Welcome to the Fred C. Sawyer
North TX Chapter 56
of the American First Day Cover Society
Texas Philatelic Association Unit #6

March 2006 Meeting Minutes :

Our March meeting was held at Jessy Coveys home on Saturday March 11. We did not meet at UTD because the school was on spring break.
We met for almost two hours. Paul Benson gave the Treasurers Report. Our only expense for the month was a $12 membership fee to the TPA so our balance is still adequate.

We discussed our involvement in TEXPEX. Jesse obtained a package of materials from the AFDCS. We did not get any covers for free distribution but we have some left over from last year (normally given to children). Paul obtained mailing labels for AFDCS members who live in zip codes beginning with 75 and 76. A letter will be mailed to all who do not belong to our chapter. They will be invited to TEXPEX and to our Chapter meeting on Saturday. Members who return their letters to us will be entered into a drawing for FDCs. Tricia Richmond showed us an item that she made for TEXPEX. I will not tell all the details but I suggest (hint) that it would be worth your while to attend her presentation at our chapter meeting on Saturday April 8 at 2PM.

Chapter members in attendance began to select times to staff our table at TEXPEX. We need more volunteers! Our goal at TEXPEX is twofold - we would like to attact new members to the Society and also we want to invite people to our chapter meetings. We expect to have a display frame near our table to display the chapter covers made over the past 20 years.

We also discussed the Amber Alert First Day currently planned in May. Tricia Richmond has designed a cachet for our chapter as well as a cachet for her McIntosh Cachets. A ceremony is planned in Arlington and we can attend and sell our covers More on this as details become available - Norm Cohen is keeping in touch with the USPS and he will provide information as it becomes available.

The highlight of our meeting was the demo of our new web site. David Richmond has developed the site and looked into numerous links so that people could reach our site even if they did not know our web address. The Richmonds are donating webspace for our site. We only neet to pay a $6 annual fee for the domain registration. We can also include photos of chapter activities. We need to take pictures at TEXPEX and at the Amber Alert First Day.

We should consider preparing an article for First Days regarding the Amber Alert Ceremony in Arlington - we can show our cachet and perhaps a phot or two.

After our business meeting we spent time with the SWAP and SHOP. Tricia Richmond brought some of her new McIntosh Cachets FDCs and she sold quite a few. I sold and traded my Fleetwood and Farnum cachets. We plan to continue a SWAP and SHOP at each meeting. Note: we cannot do that at TEXPEX.

We hope to see all of our Chapter members at TEXPEX, April 7-9. Please make every effor to attend the chapter meeting on Saturday.

Best Regards,

Paul H. Benson
President,
AFDCS Chapter 56

Last updated 15, March 2006