I can’t leave without thanking the many people that I have met that have helped me over the years to make the club what it is today. When I volunteered to be President back in ‘98, there was no BOD in place and I had to learn the ropes from the ground up. From learning how to use the computer to write a monthly newsletter, to co-chairing a national conference, it has all been an invaluable experience that I will carry the rest of my years. I couldn’t have done it without the volunteers who eventually became the Board of Directors and made the DFWMAS a non- profit corporation.

The first person to come on board and help was Debra Heath. Although we didn’t have much money in the account, I needed a Treasurer desperately, and Debra volunteered unselfishly. Debra relinquished the position to her husband Al a year later, and Al has been a great Treasurer ever since. We are so lucky to have them both as members of the club.

Chris Jardine has been the Activities director since almost the beginning after volunteering at a meeting. OK, I might have twisted his arm a little, as I did most people on the BOD, but he has stayed on and always had a place for us to meet every month. Not an easy task sometimes, and I thank him for all his help.

Mike Bowles was one of the first members that I recruited at a membership drive at the old World Down Under back in ‘98. It turned out to be a real blessing as he is a CPA and did all the work necessary for us to become a non-profit corporation before MACNA. Without his help and guidance, we would have had to spend a lot of money to do it. He graciously did all the work for free and I, and everyone else involved with the club, owe him a great deal of thanks.

Barry Fronczak, our web master, has done such an outstanding job. I don’t know how to thank him enough. We did have a web address, but little else until Barry took over and made our web site one of the best club sites around. Barry also set up our secure server that made it possible to take credit cards over the internet. That allowed us to register people for MACNA online, which was no small blessing. In fact, we were the first club that relied exclusively on the internet to organize and promote MACNA. Without his expertise, we wouldn’t have had such a smoothly run MACNA. Barry, take a bow.

Stan Eason, our beleaguered Membership Chair deserves kudos for getting the membership roster in better shape than he found it. When we switched to an online newsletter, our methods of keeping track of due dates changed and made it a lot of work to switch. Stan has been able to get it under control for the most part and I know how hard it is to keep everything straight when multiple people deal with new memberships.

Chris Curtis took over the newsletter duties for many months when I needed a break a couple of years ago, and has been a great member for many years. Chris served on the Board for several years and helped us out many times. Chris, I still have your tank and stand in my garage. Give me a call if you need it! <G>

Duane Dennis, who we don’t see at many meetings, was a most welcome addition to the Board before MACNA. Duane was instrumental in the success of our MACNA. As Co-Chair of the conference, he almost single handedly deciphered the hotel contract and dealt with the hotel staff during the conference. He was truly a great addition to the club and deserves my sincere gratitude. I wouldn’t have taken on the responsibility of MACNA without his help. Also, Duane has handled the catering for the last two Holiday Socials.

Anthony Patrick has been a great help to me as well over the years. He has served as our club’s MASNA representative for years, and has helped me on meeting days in his capacity as Vice President. Anthony did make a mistake when he gave me the keys to his house, but the club has benefited greatly when he was out of town and I “borrowed” coral frags for the raffles. Shh…don’t tell him. AP also served as Emcee at MACNA and did an outstanding job.

Marc Levenson is a relative newcomer to the club but has made a great contribution since I met him at MACNA. As most of you know, he is a great moderator on our club’s message board and has done an outstanding job taking over as newsletter Editor. Marc has stepped up and made the decision to run for President this month and I thank him for all his help.

Bill Werner was another member that I met at just the right time. I met Bill at the Baltimore MACNA, which was held the year before ours. I didn’t know it at the time, but the responsibility for MACNA would fall into our laps with only 6 months to go, and Bill just happened to be an Audio/Video guru for Texas Instruments. Without his expertise and connections, I would have had a hard time getting that part of the conference under control. Bill also took the time to edit and produce the MACNA DVD’s. Thanks again, Bill.

There are many more people I would like to thank, but you know who you are. The talent that we have in this club is remarkable and I have never worked with a better group of people in my life. I wish the DFWMAS continued success, and I will continue to serve as past President as long as you will have me.

Last month's meeting was at Chris Jardine's in Colleyville. We had a nice group show up for the meeting, and it was easy to hear what was going on because Brad used our club's brand new P.A. system. Chris took the time to tell us more about his tanks and his methods, and even demonstrated feeding his Snowflake Eel when the tangs weren't trying to steal the food. The raffle didn't last long, but a bunch of creatures went to their new homes that night. Here are some pictures to refresh your memories:

The first tank Gary bought had many problems, so he decided to replace it with a better constructed unit with a much stronger stand. Lighted with 250w Metal Halide bulbs and VHO actinic supplementation, corals and fish burst with color.   

Gary keeps things simple, topping off with RO/DI water daily, and doing 20g water changes every 2 weeks. He feeds his tanks every 3 days, and only flake food! His sump is simple, holding a heater, protein skimmer and return pump. This tank doesn't utilize a refugium, but Gary's already shopping around for a bigger tank to go into his new home. I'm sure we'll enjoy the next tank as much as we've come to love this one.  You can contact Linuxfisher on the message board if you'd like to discuss his tank further.

If you would like your tank featured, please contact Steven Franks to coordinate a visit