Letter from our President
I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as the President for our Society. It is an amazing organization and I will always do my very best to represent it well.
Our outgoing president, Hunter Old, deserves an enormous thank you from all of us for guiding the organization and keeping us engaged with the aviation community during his tenure. It has truly been a pleasure working with Hunter to move the Society forward. With support of the Board, Committee Chairs and all our members, we all will strive in our unique way to continue to accomplish the goals and objectives of VAHS while pursuing opportunities that serve our membership and sustain our future.
I have given thought to what I want to accomplish in the coming year, in addition to continuing and improving our existing programs:
- If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Our organization is great, and a lot of people have worked hard over the years to make it that way. There will be a focus on improvement of those things that are not working as they should, but we will do that through careful analysis of issues and targeted responses that get results.
- Grow membership. In order for our Society to remain vibrant & active we need to focus on not only attracting new members but retaining and engaging the members we already have. Membership alone, however, will not sustain our endeavors in the long-term.
- Address inevitable change. Change is one of the few constants in our lives. Our Society does not live in the same world we did a few years ago. We must strategically seek out organizational and corporate partners with an interest in successfully promoting the history of aviation in Virginia.
- New chapters. We have many at-large members who could benefit from affiliation with other members in their region. Among my goals in the coming year is to visit every airport in Virginia, attend at least one meeting of every existing chapter, and actively seek opportunities to create new chapters where interest and opportunity exist. The Fredericksburg Chapter is growing and an initial meeting was held at the DOAV hangar to measure interest in a Richmond Chapter.
- Revitalize committees. A number of committees exist to assist with strategic issues. We will reinvigorate those groups and use them to address and overcome barriers to our future growth. Please volunteer for these important assignments!
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, or ideas. While I will always accept complaints and criticism, I strongly favor solutions and open discussion. If you bring me a problem, I ask that you bring at least one potential solution.
Ray Gill
President, Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society