Viola G. Harrison, President

The President called the meeting to order.

Randall Johnson gave the invocation.

Aubrey Milstead led the attendants in The Pledge of Allegiance.

The President asked if anyone had anything that they wanted brought up at the President’s Meeting in San Antonio in January 2002, to let her know prior to that time. She stated that she had put copies of reports that she had received from Washington that she thought would be of interest to Committee Chairman in their folders. If you are not interested, please disregard. Please keep the folders that have been prepared for you and when we get the new information regarding President’s of local chapters after the first of the year, we will send the new information to you. You will only have to take out the old sheets and replace with the new sheets.

Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the June 7, 2001, Executive Committee. Motion carried.

The Treasurer presented the Financial Report. The balance carried forward as of June 30, 2001, was $10,651.81. The total receipts since that date were $2,114.80 and disbursements were $1116.79 which leaves a total on hand as of September 19, 2001, of $11,649.82.

The Treasurer’s report was placed on file.

Reports of Officers:

The Membership Chairman, Mary Pierson, presented her report. She has taken a survey of each Chapter’s planned activities for recruitment and offered her assistance. Assisted the Picayune Chapter in setting up and manning a table at their Senior Appreciation Day. They had seven prospective new members. Held a meeting of the six coast Chapters to discuss ways and means of promoting NARFE and recruiting members. She made a pre-retirement presentation in Vicksburg that resulted in six new members and four prospects. Two more presentations are scheduled in Vicksburg in November and January. She is working on getting into other seminars on the Gulf Coast.

Newsletter Chairman, Randall Johnson, presented his report. The first newsletter is planned to come out in December. He plans to "piggyback" on the North Jackson Chapter’s mailing permit which will save $250. He has encouraged the Presidents of the Chapters to send in articles; otherwise he will have to develop articles on his own. Articles can be e-mailed to him. We are still negotiating with hotels on deciding where to have the next State Convention. We are working with the Jackson Convention and Visitor’s Bureau on these negotiations. We have checked with the Clarion Hotel, the Holiday Inn, North, and the Crown Plaza.

The meeting was adjourned for lunch until 12:30 p.m.

Mary Sinders, Past President, discussed a proposed By-law amendment prepared by the Bylaws, Rules and Resolution Committee. Any further resolutions and proposed standing rules will be submitted at the February meeting.

The resolution is as follows:

The resolution was adopted.

William Litwiller read the Alzheimer’s Coordinator Report Tom Price’s because Tom was unable to attend the meeting. He has received a request from the MS Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Assoc. to affiliate with us. He does not recommend that the Federation divert any of the Alzheimer dollars to support the MS Chapter of Alzheimer’s Assoc. because NARFE’s funds are raised exclusively for research by agreement between NARFE and the Alzheimer’s Association. He reported $1568.93 total donations received from May 1 through August 31.

Mary Sinders read First Vice-President Ray Sheehy’s report since he was traveling and unable to attend the meeting. He has been working with Mary Pierson on membership matters. Ken Martin has offered a computer for use by a chapter that does not have Internet access. He has nominated the Picayune chapter president. The chapter will get its computer as soon as national releases it. He has attended a meeting in Brookhaven and is scheduled to attend a meeting in Forest in December.

Milo stated that he had passed out Helen Thomas’ report on NARFE/FEEA Disaster and Scholarship Funds to each member present and would not read it aloud. It is summarized as follows: A Mississippian from Gulfport was awarded a scholarship. Calendars were mailed in September. This is the major money making project for the scholarship and disaster funds. Members were urged to contribute generously to this project. The back cover of the calendar is illustrated with a photograph made by our own Bill Litwiller entitled, "Flags Over Mississippi." She will be presenting a segment on NARFE/FEEA Scholarship and Disaster at the Columbus, Georgia, seminar.

Tucker Russell, 1^st District Representative, presented his report. He met with the Jacinto Chapter in June. He briefed the chapter members of the June Executive Board Meeting and offered them his services as needed. He was asked to assist them with writing by-laws which he did. They will be presented to the members at their next meeting. He will be contacting the other chapter presidents and scheduling meetings with each chapter in the near future.

Opal Anderson-Smith, 2^nd District Representative presented her report. She attended the June and August meetings of the Vicksburg Chapter. At the meeting she announced the names of the new Federation officers, committee chairs, and district representatives, as well as the dates and location for the 2002 Federation Convention. She encouraged all the members to complete the form, Guide for Annuitant and Survivor Benefits and complete and mail the post cards furnished in "Retirement Life" regarding the Premium Conversion Bills to our Senators and Representative. She did not visit the Greenville and Grenada Chapters but has talked to the presidents of both. They are struggling.

Milo Burnham, 3^rd District Representative had little activity except he did attend the June meeting of his local chapter. Don Blassingame who had served as Chaplain of the Federation had a heart attack and the wife of one of their members was murdered while the husband was away.

Lamar Warnock, 4^th District Representative also had little activity. His local chapter is off during the summer but he did speak to the chapter presidents in his district and offered his services as needed.

William Litwiller, 5^th District Representative visited 4 out of the 8 chapters in his District. Ocean Springs has their meetings at 2 in the afternoon but many other chapters have a luncheon each month. He is having a membership contest in his District. He plans to give boxes of candy as prizes rather than certificates when the chapter has no place to hang it. Senator Lott met with about 9 organizations of about 250 people including about 20 from NARFE during the summer.

Mr. Litwiller was frustrated that more people did not bother to send out the postcards that were inside of Retirement Life.

Milo Burnham discussed the training sessions. The last training session was well received but not well attended. The feeling was that we need three sessions but there is only enough money for one session. One suggestion was to have a training session during the annual convention to better utilize time and funds. He reminded the District Directors to be sure to send Form F-7 to each of their presidents.

Mary Sinders suggested that we have a convention every other year and an annual meeting in alternating years with election of officers and training sessions. Roy Stewart felt that this would be more expensive in the long run than Milo Burnham’s suggestion of having training sessions during the convention.

Mary Sinders made a motion that at each annual convention we have a training session as a part of that convention. Motion was seconded and carried. The motion was reworded to state that the annual training session would be held in conjunction with the annual Federation convention.

Mary Sinders made a motion that the Bylaws be amended to correct the provision regarding training sessions as part of District Representatives be deleted. The motion was seconded and carried.

Mr. Litwiller discussed how we could get some matching money for membership from National.

A recommendation was made that any excess funds after the annual convention not be divided with the host chapter/s but returned to the Federation. Motion was seconded. This will be brought up and voted on at the next convention to be effective in 2003.

Roy Stewart discussed a "Dishonesty Bond" which costs $170.00 per year. He thinks it is not necessary and should be discontinued. It is to protect the Federation from any officer from taking the money. Roy thought it was originally a good idea but is too expensive. A motion was so made and seconded and the motion was carried.

Mary Pierson made a motion that we accept the July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002, budget as presented. Motion was seconded and carried.

Viola Harrison made a presentation of a plaque to Roy Stewart, outgoing Treasurer of the Federation.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, February 21, 2002.

The meeting was adjourned at 2.

Mary Kay Loftin,

Secretary