The Torch Magazine

From President Norine Haas

Torch International bids a hearty welcome to Fredericksburg's new club!

Past IATC President Anne Sterling was on the mark in saying that presenting a charter to a brand new Torch Club was one of the hallmarks of one's presidency. I enjoyed that exact sensation when granting a charter to the new Fredericksburg, Virginia Torch Club on November 18th. Buoyed by the presence of ten members of the Richmond Torch Club, four of whom will continue to be members of both clubs, a marvelous group of 34 charter members signed on the dotted line to officially begin what will obviously be a thriving enterprise. Anne Thomas, Region 3 Director, was also present to help celebrate and to invite the club to make use of all that the IATC has to offer. The room was full to overflowing with exuberant people!

Gus Coteras, the sparkplug behind the new venture, found out about Torch from a friend who is a member of the Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Club. He discovered the Richmond Club and promptly joined. He mentioned the possibility of a club in his home community to Anne Sterling, who connected him to her friend Bill Blaine, who became very interested. Together they contacted other networks of friends, and soon they had a nucleus, with one of the most diligent converts, Vince Sullivan, as a major player. Vice President Francis Moul came to cheerlead early in the process as well. This is how it's done, folks! Ask, invite, ask! Just twenty members are required to attain a charter according to the bylaws. Your club can help start a new club in a favorable location within a reasonable distance, spreading the fellowship of Torch. Furthermore, your reaching out will invigorate your own club—a win win!

In another important recent action, the IATC Board has dealt with the issue of the awkward size of Region 1 (11 clubs stretching from Erie to Maine) by dividing the territory in half, creating Region 1 and Region 10. The clubs in western New York and Erie, Pennsylvania plus St. Catharines in Ontario form Region 10, to be led by Regional Director Tim Spaeder, president of the Erie Club. Region 1 Director Diana Hinchcliff, past president of the Albany Club, will be in charge of the clubs in eastern New York, Maine and Massachusetts. This action was taken so clubs will have yearly visits and more access to services provided by Torch leadership. We salute and thank Board members who shouldered this herculean task in the past, Dick Lynch being the last. And there is news of efforts to form a new club in Region 1. Keep tuned—read the Torchlight newsletters that appear in your inboxes.

An unknown author once said, "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." Some forces in society militate against intellectual pursuits; we cannot ignore those forces, but neither should we merely surrender to them. Torch members need to keep adjusting our sails, not only to ensure the viability of our clubs, but also to enlarge the scope of our vision and actively seek like-minded individuals to join us. If we show others what our beloved Torch means to us, they will catch the vision.

Wishing you all a healthful and productive 2016,

Norine