FOHBC Elections

I have appreciated the opportunity of serving as your Western Region Director of the FOHBC for the last two years. I believe that the FOHBC should be focusing on services and support to help the bottle collecting community.

Here are my accomplishments during the time I have served:


1. Gathered information and updated a listing of the Western Region Clubs and Shows. This information has been distributed to the membership and the clubs in out region.


2. Served as Chairman of a committee to prepare guidelines and standards for Hall of Fame and Honor Roll nominees and inductees. This was passed at the March meeting of FOBHC in Baltimore and has been distributed to the Western Region memberships and clubs.


3. Served as chairman of a Committee to update and revise the FOHBC Bylaws. This document is still under review and hopefully will be completed in the near future.


4. Served as Chairman of the FOHBC Nominating Committee for a Recommended Slate of Officers and Directors for next two-year term. A slate was selected for the election which will enable the Board to run smoothly and better serve the needs of the collecting community. Several current Board members were not included nor recommended in this slate by the Nominating Committee because of ongoing issues with their actions and performance as Board members. A letter to the editor from Jim Bender in the July ABGC, and the President’s Message in the July-August Bottles and Extra magazine, summarizes these issues. You may want to read these before voting.


Over the last two years, under Richard Siri’s presidency we have worked to get the Bottles and Extra magazine current, bring the website up to date, complete documentation of income and expenses from the York and Collinsville Conventions, update and create needed written procedures, and get locations set for future FOHBC Conventions. The Board is also now evaluating the concept of a virtual (computer access) bottle museum.


In the future, I would also like the Board to work toward establishing uniform nomenclature for bottle condition and color to provide a universal language for auction houses to adopt, and collectors to utilize. Another issue for the Board to work in support of protection of the bottle digging aspects of bottle collecting.


There is a lot more that needs to be done and I would appreciate your vote so that I may continue on these projects. Your FOHBC ballot also lists the Recommended Slate for the Board which includes Richard Siri for President and Warren Friedrich for Secretary. Your support and your vote for these nominees would be greatly appreciated. We need to get the whole Board working for the benefit of the bottle collecting community.

Sincerely,

Bill Ham

Western Region Director