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The reason for this proposed amendment is that our membership
has dwindled through the passage of time, and the majority of
our members are now in their 90's and most with health issues
that prevent carrying out their full duties. Among those duties
is the maintaining of a strong and vibrant Association and its
corporate entity. Surely the membership does not want the Association
to fade into any kind of dysfunction and oblivion. Under the
current Association Constitution, the Board Members and Officers
of the Association, as well as its corporate officers, are limited
to Regular Members of the Association, all of whom are required
to be Spearhead World War II veterans.
This proposed amendment would allow family members of those
veterans to become Regular Members of the Association with full
voting rights as well as the right to be elected to the Board
of the Association and to any and all corporate positions. There
are sons and daughters ready and willing to assume many duties
that would perpetuate this great Association and the Spearhead
legacy. Three most worthy family members that the Board would
immediately consider for Regular Membership, to include election
to the Board and to corporate roles, are Col. Olin Findley Brewster,
Paul Muenchow, and Gary Edmondson.
The proposed new amendment, which would become "Amendment
17", reads as follows:
Amendment 17: Pursuit to the original Article III, Section
1, sub-section "c", and to the subsequent amendment
to that sub-section as described under Article XVI:
Sub-section "c" is hereby amended to read as follows
in its entirety: Regular Membership can be granted to any family
member of a Third Armored Division veteran who served during
the periods described in Section 1, sub-sections "a"
and "b". The aforementioned granting is achieved by
a two-thirds affirmative vote by the Board of Governors. "Family
Member" is defined as a relative by birth or marriage or
adoption, to include, but not limited to, a wife, son, grandson,
daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or cousin.
As a Regular Member, a Family Member has full voting rights as
well as the right to serve on the Board of Governors or in any
corporate position if duly elected. As distinctly separate from
a Regular Membership, an "Honorary Membership" or "Associate
Membership" can be awarded to any person, regardless of
any World War II or family connection, by a two-thirds vote of
the Board, but such membership shall not include voting rights
or service on the Board or in a corporate position. [End of amendment]
For historical reference in considering the above proposed
Amendment 17:
ARTICLE III [the original]:
Section 1. Classes of Members The Association shall have two
classes of members. The designation of such classes and the qualifications
of the members of such classes shall be as follows: a Regular
member shall be;
(a) Any person assigned, or attached individually or through
a unit to the Third Armored Division during April 15, 1941 to
November 10, 1945, while the Division was overseas;
(b) Any person who was assigned or attached for at least 30 days
during the aforementioned period while the Division was not overseas;
and
(c) Any person who served one year with the Third Armored Division
subsequent to July 15, 1947, provided such person shall submit
his application in writing to the Secretary/Treasurer of the
association accompanied by his current dues. Honorary members
shall be elected by the Board of Governors. An affirmative vote
of two-thirds of the Governors shall be required for election.
Life Members, with the same qualifications and voting rights
as a Regular Member.
ARTICLE XVI
Amendments to the Constitution:
[Note: the above first sentence of Article III, Section 1,
sub-section "c" was deleted at the 1979 reunion of
the Association, thus disallowing non-WWII veterans of the Third
Armored Division to be Regular Members of the
Association while leaving open a second type of membership: Honorary
Members. That deletion read as follows:]
Article III. Section 1 (c). This was deleted from the constitution.
It read: any person who served one year with the Third Armored
Division subsequent to July 15, 1947, provided such person shall
submit his application in writing to the Secretary/Treasurer
of the association accompanied by his current dues. [End]
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