Our next monthly meeting is only 10 days away. It’s time for people to step up and volunteer to run the chapter as officers for 2019 & 2020. It would really be great to get some “new blood” taking charge in the hope that new ideas and activities will recharge the chapter with enthusiasm! John Kuehl and I have been serving as President and Vice-President for the past four years. I don’t mean to put words into John’s mouth but I’m thinking he’s ready to step down, as am I. If you’ve never served as a chapter officer, or not served for several years, PLEASE strongly consider stepping forward to help guide the chapter through the next two years!

 

I’ve had two significant changes in my life this year that will affect my ability to serve the chapter. As most of you know, I took on the job of Project Manager for the restoration of the “Story Special #1” for the OAHS in Cottage Grove. The project is coming along a lot better than I anticipated or hoped. I think with hard work our goal of flying this aircraft, along with it’s twin “Story Special #2,” and the “Tex Rankin” Great Lakes to AirVenture in 2021 is very realistic! This project is not a part of EAA Chapter 31. We are doing it solely as an OAHS project, but people who want to help out are very much welcome to become members and join in the challenge.

 

The second change is that my wife Sandy was injured in a fall and will need me to care for her over the next few to several months. To summarize, she had her fall on the evening of Tuesday, 10/16. Her left hip was badly broken and required a total hip replacement. Complicating the situation was that she also broke a bone in her right foot which, while not needing surgery, has needed to be stabilized which limits her mobility on that side of her body also. She had successful surgery on Wednesday evening, 10/17. She was helped out of bed twice very briefly on Thursday, 10/18 and Friday 10/19. Late Friday afternoon she was transferred by ambulance to the Creswell Health and Rehabilitation Center which is about 1.5 miles from our house. The facility staff and I have been working with her every day. Each day she can walk a little better using a walker. She will probably be discharged from the rehab center next Wednesday when I will take her to the surgeon’s office for a checkup and then bring her home for the first time since the accident.

 

At our next meeting we will also have to decide what we will do, if anything, as far as a holiday party in December. As most of you know, we often join forces with Chapter 1457 for this activity. We will also have a speaker from the Creswell School Board who will update us on the school district’s efforts to bring aviation into their educational program, and how Chapter 31 can help to encourage students to pursue aviation oriented goals for both careers and hobbies.

 

VP Gary