I just got home from Memphis and wanted to let those of you that didn't
attend that you missed a great time. Despite record temperatures for the
area (but still not as hot as SHOklahoma in 2001), the week was a lot of
fun, just as all the conventions I have attended in the past have been.
Thanks must be given to Ken Mallinson for organizing and running the
convention with the same heartfelt effort his dad has always given us in the
past. Another shout out goes to his brother Don for his hard work. Of
course Don and Jan were very involved as always, but hopefully they got just
enough of a break to relax a little.
As always it was good to see old friends and meet new ones. One big problem
is that a LOT of our old friends weren't there. Several regulars were not
around and they were very much missed. I know that life happenings often
keep folks from attending (even my wife, Rosetta, couldn't come for the
first time because she didn't have enough time off of work available), but
I'm seriously afraid that if participation does not rebound from a lower
than expected turn out that the conventions may become a distant memory.
Don, probably will lose money due to higher than expected expenses and lower
than expected participation. I don't think many of us would put up for that
very long, either. Lower turnouts will also lead to higher prices for those
that decide to attend. Another thing to think about is that Don and Jan use
up their vacation EVERY year to put on a great convention for all of us.
That shows a lot of dedication and caring for the SHO community.
The location of Convention #16 has not been decided yet, but where ever it
is everyone should make their best effort to be there, so we can guarantee
that there will be more! I can't imagine what it would be like without the
conventions because there are so many people that we care about that we
would probably never see again without them.
Thanks again to all of the Mallinsons for their hard work and for the
participants that came from all over North America - hope to see you and a
whole lot of others next year
Paul Thomas
Tahlequah, OK
'93 ATX
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