Farewell and thank you!

The convention in Salt Lake City, Utah promises to be great. The Salt Lake group has been working hard to see we are well taken care of. The ROAL meetings are all scheduled to take place in the Little America Hotel. The ROAL suite will also be located in this hotel. The ROAL luncheon will be held across the street in Grand America.

I will present the money ROAL raised for DEF to RADM Robert Merrilees, USCGR (Ret.). the night of the banquet. The check falls short of my proposed goal but we did well. The DEF is on the right track and continues to need our support.

This is lily last article for The Officer magazine. Although I am somewhat relieved, I will miss being in the forefront. I have had a great time serving as your national president and have logged more than 25,000 miles in the process. Everywhere I went as ROAL's representative, I was overwhelmed by the generosity of ROA and ROAL, members. Tiffs is a big job but a rewarding one, and I was encouraged everywhere I went.

I would like to again thank Maj Gen Robert McIntosh, RADM Robert Merrilees, and the ROA ExCom members for acknowledging ROAL and allowing me to participate in these meetings. I thank them for allowing ROAL to have a voice. I was often asked to give my opinions as the ROAL representative and felt free to express those opinions.

As I step down, I ask you to support Betty Hammer in her year as your national president. If she calls on you to serve in any way, please do so. I believe much progress was made in regard to ROA and ROAL cooperation. ROA is working to further expand this cooperation and we should continue this endeavor.

I thank each ROAL member for the support and encouragement they provided this past year. A special thank-yon goes to the Department of Washington ROAL members for their confidence in me. As I relocate to North Carolina, I will continue to serve to better this organization in any way possible.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Reserve Officers Association of the United States
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group