Passing the Gavel
This month, we have a joint message, with Ron Hranac, our outgoing president, starting off. Ed Ladner, the DAS president-elect, follows… —Editor
February’s well-attended annual membership meeting had a packed agenda, including election of Executive Board (“E-Board”) officers and trustees to serve a one-year term beginning later this month. A tip o’ the hat to the following individuals, who will be officially seated on Denver Astronomical Society’s E-Board during our March 23rd Spring Banquet.
Officers:
President – Ed Ladner
Vice President – Dena McClung
Secretary – Joanne Cusick
Treasurer – Scott Perrin
Past President – Ron Hranac
Trustees:
July Candia
Jason Cordova
Jack Eastman
Joe Gafford
Ivan Geisler
Joe Godwin-Austen
Ed Scholes
Chris Ubing
Thanks to this year’s Election Chair, Tim Pimentel, for coordinating the nominations and election process. A very big thanks to outgoing Vice President Lindsey Shaw and Trustees Dan Wray and Sorin, for a job well done during their service on the E-Board!
With Ed’s election as DAS President, I’ll be moving over to the position of Past President. (No, I’m not riding off into the sunset.) I’ll remain an active member of the E-Board, and continue contributing to the operation and leadership of the Society.
Since I’m about to assume the role of Past President, this is my last President’s Message in the Denver Observer. I wanted to take a moment to say what an honor it has been to serve as DAS President for the past five years. During that time, I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with many dedicated and caring volunteers on the E-Board (and among the membership in general), whose vision and leadership made DAS the organization it is today. The bottom line is that it couldn’t have been done without you.
With that, let me turn the keyboard over to our President-elect, Ed Ladner.
– Ron Hranac
A DAS President who is not named Ron? That will be a tough act to follow.
First, I want to say congratulations to the entire 2019 Executive Board, and thank everyone for stepping up and participating in the club. I also want to thank the departing E-Board members who provided their time and energy towards getting the club to the vibrant organization that it is has become.
I first started in astronomy in a rowboat up on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, where I grew up and spent many summers as a child. I remember lying on the boat’s bench seats, looking up at the southern part of the sky and seeing the Milky Way rising over the trees. The closest lights were over 60 miles away in the nearest city, and behind a number of mountains. The sky was black, and the stars of the Milky Way blazed. I continued looking up as I walked home from school in the winter; and seeing Orion overhead, I knew that there was something constant and predictable up in the skies. I learned the major stars from my grandmother, while she was teaching me to navigate with a sextant.
Having grown up with dark skies has helped me appreciate the educational opportunities that astronomy and stargazing offer, both to ourselves and to the greater community in general—I want the Denver Astronomical Society to continue growing into a place for stargazers of all ages and abilities.
I was originally a member of DAS starting in 2002, but lapsed until 2014 when I rejoined. (I live with my wife, Megan, and two cats in Denver’s southeast suburbs and work as an Enterprise System IT consultant. I used to travel extensively, but my current job allows me to telecommute to my customers, enabling me to be a more active participant in DAS.) I have been your Secretary for 18 months now, and I have endeavored to learn how the club works, and share in the vision with the E-Board for how the club can progress into the future.
We have an opportunity to build upon the foundation of success that our existing programs have provided us. We continue to attract exceptional speakers to our General Meetings, and actively participate in the education of the general public through media, monthly Open Houses, twice-weekly Public Nights at DU’s historic Chamberlin Observatory, and an active External Outreach program.
I see a future where we can excel at what we are already doing—and create new opportunities to grow as an organization.
I thank you all for giving me this opportunity to grow DAS and develop new leadership.
– Ed Ladner