day of the event. Then we can admit someone from the Wait List. Also, if you do not cancel by the deadline, or if we can’t fill your place from the Wait List, and if you have not paid in advance, we will have to bill you for the meal.
Finally, our next board meeting is set for March 13. If you have any ideas for us to discuss, let one of the board members know.